lesson 1

Question 1

what are the 6 main organs of the UN?

Answer 1

1. General assembly
2. UN security Council
3. Economic and Social Council
4. trusteeship Council
5. International court of Justice
6. Secretariat

Question 2

What are the differences between ‘UN general assembly’ and the ‘UN security council’?

Answer 2

1. all UN memberstates are part of the **General assembly **whereas the UNSC only has 15 members (5 permanent with veto power and 10 rotating).
2. General assembly decides about global issues whereas the UNSC decides about international peace and security.
3. General assembly cannot take binding decisions and the UNSC can.

Question 3

what are the requirements for a state to be a state?

Answer 3

1. Defined population (no required size or nature of population).
2. defined territory, a territorial base upon which to operate. (no need to have settled boundaries)
3. a government capable of exercising effective authority. (this requirement is in practice not applied strictly).
4. capacity to enter into relations a state must exist first to do this–> emphasis on legal independence.

Question 4

Do states have international legal personality?

Answer 4

States have full legal personality.

Question 5

do international organizations have legal personality?

Answer 5

yes BUT limited (see purpose and powers in founding treaty)

Question 6

do individuals have international legal personality?

Answer 6

partially, individuals have obligations trough int. law (warcrimes, genocide)
and trough human rights treaties individuals have rights.

Question 7

do (indigenous) peoples have international legal personality?

Answer 7

ongoing discussion
They have a right to self determination.

Question 8

do NGO have international legal personality?

Answer 8

they posess legal personality on domestic level,
but recently they are involved in UN open debates and human rights bodies, or have a consultive status with UN organs.

Question 9

Do Multinational corporations have int. legal personality?

Answer 9

ongoing discussion

Question 10

what sort of jurisdiction does the ICJ have?

Answer 10

1. content based jurisdiction, binding decisions to settle disputes between STATES. (art. 34 ICJ statute).
2. **advisory jurisdiction **to advise UN organs on legal questions (art. 65 icj statute).