The Role of International Organizations in the Contemporary Legal Order

New Edition of the e-Learning Course "The Law of International Organization"

12 February 2015, Geneva, Switzerland - Nowadays, international organizations are playing an increasingly important role in the international legal order. They are active in virtually all fields of human activity; they regularly conclude international treaties and continuously interact with other actors of international law, they wield growing normative powers. For those working for or dealing with international organizations, a sound understanding of the law of international organizations thus appears indispensable.

In order to respond to the strong demand for an advanced specialized training in this topic, UNITAR is launching a new edition of its e-Learning Course “The Law of International Organization”. This Course is the second of a series of courses on current subjects in International Law which are being implemented by UNITAR. The first online course of this series, the e-Course on the Law of Treaties, was successfully run in December 2014.

The overall goal of the Course is to provide participants with a comprehensive knowledge of the key issues of the Law of International Organizations that is necessary in order to understand their role and position in the contemporary legal order. At the end of this course participants should be able to:

Demonstrate a profound understanding of the definition of international organization, the rules and principles governing its creation, its structure and functioning, and relationship with other actors of international law, primarily but not exclusively States.
Identify and analyze the main legal issues related to the responsibility of international organizations.
Differentiate the legal regimes governing the settlement of disputes involving international organizations.
Apply theoretical knowledge acquired during the Course to their different professional capacities, including working for international organizations, dealing with international organizations in diplomatic service, in various ministries or non-governmental organizations, or researching international organizations.

The course will be delivered over 4 weeks from 17 February to 22 March 2015 in English, through UNITAR Virtual e-Learning Environment. e-Learning methodology allows participants flexibility, being able to work at their own pace, anywhere and anytime. The Course will be moderated by Prof. Tarcisio Gazzini who will closely be guiding participants in their learning process and replying to their questions. Furthermore, UNITAR’s staff will provide them with technical support to use the innovative learning tools available on the platform.

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