Test: International Context - 2 - CUET Humanities MCQ

The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is a subsidiary body of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) responsible for helping to facilitate international trade and investment. Established by the UNGA in 1966, UNCITRAL's official mandate is "to promote the progressive harmonization and unification of International Trade Law" through conventions, model laws, and other instruments that address key areas of commerce, from dispute resolution to the procurement and sale of goods.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was accepted by the General Assembly as Resolution 217 during its third session on 10 December 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, France.

Article 38(1) of the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) lists four sources of international law: treaties and conventions, custom, general principles of law, and judicial decisions and teachings.

A treaty refers to legally binding, written agreements, in which states agree to act in a particular manner as specified in the agreement. Treaties may be drafted between states by their leaders or government departments depending on the circumstances. However, there are a number of stages that are involved in order to convert a final draft into a binding treaty. The final text has to be 'adopted' in an international conference by way of two-thirds majority.

The predecessor of the United Nations was the League of Nations, established in 1919, after World War I, under the Treaty of Versailles "to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security."

Hugo Grotius is popularly known as 'The Father of International Law'. He introduced the concept of reasoning in international law, that is to say, he based international law on the principles governing natural law (based on reason).

In the early 21st century, the Commission on Human Rights came to be viewed as ineffective, in part because its membership included countries with poor human rights records. It therefore was replaced by the UN Human Rights Council in 2006.

Article 39 of Charter of United Nations:
The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security.

'Monism' denotes that International Law and State Law are the concomitant aspects of one system. Monism holds that International Law and Domestic Law form part of a single universal legal system. Thus, option 3 is the correct answer.

International Law is said to be "a weak law."
Following are some of the weaknesses of International law.

1. The greatest shortcoming of international law is that it lacks an effective executive authority to enforce its rules.
2. It lacks an effective legislative machinery. Therefore, it is not enforceable as such, it is not a law but a positive morality.