United Nations - Leiden Law Blog

International Law

The Committee on the Rights of the Child 101: stretched, but not broken

On 1 September 2026, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child opens its 101st session. That may sound routine but given current circumstances, it is anything but.

Ann Skelton + 1 other • 31-08-2026

Public Law · International Law

The international order in crisis?

President Trump’s proposed Board of Peace raises questions on the future of the United Nations and international order. What can historical developments of international law tell us about its future?

Norman Spruit • 18-06-2026

Public Law

Strategic climate litigation and polarisation: Fanning or smothering the flames of societal conflicts?

What, if any, should the role of courts be in reconciling the pressing need for climate action in an atmosphere of deep-running social tension?

Christina Eckes • 28-06-2022

Public Law

No, Russia cannot be removed from the UN Security Council

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drawn attention to a major problem in the UN system: Russia’s veto power in the Security Council. The proposed solution to remove Russia from the UNSC is misguided.

Joris van de Riet • 22-03-2022

Public Law

A Uniting for Peace Response to Disuniting for War: The Role of the two Political Organs of the UN

This blog briefly addresses the involvement and interaction of the two main political organs of the United Nations, the Security Council and the General Assembly, in the Ukraine crisis.

Nico Schrijver • 18-03-2022

Public Law

International Court of Justice Orders Russia to Immediately Suspend Military Operations in Ukraine

On 16 March 2022, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague ordered Russia to ‘immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on 24 February 2022 in the territory of Ukraine’.

Cecily Rose • 17-03-2022

Public Law

A Series of Leiden Law Blogs on the Russian aggression in Ukraine

Europe is shocked, the world is shocked, by the Russian aggression in Ukraine and the human suffering as a result of Russia’s flagrant violation of key rules of international law.

Niels Blokker • 15-03-2022

Public Law

International Space Regulation: A vital endeavour or a burden on the current international legal system?

The ever-present issue of orbital and space debris, future space colonies and mining operations, bring new legal challenges that current international law cannot cope with.

Deniz Nikolay Dirisu • 18-11-2021

Public Law · Criminal Law and Criminology · Tax Law and Economics · Interdisciplinary Study of the Law · Private Law

UN accountability & the Bosnian War

The UN needs to be held legally accountable for its actions during the Bosnian War to achieve justice for Bosnian War survivors and to live up to its own legal and moral standards.

Mathes Rausch • 05-10-2021