Abstract

International administrative law, or the law of the international civil service, has been the focus of increased attention in recent years. The role and contribution of international administrative tribunals to the development of the law continue to be an important part of discussions of good governance and accountability of international organizations. Much of the discussion has focused on the design of the justice mechanisms of international organizations, exemplified by the overhaul of the internal justice system of the United Nations in 2009. The internal justice systems of some international organizations have been subjected to scrutiny before some national courts, and the immunity of some international organizations has been called into question for alleged failure to respect the human right to a fair hearing. A number of international organizations (including the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights) have had occasion to deal with some of these issues. This lecture will consider some of the main issues that have arisen and will discuss some recent judgments.

Dr Olufemi Elias is the Executive Secretary of the World Bank Administrative Tribunal. He was previously Senior Legal Officer at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague. Prior to that he served as Legal Adviser and as Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Compensation Commission in Geneva. He is a Visiting Professor of International Law at Queen Mary, University of London, where he teaches the Law of Treaties and International Environmental Law. He was a lecturer at King’s College, London, and has taught at a number of other universities. He has written on various aspects of international law.