C. Wilfred Jenks and the Futures of International Organizations Law

Abstract

Abstract This article situates C. Wilfred Jenks as a central figure in the emergence and development of the law of international organizations. Deeply informed by his work as a legal advisor at the International Labour Organization (ILO), Jenks’ scholarly writings during and immediately after World War II established a basis for, and elaborated the details of many aspects of, classical international organizations law. Moreover, the article argues that Jenks’ oeuvre also articulated a number of insights and approaches that, in retrospect, may be read as suggesting a series of alternative futures for international organizations law. By examining Jenks’ foundational works on international organizations law, therefore, the article seeks to recover aspects of Jenks’ thinking that might have led – and might still lead – the field to explore different paths.