INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEES
Click below for further Information:
List of International Committees and Australian Members
Participation by Members of the Australian Branch of the ILA in the Work of International Committees
Guidelines on nomination of members of the Australian Branch to International Committees
Rules and Procedures on International Committees (2007)
Compensation for Victims of War
Dr Ben Saul - Member
Cultural Heritage Law
Professor David E Flint - Member
Professor Patrick J O'Keefe - Member
Dr Lyndel VPrott - Member
Executive Council
Professor Ivan Shearer - Branch Member
Dr Christopher Ward - Branch Member
Feminism & International Law
Professor Hilary Charlesworth - Member
International Civil Litigation & the interests of the public
Professor Richard Garnett - Co-Rapporteur
International Commercial Arbitration
Mr Damian Sturzaker - Alternate
International Criminal Court
Dr Christopher Ward - Member
Dr Jackson Maogoto - Alternate
International Human Rights Law and Practice
Professor Andrew C Byrnes - Co-Rapporteur
Ms Kate Eastman - Member
Professor Robert McCorquodale - Member
International Law on Biotechnology
Dr Christopher Ward - Member
International Law on Foreign Investment
Ms
Ms Joachim Frances Delaney - Member
International Law on Sustainable Development
Mr Donald K Anton - Member
Professor Jennifer McKay - Member
Dr Tim Stephens - Member
International Monetary Law
Professor David E Flint - Member
Mr John L Taylor - Member
International Securities Regulation
Dr David Chaikin - Member
Mr Peter G Willis - Member
International Trade Law
Professor Katrin Cutbush-Sabine
- Member
Dr John H Hastings - Member
Mr Andrew Percival - Member
Islamic Law & International Law
Dr Hossein Esmaeili - Member
Outer Continental Shelf
Professor Donald Rothwell - Member
Dr Michael W D White QC - Member
Non-State Actors
Ms Pauline Collins
Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Mr Gregory Marks - Rapporteur
Tom Calma - Member
Megan Davis - Member
Space Law
Mr Steven Freeland - Member
Ricky Lee - Member
Teaching of International Law
Professor
Dr Jane McAdam - Member
UN Reform
Professor Hilary Charlesworth - Member
Professor Ivan Shearer - Member
Use of Force
Professor Judith Gardam - Rapporteur
Participation by Members of the Australian Branch of the ILA in the Work of International Committees
The International Law Association carries out much of its work at the international level through its international committees. The ILA (Australian Branch) is entitled to nominate members to these committees, though the final selection of members is in the hands of the Executive Council of the ILA on the advice of the Director of Studies (who consults with the officers of the committee in question). The Executive Council meets twice a year, normally in May and November.
Members who wish to be nominated to one of the international committees should send an expression of interest to Andrew Byrnes, Co-Director of Studies, at Andrew.Byrnes@unsw.edu.au. You should attach a brief curriculum vitae and a brief statement of your expertise or experience in the area of the Committee's current mandate (for details see www.ila-hq.org, under "Committees"). The requirement for appointment as a member of an international committee are that a nominee must demonstrate expertise in the field, be a member of no more than one other committee, have access and be competent to use internet and communicate by email; and sign a personal letter of commitment to participate actively in the work of the Committee. Further details are set out in the attached Rules and Procedures on International Committees (adopted by the Executive Council on 17 November 2007).
The Committee of Management of the ILA (Australian Branch) has also adopted the attached guidelines for Australian membership of committees, which set out the procedure for considering and forwarding expressions of interest in international committee membership, and setting out expectations of members nominated by the Branch. These include keeping the Branch informed of developments in the work of the individual committees. The Committee wishes to encourage both broad participation by members in the international committees, as well as ensuring that expertise of the Australian Branch is made available to them.
A sub-committee of the Committee of Management of the ILA (AB) , comprising the President, a Vice-President, and the Director(s) of Studies, will consider the expressions of interest received, and make recommendations to the Committee of Management. If there are more expressions of interest than positions available on a committee, the sub-committee and Committee will need to decide on which nominations to forward. There is also the possibility of nominating a person as an alternate member. For those who may not be able to participate in an international committee at this stage, there are opportunities for participation in the work of national committees. A list of members of the Australian Branch who are presently members of international committees appears on the website.
ANNEX A
Guidelines on Nominations of Members of the Australian Branch of the International Law Association to International Committees and Expectations of Members[1]
1. Nominating committee
A sub-committee of the Committee of Management comprising the President, a Vice-President, and the Director(s) of Studies shall consider applications by persons to be nominated to international committees and make recommendations to the Committee of Management in relation to such applications. The Committee of Management shall be responsible for the final decision on nominations.
