One of the best law conferences in Germany: The participation in the ICON᛫S Germany at the Justus Liebig University in Gießen was worthwhile. It was great to see many valued friends and colleagues again. Thanks to Michaela Hailbronner for the excellent organization!
My presentation “Institutional Dynamics of International Complaint Mechanisms: A case-study of the Ombudsperson to the ISIL and Al-Qaida sanctions regime of the UN Security Council” analyzes the significance of legal margins in international law based on the phenomenon of international complaint mechanisms (ICMs). It argues that the normative evaluation of ICMs depends on whether these bodies can exploit the margins in their tight legal framework to provide an effective remedy for aggrieved complainants. Exploring this issue with a case study about the Ombudsperson to the ISIL and Al-Qaida sanctions regime, the presentation concludes that there is value in establishing even weak ICMs that are only the second- or third-best solutions given the potential of institutions to incrementally expand over time.