Formal Legal Opinions
The Office of Legal Affairs publishes formal legal opinions and advisory notes issued by the General Secretariat on questions of interpretation and application of the Charter and the instruments of the Organization.
Categories of Published Opinions
Formal Legal Opinions are authoritative written opinions issued by the General Secretariat on specific questions of law arising under the Charter, conventions, statutes, regulations, or other instruments of the Organization. They are addressed to organs, Contracting Parties, officials, or expert bodies of the Organization.
Advisory Notes are informal guidance documents issued by the Office of Legal Affairs on procedural and interpretive questions of general application. They do not bind the Organization but represent the considered view of the Office on the matter addressed.
Advisory Opinions of the Internal Court of Arbitration are judicial opinions delivered by the Court at the request of the General Council, the Secretary-General, or the Technical Nominations Board, in accordance with Article 32, paragraph 1(g), of the Charter. Advisory opinions of the Court are published in the Judicial Registry. Where the requesting parties have agreed in advance to accept them as decisive, they are binding.
Published Opinions
No formal legal opinions have yet been published. This register will be updated as opinions are issued.
| Reference | Date | Subject | Type | Requesting Body |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | No opinions published | - | - |
Requesting a Legal Opinion
Organs, Contracting Parties, and officials of the Organization may request a formal legal opinion from the Office of Legal Affairs on questions of interpretation or application of the Charter and instruments of the Organization.
Requests should be made in writing, addressed to the Secretary-General for the attention of the Office of Legal Affairs, and should include, inter alia:
- The identity of the requesting organ, Contracting Party, or official;
- A precise statement of the legal question on which an opinion is sought;
- The relevant factual and legal background;
- Any instruments, provisions, or prior determinations considered relevant.
The Office of Legal Affairs will acknowledge receipt of requests and will advise on the expected timeframe for a response. The General Secretariat reserves the right to decline requests that fall outside the mandate of the Office or that are more appropriately addressed through other procedures, including referral to the Internal Court of Arbitration.
For filing information, see Public Procedures.
Legal opinions published here represent the views of the General Secretariat on the questions addressed and are published in the interest of transparency and the consistent interpretation of the Organization's instruments.