Funding

The funding of the ERC Starting Grant for the State Silence project is: 1.500.000

International law consists of rules governing primarily the relations between States, and is identified by examining what States do and say. But, what happens when a State does or says nothing? Many questions emerge concerning the meaning of silence, why a State may remain ‘silent’, and the consequence of State silence. The EU-funded State Silence project offers the first comprehensive study of the legal significance of State silence: it provides a taxonomy of State ‘silences’, and reveals whether silence can bind States, and if so, under which circumstances; the role of State inaction for State responsibility; and the effect of State inaction in the field of international dispute settlement, including non-appearance before international courts and tribunals. The central aim of the project is to understand the legal effects of the ‘silences’ of States, the reasoning and theory behind the law, and the reasons for which States remain silent by considering the features of modern international law – where more States and institutions exist, communications are easier, and where more rules that protect community interests exist.

Dr Azaria has been awarded a Humboldt Fellowship (for experienced researchers) by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (18 months funding) on the basis of a competitive process. Her Humboldt Fellowship at the Humboldt University Berlin (Chair of Public International Law, Professor Georg Nolte) enabled her research on State Silence in the law of treaties, and has found reflection on a number of her publications, as well as her research for her forthcoming monograph, State Silence In International Law (forthcoming, OUP 2025).