Nigerian Yearbook Of International Law 2017

This book is the inaugural edition of the Nigerian Yearbook of International Law. The Yearbook is a necessary and timely publication that provides a forum for critical discourse on developments in international law, particularly where this has relevance for Nigeria, Africa and its people including those in the diaspora. The articles in this first volume explore topics under the following themes: International Law and Regional Systems, Contemporary Challenges/Emerging Issues, Criminal Law and Natural Resources/Environmental Law. There is also a section, which provides a comprehensive review of key decisions in African and International Courts/Tribunals. Contributors to this edition are international law jurists from across the world, including eminent judges of international tribunals, leading academics and an international diplomat.

The contributions to this volume focus on a diverse array of topics in international law, with scholarly interventions from experts in the field, both in academia and the judiciary, as well as case commentary on a recent decision of the International Court of Justice (Chagos Decision). The theoretical and methodological breadth of the issues covered are relevant to audiences beyond the Nigerian and African intellectual space. In particular, this volume includes analysis on critical intellectual property law questions; intersections of national, regional and international law and technology; the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement; and maritime law. The authoritative views of the experts on the different issues covered in this volume make excellent contributions to their relevant fields.

The second volume of EtYIL brings together a number of articles and other contributions that, collectively, take EtYIL’s original mission of helping rebalance the narrative of international law another step forward. Like the first volume, this book presents scholarly contributions on cutting-edge issues of international law that are of particular interest to Ethiopia and its sub-region, as well as Africa and developing countries more generally. The major issues tackled include the interplay between national and international in the promotion and regulation of foreign direct investment in Ethiopia; the regulatory framework for the exploitation and development of petroleum resources and relevant arbitral jurisprudence in the field; the role of international law in ensuring the equitable sharing of transboundary resources, such as the waters of the River Nile, or in the delimitation of the continental shelf in the region; the efforts to establish the Continental Free Trade Area in Africa and the lessons that can be learnt from prior experiments; Africa’s policy towards the International Criminal Court and the feasibility of alternative means of serving justice in the case of grave crimes; and the UN’s peace-keeping operations in their North-South context. The issues addressed in the various contributions are mostly at the heart of live political, diplomatic and judicial activities today, and as such promise to shape the future of international law in the region and beyond. This volume not only takes a significant step further towards EtYIL’s mission, but also enriches it with fresh insights from perspectives that are not common in international law scholarship to this day.

This volume of the Netherlands Yearbook of International Law (NYIL) is the fiftieth in the Series, which means that the NYIL has now been with us for half a century. The editors decided not to let this moment go by unnoticed, but to devote this year’s edition to an analysis of the phenomenon of yearbooks in international law. Once the decision was made that this would be the subject of this year’s NYIL, the editors asked themselves a number of questions. For instance: Not many academic disciplines have yearbooks, so what is the reason we do? What is the added value of having a yearbook alongside the abundance of international law journals, regular monographs and edited volumes that are published on a yearly basis? Does the existence of yearbooks tell us something about who we are, or who we think we are, or what we have to contribute to the world? These questions will be addressed both in a general and in a specific sense, whereby a number of yearbooks published all over the world will be looked at in further detail. The Netherlands Yearbook of International Law was first published in 1970. It offers a forum for the publication of scholarly articles in a varying thematic area of public international law.

"The African Yearbook of International Law" provides an intellectual forum for the systematic analysis and scientific dissection of issues of international law as they apply to Africa, as well as Africa's contribution to the progressive development of international law. It contributes to the promotion, acceptance of and respect for the principles of international law, as well as to the encouragement of the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of international law in Africa. A clear articulation of Africa's views on the various aspects of international law based on the present realities of the continent as well as on Africa's civilization, culture, philosophy and history will undoubtedly contribute to a better understanding among nations. "The African Yearbook of International Law" plays an important role in examining the tensions underlying the State in Africa, and by shedding more light on the causes of the fragility of African state institutions so as to facilitate the identification of appropriate remedies. The tension and interrelationships among issues such as territorial integrity, self determination, ethnic diversity and nation-building are constantly addressed. Development, human rights and democratization in Africa are also subject of continuous attention and examination.

Founded in 1993, the 'African Yearbook', now published under the auspices of the African Foundation for International Law, is the only scholarly publication devoted exclusively to the study, development, dissemination and wider appreciation of international law in Africa as a whole.0Through the study and analysis of emerging legal issues of particular relevance to Africa, such as the creation of viable continental institutions capable of promoting unity and security for the peoples of the continent, the effective protection of human rights, the need for accountability for mass killings and massive violations of the rule of law, the promotion of a rule-based democratic culture, the role of African countries in a globalizing world economy and in international trade relations, the Yearbook strives to be responsive to the intellectual needs of African countries in the area of international law, and to the continuing struggle for creating an environment conducive to the rule of law throughout the continent.