International Law is a normative system that governs international relations between equally sovereign States and it exists to carry an idea of Justice at the service of the human person. The role of international law "is to provide an operational system for securing values" (Rosalyn Higgins, former President of the International Court of Justice, 1995).
The United Nations Charter enshrines the purposes and principles of this organisation in its Chapter I. Ultimately the UN exists to maintain international peace and security by, inter alia, taking effective collective measures in conformity with the principles of justice and international law and by achieving international co-operation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction (Article I UN Charter).
Likewise, the European Union claims to be "founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights" (Article 2 TEU).
The reality of international relations, however, does not always live up to the commitments made by States and international organisations, and we are currently witnessing an unprecedented erosion of declared values and existing international law.
The forum on "International Law for International Values" constitutes a space for analysis on matters of international law and values with a specific focus on international organizations, as it is through the latter that the former is shaped by States acting as the international community.
PROJECTS
The forum is currently engaged in two projects:
Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law, which examines issues arising in relation to asylum and migration and the EU.
2. International Law as a tool to the service of humankind.
Director: Professor María Teresa Gil Bazo, Professor in International Law and International Relations, Member of the International Law Association (British Branch), Fellow of the European Law Institute, and Associate Member of the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges.