Interpretation has always had a prominent place in international adjudication, yet its role has been further enhanced during the last few decades with the expansion of the regulatory range of international law and the proliferation of international judicial bodies. In such a diverse new world and celebrating the 30 years since the entry into force of the VCLT, this Volume on Treaty Interpretation attempts a much needed re-examination of the issues of treaty interpretation. In the first part of this Volume the authors focus on the VCLT itself and examine the nature of interpretation and the normative content of the relevant provisions. In the second and third parts of the Volume the analysis turns to the characteristics of treaty interpretation as applied within two of the most important sectors of international law i.e. that of trade and investment law on the one hand and of human rights on the other. Such a two-tiered approach allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the content and function of the principles of interpretation as enshrined in Articles 31-33 of the VCLT.

The Commentary on the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provides an in-depth article-by-article analysis of all provisions of the Vienna Convention. The texts are uniformly structured: (I) Purpose and Function of the Article, (II) Historical Background and Negotiating History, and (III) Elements of the Article. The Vienna Convention on Treaties between States and IOs and between IOs is taken into account where appropriate. In sum, the present Commentary contains a comprehensive legal analysis of all aspects of the international law of treaties. Where the law of treaties reaches into other fields of international law, e.g. the law of state responsibility, the relevant interfaces are discussed and contextualized. With its focus on international practice, the Commentary is addressed to academia, as well as to practitioners of international law.

This series features works on substantial topics in international law which provide authoritative statements of the chosen areas. Taken together they map out the whole of international law in a set of scholarly reference works and treatises intended to be of use to scholars, practitioners, and students. This book provides a guide to interpreting treaties properly in accordance with the modern rules for treaty interpretation which are codified in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. These rules now apply to virtually all treaties both in an international context and within many national legal systems where treaties have an impact on a large and growing range of matters. Lawyers, administrators, diplomats, and officials at international organisations are increasingly likely to encounter issues of treaty interpretation which require not only knowledge of the relevant rules but also how these rules have been, and are to be, applied in practice. There is now a considerable body of case law on application of the codified rules. This case law, combined with the history and analysis of the rules, provides a basis for understanding this most important task in the application of treaties internationally and within national systems of law. Any lawyer who ever has to consider international matters, and increasingly any lawyer whose work involves domestic legislation with any international connection, is at risk nowadays of encountering a treaty provision which requires interpretation, whether the treaty provision is explicitly in issue or is the source of the relevant legislation. This expanded edition includes consideration of a range of recent cases, takes account of relevant work of the International Law Commission, and has new material addressing matters raised in the growing body of literature on treaty interpretation.

While treaties can be notoriously difficult to amend by formal means, they must nevertheless be adapted over time in order to remain useful. Herein lies the role of subsequent practice as a key tool for treaty change. Subsequent practice-a well-established means of treaty interpretation-sometimes diverges from the original treaty provision to such an extent that it can no longer be said to constitute an act of interpretation or application. Rather, it becomes, in effect, one of treaty modification. The modification of treaties by subsequent practice extends to all fields of international law, from the law of the sea, environmental law, and investment law, to human rights and humanitarian law. Such modifications can have significant practical consequences, from revising or creating new rights and obligations, to establishing new institutional mechanisms. Determining when and how treaty modification by subsequent practice occurs poses difficulty to legal scholars and dispute settlement bodies alike, and impacts States' expectations as to their treaty obligations. This significant yet underexplored process is the focus of this book. Modification of Treaties by Subsequent Practice proves that subsequent practice can-under carefully defined conditions that ensure strict accordance with the will of the treaty parties-alter, supplement, and terminate treaty provisions or even entire treaty frameworks. It can also generate customary law and fuel regime interaction. Ultimately, this book demonstrates the relevance and dynamism of the process of treaty modification by subsequent practice, emphasizing the need to deal with the issue head on, and explains-on a theoretical and practical level-how it can be identified and dealt with more consistently in the future. The book thus contributes to a deeper understanding of the process of treaty modification by subsequent practice and its continued role in striking the judicious balance between the stability of treaties on the one hand, and the organic evolution of the law on the other.

