This is the fiftieth volume of The Canadian Yearbook of International Law, the first volume of which was published in 1963. The Yearbook is issued annually under the auspices of the Canadian Branch of the International Law Association and the Canadian Council on International Law. It contains articles of lasting significance in the field of international legal studies; a notes and comments section; a digest of international economic law; a section on current Canadian governmental practice in international law (including recent parliamentary declarations and Canadian treaty actions); a digest of important Canadian cases in the fields of public and private international law; and a book reviews section.

The contents of this special anniversary edition reflect the diversity of Canadian and international thought, opinion, and practice on current problems of international law. Included is a feature article in honour of fifty years of the Yearbook, “Exploring the ‘Canadian’ in the Canadian Yearbook of International Law,” as well as cutting-edge analyses and commentary on a wide range of issues such as the use of battlefield biometrics; the cultural dimensions of sustainable development; Omar Khadr’s combatancy and child-soldier status; the International Court of Justice’s indication of provisional measures in territorial and boundary disputes; immunities for gross violations of international human rights, and the responsibility of international organizations, among others.