International Organizations

            Under the headline quoted above, the New York Times on June 23 reported that the United States bowed to opposition within the U.N. Security Council and dropped its effort to obtain a Security Council resolution that would immunize its troops from prosecution in the International Criminal Court (ICC). [1]   It is important to understand just what this does and does not mean, particularly in the context of the continued presence of substantial numbers of U.S. military personnel in Iraq after the sovereign Interim Government of Iraq took office on June 28.

 

It is well known that overfishing has led to the collapse of several commercially valuable fish species and the decline of others. [1] In this context, WTO Members agreed during the WTO Ministerial Conference held in Doha (Qatar) in November 2000, to launch negotiations with the aim to "clarify and improve WTO disciplines on fisheries subsidies, taking into account the importance of this sector to developing countries." [2]

 

With surprising ease, 148 countries meeting in Paris last month signed off on a new UNESCO convention to protect cultural diversity.[1]

 

On September 16, 2005, at United Nations headquarters, more than 150 Heads of State and Government adopted the 2005 World Summit Outcome document, consisting largely of a set of goals and principles for the United Nations and its members.[1] The coverage is broad, including such matters as international economic and social development, peace and collective security, human rights and the rule of law, and strengthening the United Nations. This Insight discusses only those parts of the document that relate significantly to international law.