The Rule of Law is a majestic phrase with many largely reinforcing and supportive meanings. It stands for a fundamental value/ideal, an ethic for lawyers and officials, the basic principles of constitutionalism and a set of institutions that supports its attainment. While these multiple meanings and dimensions may occasionally serve to confuse, each of them are vital in achieving the others. The partial achievement of each supports the fuller achievement of all.

The Secretary-General's Report of August 2005 underlined the need for a more coherent institutional framework of international legal governance, with better coordination and monitoring. The Building the Rule of Law in International Affairs project seeks to further those aims by finding solutions to overcoming difficulties associated with developing and operationalizing an international rule of law.

The project has three overarching objectives: to bring together research of others to the United Nations; to develop codes of ethics for key actors operating at the international level; and to produce edited collections, to be launched at the UN with various roundtable discussions.

PARTNERS

• Australian Research Council


• Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law


• Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations Secretariat


• United Nations University

AREAS OF RESEARCH

• The Rule of Law as a fundamental governance value


• The Rule of Law as an ethic for officials


• The Rule of Law as a basic constitutional principle


• The Rule of Law as a set of institutions


• The Rule of law and nascent integrity systems

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

The project, in three phases, will involve a series of conferences, workshops and roundtables designed to help operationalize the rule of law in the international system.