The Hague Academy of International Law

The Hague Academy of International Law is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands. Courses are taught in English and French and, except for External Programme Courses, are held in the Peace Palace.

History

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace helped in the creation of the Academy, which was founded in 1914, and opened its doors in 1923. Nobel Peace Prize winner Tobias Asser advocated for the creation of the Academy before his death in 1913. The Academy is closely associated with the International Court of Justice, which is also housed in the Peace Palace. Several current or former ICJ Judges either are alumnus or have served on the faculty. In 1992, the Academy received the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize from UNESCO.

Curriculum

The Hague Academy is famous primarily for the yearly summer course that if offers in public and private international law. The course comprises six weeks of teaching - the first three weeks devoted to private international law and the next three to public international law. The course is in the month of July every year and attracts law students of the undergraduate level from around the world (with four years of studies or more in law, including international law). Lecturers with strong academic leanings come from various fronts, mostly from the academia, international institutions, government or from law practice, giving lectures on general as well as highly specialized fields of private and public law. The lectures are published by the Academy on a yearly basis as Recueil des Cours de l'Académie de Droit International de La Haye (Collected Courses of the Hague Academy of International Law) and have formed an invaluable part of the existing literature in international law. The continuing significance of the Academy is due not only to bringing the best in the field to teach, but also in making their research available as part of the larger corpus of scholarly writings.

The Hague Academy also awards a very highly specialized Diploma that is a rare distinction for one to achieve, as evidenced by the small number of Diplomas the Academy has granted over more than 56 years since instituting it. The Diploma is awarded following comprehensive written and oral examinations that may relate to any topic in public or private international law. It requires serious scholarship and sets exacting standards for candidates.

External Programme

In 1969, the Academy created its External Programme which sends a team of Academy professors to locations in Africa, Latin America, and Asia for a two week period. The Programme is designed to teach young professors of international law and civil servants from the host country on specific topics of regional interest.