Dr Danae Azaria, Senior Lecturer in Law at UCL Faculty of Laws, gave a talk at the Oxford Public International Law Discussion Group, on her on-going research on ‘The International Law Commission as an Interpreter of International Law’ on 1 February 2018.
For this research project Dr Azaria has received twice (2016, 2017) the UCL Global Engagement Fund, and has conducted research in the United Nations in Geneva during the International Law Commission’s sessions (2015, 2016), and in the Sixth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (2016, 2017).
Dr Azaria’s talk demonstrates that the International Law Commission interprets international law, as part of its existing function to promote the ‘progressive development of international law and its codification’, and that the Commission’s interpretative activity is part of its long-standing vision to reinforce international law – by providing clarity, certainty and predictability as to its content – thus convincing states to continue to have faith in international law as a medium through which they regulate their affairs.
Dr Azaria’s work on this project has also been presented at the American Society of International Law (ASIL) Midyear Meeting (27 October 2017), and at the Humboldt University of Berlin (30 November 2017), as part of the Research Group on ‘The International Rule of Law - Rise or Decline?’.