Danilo Türk Book Presentation

to the United Nations and in particular to the evolution of the roles of the principal organs of the UN.The core functions of the UN in the maintenance of international peace and security and the growing role of the UN Security Council are discussed in more detail.The UN, as a system encompassing the UnitedNationsOrganization and its variety of funds and programs as well as the specialized agencies, is also explained. Taken together all these elements form a system which – although not tightly organized – can nevertheless be seen as a rudimentary mechanism of collective governance. The Chief Executives’ Board, which meets twice a year under the chairmanship of the UN Secretary-General is described. The chapter also provides an overview of international organizations at the global level which are not part of the UN system, such as World Trade Organization and several other treaty- based organizations and a selection of the existing regional organizations. In the latter category, special attention is paid to the European Communities, and to the structure of the European Union today. Chapter eight is devoted to the objects of international law, i.e. the state territory, international rivers, the air space, the sea, the Arctic and the Antarctic and the outer space. It provides information about the basic norms of international law governing those spaces and refers to some among the contemporary issues. Thus it addresses the issues of the acquisition of state territory by cession and sovereign activities, the non-navigational uses of the international watercourse and the evolution of international norms relating to the suppression of acts affecting the safety of air traffic. It also provides an overview of the main norms of the law of the sea and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982. Chapter nine discusses the issues of peaceful settlement of international disputes. It provides an overview of diplomatic means for the settlement of disputes (negotiations, good offices, enquiry,mediation and conciliation) and a presentation of the basic features of arbitration and the International Court of Justice.This chapter also provides basic information about the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea as well as about the dispute settlement system of the World Trade organization and that of the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes.

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