Enforcing international law

Ensuring compliance with international law
Providing international law enforcement
Improving international law enforcement
Supervising adherence to international law
Using international law

Description

Promoting the further development of international law enforcement agencies, such as the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and World Customs Organisation (WCO), and existing databases such as the Interpol Weapons and Explosives Tracing System (IWETS).

Developing provisions for technical and financial assistance to countries implementing the UN Convention on Transnational Organised Crime and its protocols.

Claim

The very essence of global governance is the capacity of the international community to ensure compliance with the rules of society. A necessary condition for strengthening the rule of law world-wide is an efficient monitoring and compliance regime. Without this, states are tempted to embrace international norms and agreements and then not follow through on their obligations.

Counter-claim

In a world in which the rule of international law was respected, enforcement procedures would not be needed. In a world in which it is not, universal enforcement may not be achievable.

Although a theory of international law has existed since the 17th century, in the absence of an international authority to proclaim and enforce it, the collection of international conventions and agreements, amongst various parties in various combinations, does not constitute international law as such. The United Nations does not substitute for such sovereignty in this matter. In its place, however, it has been argued that the consensual action of democracies would substitute for such sovereignty in the enforcement of international decency.