Public international law
What is international law?
This page is included in the guide for students taking subjects on public international law.
Primary sources include treaties (conventions), customs, and general principles of law. Secondary sources include judicial decisions and doctrines (e.g., decisions made by the International Court of Justice or the United Nations).
A treaty, or convention, is an agreement between two or more states or international organisations (e.g., the 'Geneva Convention 1864'; the 'International Bill of Human Rights'). Historical customary practice may also form part of international law, provided there is evidence the custom is accepted by states as legally binding (e.g., International Court of Justice ruling on 'Nicaragua v. United States of America (1986)').
Check out this interactive timeline to discover more about this history: The history of international law by Oxford Academic.
Links to international courts, tribunals and organisations
Courts
Tribunals
- International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
- International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
Organisations
- UN Human Rights
- UN International Law
- UN Treaty Collection
- UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
- UN Audiovisual Library of International Law
- International Law Association
- International Law Commission
Non-government organisations