International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the primary judicial body of the United Nations. The court handles two types of cases: contentious and advisory. Contentious cases are legal disputes between states, settled by the court on the basis of current international treaties, customs, principles, prior decisions, expert opinions, or ex aequo et bono; advisory cases are requested by the General Assembly or Security Council and consist of difficult legal questions answered by the court. The topic of this committee is a simulation of a past advisory case seeking to answer a question from the General Assembly: "Is the unilateral declaration of independence by the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo in accordance with international law?" The deliberative process of the court shall consist of written statements and oral arguments, with consideration of relevant background information (e.g. Security Council resolutions), interpretations of the question, appeals to international legal precedent and principles, and decisions on supporting questions (whether or not the court can give an opinion, should give an opinion, etc.). Since the real case took place from 2008-2010, members of the court should avoid including any events, decisions, or treaties that occured afterwards in their arguments.
Of course, the issue of Kosovo's sovereignty remains one of divided opinions and passionate debate today. Even if the ICJ has given their own official answer, there are still many voices to hear and arguments to be made. I hope this simulation will provide ample opportunity for these different perspectives to be fairly heard and synthesized into a new well-informed answer to the case's almost decades-old question.
Chair
Aidan McNeese
mcneeseaidan@gmail.com
Topic
Kosovo Independence
Rules and Procedure
This committee follows parliamentary procedure as defined in our Standard Committee Parley Pro Document. However, procedure during committee may be modified at the Chair’s discretion.
Position Paper
All delegates wishing to be considered for an award must submit a position paper before the start of conference. Position paper quality will be included in consideration of awards, however paper quality will not hold as much weight in award consideration as actual committee performance. Position papers are meant to ensure a basis for delegate research and help delegates feel confident while participating during the conference.
Detailed instructions for writing and submitting Position Papers can be found in the Position Paper Guidelines Document.
Chair Contact
If you have questions about committee content or the format of your committee, please contact your chair.
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