International Institutional Reform

‘International Institutional Reform’ was the theme of the 2005 Hague Joint Conference on Contemporary Issues of International Law, which formed the basis of this book. This international Conference was attended by an interesting mix of established authorities and promising newcomers, practitioners and academics, international institution “insiders” and ‘users’, which resulted in a lively debate. The contributions of the forty-five speakers and the debate are included in the book.

The topics cover a wide range of international institutions and address questions such as: Are international institutions that were for the most part created in the 20th century, suited to dealing with the challenges of the 21st century? What is the self-reforming or self-cleansing power of international organizations? How much can be managed by relying on the implied powers doctrine? Which international institutions have been particularly successful in achieving their objectives and why? Which institutions have proved to be failures and ought to be scrapped forthwith?The final chapter includes the results of the workshops, conclusions and recommendations, and the interesting debate on effective reform of international institutions.The book is therefore highly recommended to everyone – academics, practitioners and policy-makers – working at international organizations or cooperating with them.

The Seventh Hague Joint Conference was organized by the ‘The Hague Joint Conferences on International Law’ Foundation, in which the American Society of International Law, the Netherlands Society of International Law and the T.M.C. Asser Institute (The Hague) participate. The Conference was held in The Hague.