The course will provide an overview of International Human Rights Law (IHRL), including its principal instruments and enforcement mechanisms. Students will explore case studies of the application of IHRL in some of today’s most challenging contexts, including armed conflict and climate change. Students will also examine how the application of a state’s international human rights obligations can inform its domestic case law, using New Zealand as an example.
Through exploring practical examples, students can expect to gain an understanding of:• the key international instruments in the IHRL framework;• the roles of enforcement mechanisms such as UN bodies and international and regional courts; • international criminal law as a response to serious human rights violations; and• how IHRL is applied in practice at an international and domestic level.
Topics may include: • history and development of IHRL, including its place within the international law system
• overview of core IHRL instruments• principal IHRL enforcement mechanisms, including UN charter-based bodies and treaty bodies• roles of international and regional courts, including the International Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights• admissibility of human rights complaints before treaty bodies• scope and content of particular human rights (e.g. right to life, freedom of expression)• application of IHRL in a climate change context• an examination of how international courts and mechanisms respond to serious human rights abuses, including an overview of international criminal courts/tribunals• the application of IHRL in domestic courts, with a focus on New Zealand.