Fm: Bill Slomanson, Chair UN Decade Interest Group

Re: Six-month Executive Council Report

This is the report of the UN Decade Interest Group, summarizing its activites for the six-month period prior to the October, 1997 meeting of the ASIL Executive Council.

We published two IG newsletters, #14 in June of 1997 (22 pqages) and #15 (21 pages) in August of 1997. Each contained relatively extensive and varied content, including the proposal that the IG facilitate a Hague-like summer course in NYC. This project was abandoned, after preliminary correspondence with the Hague's Curatorium carried the suggestion that a NYC offering would essentially compete with the Hague.

The UNDIG has assisted Jonathan Charney by republishing his letter on the Trilateral Research Project to all UNDIG members, as well as on the Internet (and addressed at the IG's annual business meeting in Washington 4/97).

The UNDIG has also published op-eds by members, reviews of many legal publications, and correspondence to and from the Chair on behalf of the IG. The UNDIG has also arranged to place its work/newsletters on the world wide web, which assists the Society in maintaining its presence in both traditional and virtual modes.

The Chair has expressed his concern to this year's Annual Program Committee, regarding the new prohibition which precludes an IG officer from serving on Annual Meeting panels arranged by his/her particular IG. The prohibition makes complete sense, in terms of the IG officer being a panel member. It is more difficult to understand, however, in terms of not being able to serve as moderators. It is this reporter's belief that this new prohibition is yet another disincentive for IGs, particularly for their officers who do all the work and are prohibited from moderating the fruits of their efforts. Members consulted by this particular Chair, as well as some other chairs, share this view. After this report is published in the next issue of the UNDIG newsletter, one may more readily determine whether this perspective is shared by the IG members as a whole.

Finally, this reporter will solicit the views of the UN Decade Group--at or before the time of the October Executive Council meeting--to determine whether the term "Interest Group" should be replaced with the term "Section." If there is sufficient agreement, then such a proposal will be made to the Council in the form of a formal proposal from the UN Decade section of the ASIL.

Respectfully submitted,

William R. Slomanson, Chair

ASIL UN Decade Interest Group