This course endeavors to study the normative regime of international institutions with special reference to the UN and its particular institutional relations. It aims to help the student develop a learning approach that combines critical thought and practical knowledge of the law of international organizations. This will be pursued by studying the structure and functions of, and major legal issues within and across, international organizations. The law of international organizations is termed as an integral part of international law. It searches for the institutional commonality among different international organizations, such as their membership, legal personality, decision-making procedures, rule-making, and privileges and immunities. These common institutional elements have been critically complemented recently by an increasingly important issue of organizational responsibility and accountability mainly as a result of the expanding domain of activities more institutionally performed by the United Nations Organization (UN) and its various relationships, particularly in the area of international peace and security. 

Thus, upon successfully completing the course, the student will be able to distinguish different types of international organizations, understand the criteria of their membership, comprehend the consequences of their legal personality, know their different kinds of powers, understand the purpose and consequences of their privileges and immunities, see the rationales of different decision making procedures, recognize their rule-making functions, distinguish and assess the functioning of various relationships of the UN, particularly in the field of international peace and security, and understand the complexities of conceptual and operational issues underlying the responsibility and accountability of international organizations.