Under the relevant rules of international law, treaties are interpreted in accordance with the ordinary meaning of the language they use, their object and purpose, and the intention of the drafters, but also in light of the subsequent practice of its parties. This subsequent practice can shed light on articles whose meaning is ambiguous and subsequent agreement can even alter the meaning of treaty provisions. At a time when many of the most important international treaties are more than fifty years old, subsequent practice plays an increasingly important role in their interpretation. Treaties and Subsequent Practice discusses the role and relevance of this subsequent practice in the process of dynamic treaty interpretation. The book provides a comprehensive treatment of this topic by eminent commentators, combining contributions which focus on practical cases with chapters examining the theoretical underpinnings of treaty interpretation. The concept of subsequent practice is situated in the more general context of treaty law and international law, looking at different cases and doctrinal questions to assess its policy dimensions. The book addresses the question of whether subsequent practice plays a more or less significant role in different areas of international law, and whether it can be employed as a partial substitute for formal treaty amendments. It also includes two previously unpublished reports issued by the International Law Commission's Study Group on this topic.

This book investigates whether treaty interpretation at the ECtHR and WTO, which are sometimes perceived as promoting ‘self-contained’ regimes, could constitute a means for unifying international law, or, conversely, might exacerbate the fragmentation of international law. In this regard, the practice of the ICJ on treaty interpretation is used for comparison, since the ICJ has made the greatest contribution to the development and clarification of international law rules and principles. Providing a critical analysis of cases at the ICJ, ECtHR and WTO, both prior to and since the adoption of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the book reveals how the ECtHR and WTO apply the general rules of treaty interpretation in patterns which are similar to those used by the ICJ to address difficulties in interpreting the text of treaties. Viewed in the light of the ECtHR’s and WTO’s interpretative practices, both the VCLT’s general rules of interpretation and the ICJ’s interpretative practice serve to counteract the fragmentation of international law.

This book explores the legal regime of non-product related process and production methods (NPR PPMs) in the context of trade-restrictive environmental measures, eco-labelling requirements and sanitary measures under the WTO. These issues serve as concrete, representative examples that raise broader questions about the legitimacy of the WTO dispute settlement system and help to explore the true position of WTO members in this complex legal regime. NPR PPMs are process and production methods that do not affect the product as such, meaning that there is no discernible difference in two products with different NPR PPMs. This work examines WTO states’ attempts to regulate in this regard and create product distinctions on the basis of NPR PPMs. To do so, it scrutinizes historical, institutional, substantive and case-law issues related to NPR PPMs, environmental policy and the WTO. Further, the book addresses the issues of legitimacy, regulatory space and reform, contributing to the lively debate on the future of the WTO.

This book examines an unexplored method of interpretation: the use of domestic law in the interpretation of international law.

Since the second edition of this commentary on the Charter of the United Nations was published, the text of the Charter may not have changed but the world has. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have had a lasting impact on international law and the Commentary has been fully updated to take their impact into account. The new edition has been completely revised and features a completely new chapter on UN reform, analyzing the effect of reforms which have already been implemented and examining why other proposals for reform have failed. It will assess how these proposals could be improved, with a particular focus on the Security Council. This new edition also includes coverage of the creation of the Human Rights Council and the impact of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine. This is the authoritative, article-by-article account of the legislative history, interpretation, and practical application of each and every Charter provision. Written by a team of distinguished scholars and practitioners, this book combines academic research with the insights of practice, and is an indispensable work of reference for all those interested in the UN.The Commentary will be crucial in providing new directions for the development of international law and the United Nations in the twenty-first century.

In Judges and the Making of International Criminal Law Joseph Powderly explores the role of judicial creativity in the progressive development of international criminal law. This wide-ranging work unpacks the nature and contours of the international criminal judicial function. Employing empirical, theoretical, and doctrinal methodologies, it interrogates the profile of the international criminal bench, judicial ethics, and the interpretative techniques that judges have utilized in their efforts to progressively develop international criminal law. Drawing on the work of Hersch Lauterpacht, it proposes a conception of the international criminal judicial function that places judicial creativity at its very heart. In doing so it argues that international criminal judges have a central role to play in ensuring that modern international criminal law continues to adapt to a volatile global environment, where accountability for crimes that shock the conscience of humanity is as much needed as at any moment in recent history.