2. Eligibility for nomination by the Australian Branch
Where the Committee of Management proposes to nominate a person who is not a member of the Australian Branch, it shall be a condition of that nomination that the person become a member of the Branch as soon as possible.
3. Procedure for calling for nominations
Where there are opportunities for members of the Australian Branch to be nominated to international committees of the ILA, the Nominating Committee shall consider whether it is appropriate to nominate members of the Australian Branch to some or all of those international committees and the appropriate means of inviting applications for nomination. There should normally be a general call for nominations from among members, but the Nominating Committee may also approach individuals with the relevant expertise (whether those persons are members of the Australian Branch or not)
4. Expectations
1. Duration of membership of international committee
(a) Where the Australian Branch nominates a person for membership of an international committee, this will normally be on the basis of membership of the committee for the duration of its current mandate. Once that mandate has been completed, the persons will normally be expected to step down from the Committee if there are no vacancies for Australian Branch members on the Committee and there are other qualified members of the Branch who may wish to be nominated. Accordingly, the Nominating Committee will raise with serving members the issue of their continued participation as a member of the Committee when the relevant Committee has completed its current mandate.
(b) Where a member of the Australian Branch appointed to an international committee on the nomination of the Branch goes to live outside Australia on a permanent or indefinite basis in a country where there is an ILA Branch, it is generally expected that the person will become a member of that Branch and, if appropriate, continue as a member of the international committee as a member of the new Branch.
2. Reporting on the work of international committees
(a) Australian Branch members of international committees are expected to participate actively in the work of their committees and also to report on an annual basis to the Committee of Management of the Branch on their activities as a member of the committee and the work of the committee. This may take the form of reports on the committee's work for the Branch Bulletin.
(b) Australian Branch members of international committees should also consider whether they should encourage Australian Branch members generally or the members of national committees to contribute material to them to assist the work of the international committee on which they serve.
ANNEX B
International Committees
These Rules and Procedures (as adopted at the Executive Council 17 November 2007) are intended to replace the Procedures and Guidelines of November 1997 and January 2005.
Summary: Rules for Membership of International Committees
The core of the work of the ILA lies in Reports and Resolutions of the International Committees.
On the establishment of a new Committee, following the appointment of the Committee Chair, Headquarters will inform all Branches and invite nominations from them. Nominations should be made in the FIRST YEAR of a Committee’s life.
Each nominee must:
- be a Member of an ILA Branch;
- demonstrate expertise in the field (evidenced in CV);
- be a Member of no more that one other Committee;
- have access and be competent to use internet and communicate by email;
- sign a personal letter of commitment to participate actively in the work of the Committee.
If a nominee fails any of the above, the Chair may refuse to accept the nomination.
Nominations may also be made by:
- Director of Studies: up to 5 Members of Headquarters Branch
- Committee Chair: up to 5 Members who must be Members of ILA but, after discussion with Branch may not be nominated by that Branch.
Further nominations to the Committee may be made when:
- A section of the Committee’s work has been completed;
- The Chair wishes to balance the diversity of the Committee Membership
Where more than 2 Members are nominated by any Branch, 1 should be at an early stage in their career.
Committees depend on the active input of ALL Committee Members.
The Committee Chair is expected to remove any Committee Member who fails to respond to communications from the Committee Officers or to contribute fully to the work of the Committee for a period of two years from approval by the EC of their nomination.
ILA Committee Reports published after a Biennial Conference will commence with a list indicating:
Those Committee Members who have contributed to the report finalised at the Conference
The Director of Studies will meet each Committee’s Officers during the course of a Biennial Conference and any inactive members will be liable to be removed from the Committee at the closing meeting of the Full Council.
Detailed Procedures for Establishing International Committees and Rules for Membership
Establishment of International Committees
Proposals for a subject for study by the International Law Association may be made by the Director of Studies (DoS) and by any Branch or member.
On the recommendation of the DoS, the Executive Council (EC) may establish an International Committee, define its mandate, and appoint a Chair and one or more Rapporteurs, who shall be members of the Association. In deciding on the appointment of officers of a Committee, regard should be paid to the desirability of the representation of different legal systems and of the various geographical regions.
Committees are established with a mandate in the first instance of 4 years. The EC may renew the mandate, in its original form or with amendments, for further periods of up to 4 years.
Nominations and Appointments of Members
Members can be appointed by the EC only at one of its biannual meetings (May and November, unless held during an International Conference), upon nominations made by Branches at least 8 weeks before the meeting, and subject to the views of the Chair of the Committee.
After a Committee has been established, Headquarters (HQ) will inform all Branches about the mandate of the Committee and will invite them to nominate members within a period of 12 months. After having consulted the Chair of the Committee, or upon its request, HQ may extend that period and inform Branches accordingly. The 12 months period does not apply to Branches formed after the establishment of the Committee.
