The United Nations Office of Legal Affairs is a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

office currently administered by Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel of the United Nations

Miguel de Serpa Soares Miguel de Serpa Soares is a Portuguese lawyer who has been serving as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel. He was appointed to this position by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ...

History

Established in 1946, the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs provides a unified central legal service for the Secretariat and the principal and other organs of the United Nations and contributes to the progressive development and codification of international public and trade law. Pursuant to Article 102 of the UN Charter, OLA registers, publishes, and serves as a depository of international treaties. The office also functions to promote the strengthening and development as well as the effective implementation of the international legal order for the seas and ocean

Units

The Office consists of six Division (business), divisions: * Office of the Legal Counsel (OLC) * General Legal Division (GLD) * Codification Division (COD) * Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) *

International Trade Law International trade law includes the appropriate rules and customs for handling trade between countries. However, it is also used in legal writings as trade between private sectors. This branch of law is now an independent field of study as mo ...

Division (ITLD) *

Treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations An international organization or international o ...

Section (TREATY).

Treaties

The Office of Legal Affairs, through its Treaty Section, discharges the depositary functions of the Secretary-General under more than 560 multilateral treaties, including the custody of originals and the receipt of signatures and instruments of ratification, accession, etc. The Office is also responsible for the registration and publication of treaties and international agreements under Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nation

After their adoption, Treaties as well as their amendments have to follow the official legal procedures of the United Nations, as applied by the Office of Legal Affairs, including

signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...

ratification Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent that lacked the authority to bind the principal legally. Ratification defines the international act in which a state indicates its consent to be bound to a treaty if the parties inten ...

and entry into force.

References

* Hans Corell: ''United Nations Office of Legal Affairs'', in: Karel Wellens (ed.): ''International Law: Theory and Practice. Essays in Honour of Eric Suy'', The Hague/Boston/London: Martinus Nijhoff 1998, pp. 305–322.

External links

UN Office of Legal Affairs (OLA)
*
International Law - Action Plan

Treaty Section (OLA)

United Nations Rule of Law: The Office of Legal Affairs
on the rule of law work conducted by the Office of Legal Affairs.
The United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
{{DEFAULTSORT:United Nations Office Of Legal Affairs Organizations established by the United Nations United Nations Secretariat International law organizations

History

Units

Treaties

See also

References

External links