Solidarity: Evidence of an Emerging International Legal Principle

Abstract

The concept of solidarity has on multiple occasions been explicitly listed by the UN General Assembly as a required in a democratic and equitable international order. This chapter examines the content of this fundamental value - aiming in particular to show that the concept of solidarity in current international law represents more than a general notion of ?neighbourliness' but in fact an emerging structural principle which in many cases creates negative obligations on States not to engage in certain activities, and in an increasing number of contexts establishes concrete duties on States to carry out certain measures for the common good. It examines how the notion of solidarity has developed in various international legal contexts, including collective security, international humanitarian law, human rights, environmental law, international development, refugee law, the responsibility to protect, the international law of disaster relief, and the law of State responsibility. Keywords:international humanitarian law; solidarity