Talk:Public International Law/Actors in International Law/Non-governmental Organization

Review: May 16, 2023
Your chapter provided a thorough and detailed introduction to the role of NGOs, along with a critical examination of their historical and contemporary significance. One notable strength of the chapter was the comprehensive presentation of the role of NGOs in international law. The author skillfully explored the diverse functions and activities of NGOs, highlighting their contributions to global governance, human rights advocacy, and environmental protection, among other areas. Additionally, the chapter engaged in a critical analysis of the historical and current role of NGOs. It evaluated their impact, effectiveness, and challenges, allowing students to consider the strengths and limitations of NGOs as (non-)state actors in international law. This critical perspective encourages students to approach the topic with a discerning eye and facilitates a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding the involvement of NGOs in international affairs.

However, one aspect that needs attention is the length of the chapter. While the comprehensive nature of the content is commendable, it may be necessary to condense certain sections or streamline the discussion to ensure that the chapter remains concise and focused. This would enhance the readability and accessibility of the chapter, allowing students to grasp the key points without being overwhelmed by excessive details.

Some minor things:

- Please use OSCOLA as your citation style and make sure you provide full and accurate references for all sources cited. It is important to take the time to ensure that all footnotes are correctly formatted according to OSCOLA.

- You will also find some comments in your chapter in which I elaborate on something more specifically. To view these comments, just open you chapter page and click on "Edit" in the top-right toolbox.

- Note also that the following parts are still missing: required knowledge, learning objectives, conclusion

- You could add some links to other chapters of the textbook

- Note that I have made some linguistic and stylistic improvements to the text.

- Some parts of your table of contents are not formatted according to our style guide (esp. wrong style of numbering and bold).

Max Milas (discuss • contribs) 15:43, 16 May 2023 (UTC)


 * I completely agree with Max' review and have also added comments in the chapter. Sué González Hauck (discuss • contribs) 07:25, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Review 13.06.2022
Dear author, I enjoyed reading the chapter and learnt a lot. It really well incorporates theoretical and practical aspects, as well as includes a very good critique. See below one corrections and some suggestion that might be helpful.

There is one mistake in the section on the European Union, as it confuses the Council of European with the EU - the section should be titled "Council of Europe". Also, the first paragraph of section (2) mentions a Convention, without stipulating the Convention which is spoken about in the text (European Convention on the Recognition of the Legal Personality of International Non-Governmental Organizations)

Suggestions

- I was wondering, whether there cannot be a one-person NGO? According to the text it would need to be more people.

- to me, making a separate section on the EU and the adding "other regional bodies" is a bit euro-centric. I would usually be in favour of having a section "regional bodies" in which there is a secion on the EU

- it would be good to connect this chapter (at least through links) with the Rewi chapter on International Organizations - Wikibooks, open books for an open world (in particular section on legal personality)

- I was wondering a bit why the section on the UN system (II. (1)) does not include any mention of NGOs cooperation in the UN human rights system, as they play a crucial role in many ways. Maybe it would be worth to add a paragraph on that, especially since in practice this section is not only about the normative part, but also about practice. Furthermore, the section on Europe mentions the main Courts (both the EU and CoE court), so it would make sense to also - at least - mention treaty bodies above with regard to the UN.

- I really enjoyed the section on international law-making and would encourage the author to explain the last example given (Multilateral Investment Agreement), I would not assume that the reader know that. If this has been ommitted because of word count, I would consider either deleting the sentence or alternatively adding at link at least.

- The author might assume that the reader has knowledge which I do not think all will have. For example, it would make sense to explain what a "shadow report" is.

- I think it is really useful how the chapter introduced GONGOs so quick... but then it did not come back to them. I really think they deserve more place in the chapter.

GrazynaBaranowska (discuss • contribs) 07:55, 13 June 2022 (UTC)