Erga Omnes

Erga omnes obligations are duties owed by a state to the international community as a whole, in which all states have a legal interest in compliance. The International Court of Justice introduced the concept in the Barcelona Traction case (1970), listing examples such as the prohibition of aggression, genocide, slavery, and racial discrimination. In the law of the sea, certain duties carry an erga omnes character, including the obligation to repress piracy on the high seas under UNCLOS Article 100 and aspects of marine environmental protection. The concept is distinct from jus cogens peremptory norms, though the two often overlap.