Institut de droit international
Encyclopedia
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
, whose membership comprises the world's leading public international lawyers. In 1904 the Institute received the Nobel Peace Prize.
History
The institute was founded by Gustave MoynierGustave Moynier
Gustave Moynier was a Swiss Jurist who was active in many charitable organizations in Geneva.He was a co-founder of the "International Committee for Relief to the Wounded", which became the International Committee of the Red Cross after 1876...
and Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns
Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns
Gustave Henri Ange Hippolyte Rolin-Jaequemyns was a Belgian attorney at law, diplomat and Minister of the Interior as a member of the Unitarian Liberal Party...
, together with 9 other renowned international lawyers, on 8 September 1873 in the Salle de l'Arsenal of the Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
Town Hall in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
The founders of 1873 were:
- Pasquale Stanislao ManciniPasquale Stanislao ManciniPasquale Stanislao Mancini was an Italian jurist and statesman.-Biography:Mancini was born in Castel Baronia, in the province of Avellino...
(from Rome), President - Emile de LaveleyeÉmile Louis Victor de LaveleyeÉmile Louis Victor de Laveleye was a Belgian economist. He was one of the co-founders of the Institut de droit international in 1873....
(from Liege) - Tobias Michael Carel AsserTobias Michael Carel AsserTobias Michael Carel Asser was a Dutch lawyer and legal scholar of Jewish background, cowinner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1911 for his role in the formation of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the first Hague peace conference...
(from Amsterdam) - James LorimerJames Lorimer (jurist)James Lorimer was a Scottish jurist and professor of public law.-Life:Lorimer was born in Aberdalgie in Perthshire.He was admitted to the Scottish bar in 1845...
(from Edinburgh) - Wladimir Besobrassof (from Saint-Petersburg)
- Gustave MoynierGustave MoynierGustave Moynier was a Swiss Jurist who was active in many charitable organizations in Geneva.He was a co-founder of the "International Committee for Relief to the Wounded", which became the International Committee of the Red Cross after 1876...
(from Geneva) - Jean Gaspar BluntschliJohann Kaspar BluntschliJohann Caspar Bluntschli was a Swiss jurist and politician.-Biography:He was born in Zurich to a soap and candle manufacturer...
(from Heidelberg) - Augusto Pierantoni (from Naples)
- Charles Calvo (from Buenos Aires)
- Gustave Rolin-JaequemynsGustave Rolin-JaequemynsGustave Henri Ange Hippolyte Rolin-Jaequemyns was a Belgian attorney at law, diplomat and Minister of the Interior as a member of the Unitarian Liberal Party...
(from Ghent) - David Dudley Field (from New York)
Organization
The Institute is a private body, made up of associates, members, and honorary members. The members, invited by the organization, are persons who have demonstrated notable scholarly work in the area of international law, and is restricted to those who are considered relatively free of political pressure. The organisation attempts to have members broadly distributed around the world.The organisation holds biannual congresses for the study of international law as it currently exists, and passes resolutions proposing modifications to international law. It does not comment on specific disputes. The next session will be held in Greece in September 2011.
While its recommendations cover international law in its many forms, some of its resolutions particularly pertain to human rights law and peaceful dispute resolution. It is for this reason that the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
.
The organization remains active, with a congress held in Naples in Sept 2009. The location of the institute's headquarters rotates according to the origin of the Secretary General. Since the election of Professor Joe Verhoeven as Secretary General in September 2003, the institute is headquartered in Grez-Doiceau
Grez-Doiceau
Grez-Doiceau is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1, 2006 Grez-Doiceau had a total population of 12,403. The total area is 55.44 km² which gives a population density of 224 inhabitants per km².-References:...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Its current members include, amongst other prominent lawyers and legal academics, judges of the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
. Recent resolutions from the organization include, for example, a recommendation on immunity from prosecution for Heads of State, and the responsibility of national governments for environmental damage.
The Institut publishes its Annuaire, containing the reports of the commissions, deliberations of the plenary sessions, and any resulting declarations and resolutions. The records of the administrative sessions including elections are also included in the Annuaire.
The Institut maintains a website (www.idi-iil.org), not too frequently updated, but containing some useful information such as the declarations and resolutions, and some works in progress for future inclusion in the Annuaire.