To Tame and to Frame

Abstract

Faced with the reluctance of states to transfer sovereign powers to the international level, traditional international organizations often resort to voluntary instruments when attempting to respond to pressing issues of public concern such as sustainable development. One salient example is the attempt of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to improve the dire state of global fisheries resources by means of the nonbinding Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF). Aware of these complex regulatory exigencies, one is left to wonder whether a voluntary instrument of an organization without any enforcement capabilities could actually be of any use. Clearly,