international organizationsinthe settlementof economic（国际organizationsinthe settlementof经济）.doc

International Organizations and the Settlement of Economic Disputes Prof. Antonietta Di Blase 7 November – 6 December 2011 Mondays and Tuesdays 12-14 (10 sessions) 2 CFUs I. Course Description The course focuses on the diplomatic and judicial means, which can be activated within the main International Organizations, for dispute settlement in the fields of investment, trade and intellectual property). Such mechanisms, besides helping in the achievement of statutory aims and purposes of the Organizations where they are rooted, represent an essential instrument to prevent conflicts among States, and play an important role in building international customary rules and principles. Given their different origin and methods, they can be considered complementary, though the risk of competing decisions cannot be excluded. The course will be carried out using a combination of lectures and class discussion. For each session a reading list will be provided. Some materials will be indicated as compulsory, others as further reference. I. Learning objectives The course should provide a general introduction to conciliation and judicial settlement of inter-State disputes as instruments enacted within Intergovernemental Institutions and an overview of the leading cases in the economic field. Reference will be made to: 1)United Nations and cases decided by the International Court of Justice relating to investments; 2) the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), established by the 1969 Washington Convention; 3) the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement System, competent to decide disputes on trade and intellectual property rights. After an introduction to the basic concepts and institutions, the course will survey leading cases. Some of them emerged from serious troubles connected with times of crisis and represent the effort to give a response founded on the rule of law to face an economic, political and social emergencies. The