ch

Constitution of Romania

An online version of the 1991 Romanian Constitution (amended to 2003) made freely available in English by International Constitutional Law (ICL) at the University of Bern in Switzerland. The Constitution includes sections on fundamental rights and freedoms, the role of the President, the passing of legislation and the organisation and functions of Parliament, the Government, judicial authority, the Constitutional Court, local government, armed forces and the police. The Constitution can be viewed in HTML.

World Intellectual Property Organization: Database of WIPO Cases and WIPO Panel Decisions

A free database of internet domain name dispute cases, provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization's Arbitration and Mediation Center in Geneva. The Center offers alternative dispute resolution services in international commercial disputes between private parties. All the domain name cases back to 1999 are available in the database, searchable by domain name, key word, party names or case number. The full text of the decisions is available. The site also provides indexes of decisions by domain name category and by legal point, together with lists of the most-cited cases.

Geneva Conventions and Commentaries

Section of the International Committee of the Red Cross website devoted to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their protocols. The four Conventions are: Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field; Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea; Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War; and Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

WTO Dispute Settlement

Section of the World Trade Organization (WTO) website covering its role in international dispute settlement and its procedures for resolving trade disputes. The WTO was created in 1995 (successor to GATT) to negotiate and enforce global rules of trade. It links to official documents on the WTO's Documents Online database, and to key dispute settlement materials such as the Rules of Conduct for the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes, the Working Procedures for the Appellate Review, and WTO Panel and Appellate Body Reports.

Court of Arbitration for Sport

Website of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) [also known as Tribunal Arbitral du Sport (TAS)], an independent institution originally established by the International Olympic Committee. The Court hears cases on sports law topics such as nationality, adjudication, sponsorship, and doping. The website provides all non-confidential decisions of the Court, together with the CAS code and statutes. Information is available on the mission and structure of CAS, arbitration and related matters. The site is available in English and French.

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Website provided by the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, based in Geneva. The text of the Convention is provided in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish and there is information about ratification and national implementation. Information is given about the ongoing work of the Convention's governing body (the Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention) and subsidiary bodies such as the POPS Review Committee.

United Nations Human Rights Council

The UN Human Rights Council is the successor to the UN Commission on Human Rights. It is responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world. The Council's website gives details of its membership, rules of procedure, advisory committees and working groups, meetings and other events. There is information about the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), whereby the HRC reviews the human rights record of each UN Member States every four years.

Human rights by country

Guide to human rights in UN member states, on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Human rights documents and news are provided for each country. The documents include Special Procedures reports, reports of UN Treaty Bodies and information about the status of human rights treaties. The site is in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese.

United Nations and the Rule of Law

This site is maintained by the United Nations to provide information and resources regarding its work on maintaining the rule of law. It offers UN press releases and a repository of UN documents including General Assembly resolutions, reports, norms and standards, guidance and training materials. Topics covered include the rule of law at national and international levels, constitution building, transitional justice, informal justice, peace building and international security.

Migration Law Database

The Migration Law Database is made freely available online by the International Organization for Migration, an inter-governmental body providing services and advice to governments and migrants. The database provides access to full text international, regional and national laws relating to migration and can be browsed or searched by keyword. The basic search option covers the title, document number, date of adoption and a selection of subject categories including asylum, children, deportation, diasporas, extradition, indigenous peoples, migrant workers, nationality and repatriation.

Subscribe to ch