The International Law Seminar (ILS) is traditionally based on three “pillars”, as follows:
Within the first pillar, participants are invited to follow plenary sessions of the International Law Commission (ILC), in order to learn about its work in the field of the codification and progressive development of International Law, and to understand its working methods.
The second pillar consists of lectures and conferences given by ILC Members on issues listed on the ILC agenda. Meetings will also be organized with renowned international law experts and international civil servants on the role and activities of the United Nations. Special attention is given to Geneva’s international environment and to the activities of International Organizations based in Geneva. To this end, external sessions will be organized.
The third pillar, which has been developed over recent years, is based on the creation of working groups (WG) dealing with topical issues on the ILC agenda. Each participant must choose one WG and meet with other group members during the three weeks on an informal basis to produce a WG Report, i.e. a short study or discussion paper on selected topics relevant to the work of the ILC. Seminar Working Groups are expected to work independently and to adopt their own working methods.