Each regional Branch may nominate one or more members of the Association as members of a Committee, on the following basis: for Branches with a paid-up membership of less than 100, one member; for Branches with a paid-up membership of 100-250, two members; for Branches with a paid-up membership of more than 250, three members. In case of need and with the approval of the Chair of the Committee, a Branch may nominate one alternate for each appointed member. The role of alternate should be used to enable younger members of the Association to participate in its work. In the case of an extremely high number of nominations, HQ may, upon request of the Chair, temporarily suspend the right of Branches to nominate more than two members.
The DoS may nominate up to 5 members of the Headquarters Branch to any Committee.
The Chair of a Committee may at any time nominate, subject to the consent of the DoS and without affecting the quota of any Branch, up to 5 persons with special expertise and experience in the subject of the Committee, who have indicated their willingness to contribute actively to its work and to become members of the Association. If any of these persons is a member of a Branch whose quota is not yet exhausted, the Chair should invite the Branch through HQ to nominate that person.
- Qualifications Required for Members of an International Committee
Persons nominated for an International Committee must have sufficient expertise in the subject of the Committee in question, either as academics or practitioners. They must be able and willing to contribute actively to the work of the Committee, in particular by responding to questionnaires and circulated drafts. They must be able and willing to communicate with the Committee officers electronically (email).
Nominations must be accompanied by a C.V. of the nominee and eventually other documentation which demonstrates the expertise required, as well as by a personal and signed letter of commitment confirming the willingness and ability to contribute actively to the work of the Committee.
As a rule, no person should be a member or alternate member of more than two Committees at the same time. A branch which nominates a person who is already a member or alternate member of another Committee which will remain active for more than 1 year, should give reasons for that nomination, and the nominee should expressly state his or her willingness and ability to contribute actively to the work of both Committees.
Role of the Chair
The Chair, in cooperation with the DoS and HQ, is responsible for the high quality of the work of the Committee and, as far as possible, for a balanced representation in its membership (academics, practitioners, geographical regions, different legal systems, gender, younger members).
The Chair of the Committee is always consulted by HQ about nominations from Branches. It is recommended that the Chair consult with the Rapporteur(s) of the Committee. The Chair shall communicate acceptance or objections to HQ within 4 weeks, to enable the EC at its next meeting to decide whether to accept the nomination.
The Chair may reject a nomination on the following grounds: lack of demonstrated expertise; lack of letter of commitment; requirement of balanced representation; very advanced state or completion of current work; lapse of nomination period. In case of the first two grounds, the nominating Branch has the right to supplement the nomination.
Duration of Membership and Offices
The membership of a Committee will be reviewed, on the recommendation of the Chair and the DoS, on each occasion of the renewal of its mandate, normally every 4 years. HQ will remind the Chair not later than 3 months before the expiration of the Committee’s mandate. The Chair should not confirm the membership of members who remained mostly inactive.
Before a Committee turns to a different aspect of its (renewed) mandate, the Chair, supported by the Rapporteur(s), will consult with members on whether they intend to stay on or prefer to resign in order to make room for persons with greater expertise in the new subject. In the latter case HQ, upon request of the Chair, will invite the Branches concerned to nominate qualified new members as soon as possible.
Members who have made no contribution to the work of their Committee for two years will be deleted from the membership list. Before taking that decision, the Chair shall contact the respective member in order to find out whether there is a realistic possibility that he or she will contribute to the future work of the Committee in the very near future. If the Chair is not satisfied with the response, HQ will inform the nominating Branch of the deletion and may, with the consent of the Chair, invite the Branch to make a fresh nomination of a person who is reasonably expected to be more active.
Each and every Committee Report shall make it clearly visible which of the Committee members have actively contributed to it.
If a Committee officer intends to resign his/her position, he/she should give as much notice as possible to the DoS. It is for the DoS to nominate a successor to the EC. The DoS should normally consult with the officers of the Committee, and if appropriate the membership of the Committee, before submitting a nomination. Committee officers should not normally consult the membership of the Committee before communicating with the DoS.
[1] Adopted by the Committee of Management of the International Law Association (Australian Branch) at its meetings on 12 April 2005 and.17 May 2005.
[1] See paragraph 11 of the Revised Procedures for Establishing International Committees and Study Groups (adopted by the Executive Council on 22 November 1997):
"11. Committees will be established with a mandate in the first instance for four years. The Executive Council may renew the mandate, in its original form or with amendments, for further periods of up to four years. The membership of the Committee will be reviewed, on the recommendation of the Chair of the Committee and the Director of Studies, on each occasion of renewal of the mandate. This paragraph applies to existing Committees, whose mandate in the first
