Law and Development

The LLM in Law & Development will be comprised of the following courses, which we believe will advance our students’ knowledge and career paths.

Following these courses you will find a list of optional courses that may be taught pending a minimum student enrollment.

Note: Each course is divided into a number of modules and each module will be taught over the course of two weekends.

This course will take you on a journey of discovering and studying the role of the United Nations in promoting and protecting human rights. The course aims to demonstrate how human rights enjoy an inspiring and effective framework within the UN system and its institutional structure. That framework was set out in the charter of the United Nations which was adopted in the wake of the Second World War and entered into force in October 1945. The course also takes you through the historical development of international human rights law, how human rights law operates under the UN and examines the relevant bodies and specialised agencies in this important legal area.

Module A: Mechanisms for human rights protection by United Nations bodies
– Historical development of international human rights law
– Mechanisms established by UN human rights treaties: general comments by treaty bodies; reporting system and concluding observations; individual complaints; inter-state complaints; visits
– Special Procedures established by the UN Commission on Human Rights: country mandates and thematic mandates
– Mechanisms under UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) resolution 1235 and ECOSOC resolution 1503

Module B: Substantive rights under United Nations human rights treaties 1
– International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
– Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty
– Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT)

Module C: Substantive rights under United Nations human rights treaties 2
– International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
– International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)
– Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

Module D: Selected United Nations human rights bodies and specialised agencies
– United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
– International Labour Organization (ILO)
– World Health Organization (WHO)
– United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

International Environmental Law is one of the most interesting and developing areas of Public International Law. It was only in the 1970s and 80s that states started to understand that the environment requires protection, that oceans should not be polluted, that species are declining. You will learn about the development of environmental law from this point onwards in this course. International Environmental Law is a highly topical area, reflected in the world news. We will deal with the legal implications of certain environmental actions, in the context of International Law generally as well as International Environmental Law. Related case law of international courts and tribunals are also important in this topic. This is a very extensive course, examining all the possible angles and new developments, aiming to enhance your understanding of the importance of international environmental regulations.

Module A: General aspects of international environmental law I
– Introduction
– Development and sources of international environmental law
– Jurisdictional and institutional aspects of environmental governance
– General principles of international environmental law
– Sustainable development

Module Β: General aspects of international environmental law II
– State responsibility for environmental damage
– Civil liability regimes
– Environmental dispute resolution
– Human right and the environment

Module C: Particular subjects of international environmental law I
– Protection of the marine environment
– General principles of conservation and biological diversity
– Management of hazardous substances and wastes
– Climate change protection
– Protection of the ozone layer

Module D: Particular subjects of international environmental law II
– Trade and environment
– Financial resources, technology and intellectual property
– War and armed conflict in relation to the environment
– Nuclear energy and the environment
– Freshwater resources
– Transboundary air pollution
– Polar regions

What you will discover in this course is the law regulating international economic relations between estates, what role the United Nations has played and what the other international organisations including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the WTO have been doing. The course examines the international legal instruments in international economic law, adapted mainly after the establishment of the UN in 1945. We also cover relevant developments that took place prior to this.

Module A: Evolution and principles of international economic law
– Evolution of the law and economic policy
– Evolution of international economic law
– Fundamental principles of international economic law
– Institutional structure of international economic law

Module B: International monetary and development law and policy
– The law and practice of the World Bank
– The law and practice of the International Monetary Fund
– Financing for development
– The millennium development goals

Module C: Regulation of foreign investment
– International efforts to regulate foreign investment
– Regulation of multinational enterprises (MNEs)
– The notion of corporate social responsibility
– Multinational enterprises and human rights

Module D: Public international law of trade
– Substantive rules of the GATT/World Trade Organization system
– Institutional overview of the World Trade Organization
– Case study of the liberalisation of trade in agriculture
– Current trade agenda and the Doha Development Round

This course is designed to give you exposure to the world of law concerned with the regulation of foreign investment. When a company goes abroad to invest, what are the risks the company takes – whether political or economic – and what are the rules of international law that protect foreign investments? The laws between the investing country and the host country as well as the interface between international investment law and other areas of international law are all covered in this course.

Module A: Evolution of the law of foreign investment
– Origins of the law of foreign investment: the early years
– National standards v. international minimum standard
– National treatment and the Calvo doctrine
– The duty to compensate and the Hull formula

Module B: International efforts to regulate foreign investment
– United Nations efforts
– Efforts made by the World Bank
– OECD efforts
– The role of the World Trade Organization

Module C: Regulation under bilateral and regional investment treaties (BITs)
– Origins of BITs
– The content of BITs
– Significance of BITs
– Regional treaties: NAFTA

Module D: The case-law on the treatment of foreign investment
– Fleshing out of the principles of the law of foreign investment
– Definition of expropriation and nationalization
– Determination of the quantum of compensation
– Extending the frontiers of expropriation

The University of London provides a diverse and robust curriculum, with a selection of interesting and important courses, therefore AAU may teach optional courses as well. However, they are not currently scheduled and their availability will be subject to minimum student enrollment. Nonetheless, please do let us know if you are interested in one of these courses:

– European Convention on Human Rights
– Human Rights of Women
– International Natural Resources Law
– International Refugee Law
– International Rights of the Child
– Law of Treaties
– Transfer of Technology Law
– World Trade Law

AAU also offers skill-based support courses for Law students such as Fundamentals of Legal Research Writing and Analysis, Legal English, Legal Research and Writing, Moot Court, Legal Skills Development, and Cross Cultural Negotiations and Dispute Resolution.