The United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law was established by General Assembly resolution 2099 (XX) of 20 December 1965 to contribute to a better knowledge of international law “as a means for strengthening international peace and security and promoting friendly relations and co-operation among States”. It is one of the cornerstones of the efforts of the United Nations to promote international law. Its continuation was subsequently authorized by the Assembly through the adoption of resolutions at its annual sessions until its twenty-sixth session, and thereafter biennially. At its sixty-fourth session, the General Assembly decided to consider this agenda item on an annual basis (resolution 64/113).
The Programme of Assistance provides direct assistance in the field of international law by means of:
- The International Law Fellowship Programme;
- The Regional Courses in International Law for Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin-America and the Caribbean;
- The Audiovisual Library of International Law, which was launched in October 2008;
- The preparation and dissemination of publications and other information relating to international law.
Implementation of the Programme of Assistance
In the performance of the functions entrusted to him by the General Assembly in relation to the Programme of Assistance, the Secretary-General is assisted by the Advisory Committee on the United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law.
The members of the Advisory Committee are elected by the General Assembly for a period of four years. The following 25 Member States were elected members of the Advisory Committee at the seventy-fourth session of the General Assembly, beginning on 1 January 2020 and ending on 31 December 2023: Argentina, Canada, Chile, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Israel, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America and Uruguay. (resolution 74/185).
The Secretary-General reports to the General Assembly on the implementation of the Programme and, following consultations with the Advisory Committee on the Programme, which meets annually in the autumn, submits recommendations regarding its execution in subsequent years.
The Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations is responsible for implementing the Programme of Assistance.
Legal Publications
Legal publications and related documents
Yearbook of the International Law Commission
The Yearbook of the International Law Commission, which is published annually, is the authoritative source of the documentation of the Commission, including the summary records of its annual sessions, the principal documents (studies, Special Rapporteur reports, and other documents) considered by it at each session, as well as its annual report to the General Assembly.
United Nations Juridical Yearbook
Since 1963, the Secretary-General has published, on an annual basis, a Juridical Yearbook which includes documentary materials of a legal character concerning the United Nations and related intergovernmental organizations.
Reports of International Arbitral Awards
The Reports of International Arbitral Awards provide a systematic collection of International arbitral and judicial awards which are of considerable importance as a "subsidiary means for the determination of the rules of law" as provided in Article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, and for the progressive development of international law.
United Nations Legislative Series
The Legislative Series addresses a broad range of special topics of general interest relating, inter alia, to the law of the sea, the law of treaties, nationality, diplomatic and consular law, international organizations, State succession, non-navigational uses of international watercourses, jurisdictional immunities of States and their property, the multilateral treaty-making process as well as the prevention and suppression of international terrorism. The legal materials contained in this series have included not only national legislation but also treaties, judicial decisions, diplomatic correspondence and other relevant materials depending on the topic.
Summaries of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders of the Permanent Court of International Justice
This publication provides a compilation of summaries of judgments, advisory opinions and orders delivered by the Permanent Court of International Justice, in all the official languages of the United Nations, aimed at increasing public awareness of the work of the Court and facilitating access to its jurisprudence.
Summaries of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders of the International Court of Justice
This publication provides a compilation of summaries of judgments, advisory opinions and orders delivered by the International Court of Justice, in all the official languages of the United Nations, aimed at increasing public awareness of the work of the Court and facilitating access to its jurisprudence.
Proceedings of Diplomatic Conferences
The official records of a series of diplomatic conferences, convoked by the United Nations in order to negotiate and adopt several treaties based on drafts worked out by the International Law Commission and considered by the Sixth (Legal) Committee of the General Assembly.
The UNCITRAL Yearbook is a compilation of all substantive documents related to the work of the Commission and its Working Groups. The Yearbook provides a complete annual record of travaux préparatoires for texts formulated by the Commission. It includes the Report of the Commission, selected General Assembly resolutions, studies and reports of working groups, and studies and drafts prepared by the Secretariat, as well as Bibliography of recent writings related to the work of UNCITRAL. The Yearbook is published in English, French, Russian and Spanish.
The UNCITRAL secretariat undertakes the production (in both paper and electronic versions) of a number of publications relating to the work of UNCITRAL. Among them are the UNCITRAL Yearbook, booklets reproducing UNCITRAL texts, explanatory notes and other official documents, official records of diplomatic conferences at which conventions were adopted and proceedings of various congresses and colloquiums held by UNCITRAL.
Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs
The Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs contains analytical studies of the decisions of the principal organs of the United Nations under each of the Articles of the Charter of the United Nations, prepared by the Secretariat. The publication provides a comprehensive summary of the decisions of United Nations Organs, together with review of related material, organized by Charter Articles, and presented in such a way as to throw light on questions of application and interpretation of the Charter which have arisen in practice.
Repertoire of Practice of the Security Council
The Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council serves as an institutional memory of the evolving practice of the Council on constitutional, procedural and substantive matters. It presents in a comprehensive fashion the Council’s interpretation and application of the UN Charter and its own Provisional Rules of Procedure. The publication also provides a summary, by agenda item, of the Council’s peace and security activities. Although mandated by the General Assembly in 1952 (GA resolution 686 (VII)), the Repertoire and its Supplements covers the practice of the Council since its inception in 1946.
The International Law Handbook: Collection of instruments
The International Law Handbook is a four volume publication containing a collection of the core international law instruments intended for distribution to academic institutions and Government training centres in developing countries as well as for teaching the seminars that comprise the standard curriculum for all training courses in international law organized by the Codification Division.
Books
International Law as Language for International Relations, 1996
Handbook on the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes, 1992
Making Better International Law: the ILC at 50, 1998
Collection of Essays by Legal Advisers of States, 1999
The International Law Commission Fifty Years After: An Evaluation, 2000Historical Review of Developments relating to Aggression, 2003