Juridical and constitutional implications of CARICOM treaty practice

In a case involving a CARICOM member state in relation to the Agreement Establishing the Council for Legal Education (CLE), several law students of one member state party to the Agreement were denied their entitlement to pursue professional studies in a school of law established for the purpose in another member state because the second member state had not implemented the relevant provision of the CLE Agreement. The CLE in the member state concerned pleaded the absence of an enacting provision in the Legal Profession Act as the ground for not observing the provisions of the Agreement. No action was brought at the international level by the state of the students aggrieved to vindicate their rights and the action brought by the students themselves at the municipal level did not and could not succeed. Following an overview of CARICOM treaty practice, this article examines the effects of unincorporated treaties in the light of dualism, to which doctrine the overriding majority of CARICOM states subscribe.     

跨国继承的法律适用问题

随着经济的发展和社会的进步,跨国继承案件必将越来越多。当今世界上各个国家的法律制度千差万别,解决跨国继承中的法律适用问题不仅具有理论上的意义,更有实践上的重大价值。分析了跨国继承法律适用制度的基本结构、同一制和分割制、连结点的选择、跨国继承的国际公约等内容,并指出跨国继承法律适用制度的国际统一需要各个国家的协调与合作。     

领土条约的界定标准、解释方法及其运行结构

领土主权属于一国的核心利益问题。国际法院基于《维也纳条约法公约》第31-32条之规定,在解决领土条约争端时采取了实质优于形式和同意等界定标准。同时,在适用该《公约》解释相关条款时采取了不同的解释方法,体现了一定的灵活性,但也出现过矛盾与反复。对此,应根据该《公约》第31-32条规定的内部要素及外部变量,优化领土条约的解释方法和运行结构。这种路径的设计不再拘泥于《条约法公约》本身,适当拓展、引入当事方提供的证明事实真相的关键证据,对领土条约的解释进行补充说明,并非游离于《条约法公约》之外,转而寻求保持占有法律、有效控制等法理基础及相应的事实主张和证据,而是将两者合而为一,以《条约法公约》解释规则为主,其他关键证据为辅的层级解释路径。另外,国际法院在解释相关领土条约时,除了适用《条约法公约》+其他层级关键证据模式外,还应借鉴学界的解释方法论,以使得两者交互影响,进一步完善条约解释方法的路径,实现对领土条约解释规则的再造。     

Making the investment provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty sustainable development friendly

The International Energy Agency estimates that $16 trillion of investment will be needed to meet world energy requirements from 2003 to 2030. The world's poorest countries, where some of the fastest rates of increase in energy production are expected, will require a significant portion of this investment. Energy investment, both as a source of foreign exchange and to expand local access to electricity and other forms of energy, is integral to socioeconomic development. It is reasonable to expect that this anticipated investment will witness a significant number of disputes between investors and host governments. A fair and just dispute settlement system can help promote the needed investment and sustainable development. The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) takes a comprehensive approach to the international energy sector, including coverage of trade, transit, competition and the environment, but its investment provisions have proven most significant with three international arbitral tribunals having issued decisions under the treaty and more disputes pending. While much of the ECT's effort has been to bridge the former East–West economic divide, the Treaty's scope of application is potentially worldwide, and given the inextricable link between energy, development and the environment it makes sense that the Treaty process forge a developing-country regime, one that promotes the development of energy resources and sustainable development. Drawing upon the work of Konrad von Moltke and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and in light of tribunal decisions to date, this essay maintains, inter alia, that the ECT should impose basic transparency and good faith requirements on investors and create a special developing-country regime, promoting sustainable development.

International Public Goods and Agency Problems in Treaty Organizations

This paper analyzes the extent to which international public goods and agency problems are present in international organizations. A noncooperative model of the funding choices of donor countries and the subsequent policy choices of an international agency is used to develop hypotheses about the behavior of ideal and problematic international agencies. The analysis suggests that international agencies are likely to be underfunded and undermonitored relative to that which maximizes the joint interest of signatory countries. The funding and policy implications of the model are tested using data from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The statistical results suggest that (i) treaty obligations affect behavior of Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 countries, (ii) GEF’s allocation of grants generally advances the international environmental agenda, and (iii) significant free-riding and agency problems exist in GEF as it is presently organized. Overall, the empirical results suggest that treaty organizations may be relatively effective, if not perfect, instruments of international public policy.      

《防止及惩治灭绝种族罪公约》引起的多边条约保留

《防止及惩治灭绝种族罪公约》的保留问题,在联合国大会讨论该公约时引起很大的争议,因此联合国大会请国际法院作出咨询意见。本文试对此保留问题和国际法院的咨询意见进行研究,探讨多边条约的保留问题及其对之后国际社会制定多边条约的影响。     

人类基本价值的确信——国际条约效力基础之语步结构实证研究

对于国际条约效力基础问题，作者从289篇英语国际条约的语步结构研究入手，采用实证方法，用数据及语言表达实例证明和阐释了国际条约的实质效力基础究其原因在于缔约各方对于人类基本价值确信的观点。这种条约效力基础的语言实证方法在一定程度上解决了以前该问题研究者们认为条约的效力基础“不能被证明”或难以证明的不足和遗憾。     

略论多边刑事条约的概念、特征和种类

基于有关国际法律文件之规定和专家学者的观点并主要根据自己的理解对多边刑事条约的概念、特征和种类进行了界定、概括和划分。     

国际环境条约遵约机制研究——以《卡塔赫纳生物安全议定书》为例

近年来,国际环境法中出现了一种特有的促进履约的新机制——遵约机制。该机制已经在多个国际环境条约体系下建立,被认为是国际环境法发展的一个新趋势。本文以《卡塔赫纳生物安全议定书》遵约机制为例,对国际环境条约遵约机制的内容进行了介绍,进而分析了遵约机制所具有的、不同于传统遵约保障机制的特点,以及遵约机制对国际环境条约实施效果所具有的重要意义,并认为遵约机制仍存在一些可能会影响它作用发挥的不足之处。     

涉外可持续发展行政法制若干问题研究

建立完善的涉外可持续发展行政法制,不仅是我国可持续发展战略的内在要求,同时也是我国履行国际可持续发展公约的国内法保障。本文在分析我国涉外可持续发展行政法制基本概念的基础上,主要就涉外可持续发展行政法与国际条约在我国的适用问题、涉外可持续发展行政法中的“超国民待遇”问题、涉外可持续发展行政法律关系的法律救济问题展开论述。