Book contents
- The International Court of Justice and Decolonisation
- The International Court of Justice and Decolonisation
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Table of Cases and Awards
- Table of Legislation
- UN General Assembly Resolutions
- National Legislation
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Chagos, Custom and the Interpretation of UN General Assembly Resolutions
- 3 Reflections on the Treatment of General Assembly Resolutions in the Chagos Advisory Opinion
- 4 The Chagos Advisory Opinion and the Principle of Consent to Adjudication
- 5 Two Takes on Chagos: Reconciling the Advisory Opinion with the Res Judicata Effect of the UNCLOS Arbitral Award
- 6 State Responsibility in Advisory Proceedings: Thoughts on Judicial Propriety and Multilateralism in the Chagos Opinion
- 7 Peremptory Norms in the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Decolonisation of Mauritius and the Chagos Archipelago
- 8 Reflections on the UK’s Assertion of Sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago in the Wake of the Chagos Advisory Opinion
- 9 The Chagos Marine Protected Area
- 10 Human Rights and the Chagos Advisory Opinion
- 11 Heightened Scrutiny of Colonial Consent According to the Chagos Advisory Opinion: Pandora’s Box Reopened?
- 12 Chagos and the Perplexities of the Law of Treaties
- 13 Prospect of the Chagos Advisory Opinion and the Subsequent UN General Assembly Resolution Helping to Resolve the Future of the Chagos Archipelago and Its Former Inhabitants: A Political Perspective
- 14 Reflections on the Human Tragedy Underlying the Chagos Case and the Way Forward
- Index
2 - Chagos, Custom and the Interpretation of UN General Assembly Resolutions
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 February 2021
- The International Court of Justice and Decolonisation
- The International Court of Justice and Decolonisation
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Table of Cases and Awards
- Table of Legislation
- UN General Assembly Resolutions
- National Legislation
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Chagos, Custom and the Interpretation of UN General Assembly Resolutions
- 3 Reflections on the Treatment of General Assembly Resolutions in the Chagos Advisory Opinion
- 4 The Chagos Advisory Opinion and the Principle of Consent to Adjudication
- 5 Two Takes on Chagos: Reconciling the Advisory Opinion with the Res Judicata Effect of the UNCLOS Arbitral Award
- 6 State Responsibility in Advisory Proceedings: Thoughts on Judicial Propriety and Multilateralism in the Chagos Opinion
- 7 Peremptory Norms in the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Decolonisation of Mauritius and the Chagos Archipelago
- 8 Reflections on the UK’s Assertion of Sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago in the Wake of the Chagos Advisory Opinion
- 9 The Chagos Marine Protected Area
- 10 Human Rights and the Chagos Advisory Opinion
- 11 Heightened Scrutiny of Colonial Consent According to the Chagos Advisory Opinion: Pandora’s Box Reopened?
- 12 Chagos and the Perplexities of the Law of Treaties
- 13 Prospect of the Chagos Advisory Opinion and the Subsequent UN General Assembly Resolution Helping to Resolve the Future of the Chagos Archipelago and Its Former Inhabitants: A Political Perspective
- 14 Reflections on the Human Tragedy Underlying the Chagos Case and the Way Forward
- Index
Summary
How should the International Court of Justice (ICJ) address UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions? Outside internal organisational matters, these resolutions are formally non-binding, soft law instruments. However, they have played an important role in the Court’s decisions, especially those concerning the self-determination of peoples. The contribution of resolutions to this right was first recognised in Namibia in 1971.1 In Western Sahara in 1975, the Court used three resolutions to effectively define the legal context.2 The Chagos Advisory Opinion of 25 February 2019,3 though, has taken this reliance even further. In this opinion, a single resolution, the Declaration on Granting Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples of 1960,4 was central in establishing the applicable law. Moreover, it assumed this pivotal role despite multilateral treaty obligations under the UN Charter that were both relevant and binding on all states concerned.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The International Court of Justice and DecolonisationNew Directions from the Chagos Advisory Opinion, pp. 9 - 40Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021