Human Rights & International Legal Discourse is a peer-reviewed law journal that encourages the critical study of the increasing influence of human rights law on international legal discourse. In addition to traditional international public law, the journal aims to focus on the interaction of human rights law with specific domains of international law, including international development law, international environmental law, international criminal law, international labour law, and international trade law. The journal places special emphasis on promoting a north-south dialogue. The journal analyses the interaction between human rights and contemporary international law. Traditional international law was exclusively inter-state law that mainly sanctioned relations between Western states. On the other hand, the human rights genre has evolved differently and unlike traditional international law, addresses itself to the concerns of state as well as non-state actors. Human rights have had a growing influence on traditional international law to the extent that the interests of individuals, minorities, newly independent states, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), multinationals and other companies are increasingly coming under the spotlight of contemporary international law. Moreover, these new actors have contributed to creating a brand of international law which is articulated within non-diplomatic circles. Lobbyists, national lawyers, judges and even the man in the street increasingly have a greater stake in determining the manner in which international affairs evolve. This is influencing international law to such an extent that several of the traditional premises upon which it was built have to be reappraised. Human Rights & International Legal Discourse attracts high-quality contributions from all over the world. These analyse the afore-mentioned interaction between human rights and contemporary international law. The aim is to discuss how human rights are influenced and are influencing traditional international public law. Emphases are laid on the incidents of human rights on certain specific domains such as development law, humanitarian law, environmental law, trade law, labour law and criminal law. Special attention will be given to north-south relations. Human Rights & International Legal Discourse is run by an editorial board composed of academic experts from the law faculties of the universities of Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent and Leuven. It has an advisory board composed of distinguished international experts.
