BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:PhD defence by K. van Douwen METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20260917T134500 DTEND:20260917T151500 DTSTAMP:20260917T134500 UID:phd-defence-by-k-van-douwen@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260924T214620 LOCATION:Main building VU, 1105, Aula, De Boelelaan, 1081 HV, Amsterdam SUMMARY:PhD defence by K. van Douwen X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Meeting with the Int ernational Law Commission

UN expert body unable t o clearly explain its own role within international law

The International Law Commis sion was established in 1947 by the UN General Assembly and has since grown into an authoritative legal expert body. The Commission has pl ayed an important role in the development and expansion of the intern ational legal order.

Yet the Commission struggles with a fundam ental question: what exactly is it doing, and why is it doing tha t? Since the 1990s, various political and legal developments hav e had a direct impact on the Commission's work. This led to questions regarding its output, authority, and role. It is not only legal scho lars who concern themselves with these questions; the Commission also repeatedly questions itself about its own function.

The main c onclusion of the study is that the United Nations' most important leg al body cannot explain its own function in terms that align with the prevailing theory of international law.

This is striking, preci sely because the Commission is expected to know international law tho roughly and clarify it. The study shows that the expert body cannot c learly explain what it does and why it does this.

According to Van Douwen, this struggle also says something about international law as a discipline. The Commission's continuous reflection on its own f unction can reveal where the prevailing theory of international law f alls short in describing the role of such an expert body.

Societal significance

Van Douwen's study does not c oncern the efficiency or effectiveness of the Commission and does not lead to concrete recommendations or future applications. Its relevan ce lies primarily in a better understanding of the international lega l order and the development of international law as a discipline.

This is also relevant in the present day. There is increasing atte ntion for international law and the changing international legal orde r. The Commission has played an important role in their development, even though the body is relatively unknown to the general public.

According to the research, this lack of awareness is not necessari ly problematic. The societal significance of the Commission lies prim arily in its role within the international legal order. The very fact that an authoritative international legal expert body struggles to a rticulate its own function provides grounds to re-examine how interna tional legal experts understand and explain ‘their’ international law.

More information on the thesis.

< /html> DESCRIPTION: Meeting with the International Law Commission

UN expert body unable to clearly explain its own role within interna tional law

The United Nations International Law Commission cannot clearly define its own function in terms that align with the prevailing theory of international law. This is evident fro m the doctoral research of Keri van Douwen. The finding sheds new lig ht not only on the Commission itself, but also on the way in which in ternational law as a discipline is understood.The Internatio nal Law Commission was established in 1947 by the UN General Assembly and has since grown into an authoritative legal expert body. The Com mission has played an important role in the development and expansion of the international legal order.Yet the Commission struggles with a fundamental question: what exactly is it doing, and why is it doing that? Since the 1990s, various political and legal developme nts have had a direct impact on the Commission's work. This led to qu estions regarding its output, authority, and role. It is not only leg al scholars who concern themselves with these questions; the Commissi on also repeatedly questions itself about its own function.The main c onclusion of the study is that the United Nations' most important leg al body cannot explain its own function in terms that align with the prevailing theory of international law.This is striking, precisely be cause the Commission is expected to know international law thoroughly and clarify it. The study shows that the expert body cannot clearly explain what it does and why it does this.According to Van Douwen, th is struggle also says something about international law as a discipli ne. The Commission's continuous reflection on its own function can re veal where the prevailing theory of international law falls short in describing the role of such an expert body.Societal significa nceVan Douwen's study does not concern the efficiency or eff ectiveness of the Commission and does not lead to concrete recommenda tions or future applications. Its relevance lies primarily in a bette r understanding of the international legal order and the development of international law as a discipline.This is also relevant in the pre sent day. There is increasing attention for international law and the changing international legal order. The Commission has played an imp ortant role in their development, even though the body is relatively unknown to the general public.According to the research, this lack of awareness is not necessarily problematic. The societal significance of the Commission lies primarily in its role within the international legal order. The very fact that an authoritative international legal expert body struggles to articulate its own function provides ground s to re-examine how international legal experts understand and explai n ‘their’ international law.More information on the thesi s. END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR