Progressively Developing and Codifying International Law : The Work of The International Law Commission in its Sixty-Seventh Session

Abstract

The forums in which international law can be codified and progressively developed are increasing. The International Maritime Organisation, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, are but examples of forums in which international law, particularly in the form of treaties, is made and developed. The General Assembly of the United Nations, having the competence to codify and progressively develop international law, has in recent times, asserted its law-making competence: examples are the recently adopted Arms Trade Treaty and the General Assembly’s decision to embark on a process towards a new treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.