The International Law Commission (ILC) is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly mandated to promote the progressive development and codification of international law. Composed of independent experts in international law elected for five-year terms, the Commission examines complex and evolving legal questions—ranging from state responsibility and treaty law to immunity, environmental law, and crimes against humanity.
Rather than engaging in political negotiation, the ILC operates through rigorous legal research, debate, and drafting. It produces draft articles, conventions, and detailed commentaries that often form the basis of multilateral treaties or clarify customary international law. In a Model UN context, the ILC demands a highly technical and analytical approach: delegates are expected to think as legal scholars, draft coherent and enforceable legal provisions, and justify their reasoning using established sources of international law.