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BBC Learning English and the UK’s largest academic institution, The Open University, have joined forces to explore the power of international law. The award-winning team at BBC Learning English has collaborated with renowned academics from The Open University to create Making and Breaking International Law – a series of short films focusing on how individuals, big business and nation states can behave within a framework of international law.

Meet our partner

About the series

As the world sees the devastation caused by climate change, as the availability of fresh water becomes more and more limited, and as corporations become bigger than countries and race to Mars, what is the responsibility of countries and companies to current and future generations? What is the role of international law – and where is it lacking? Can it help protect individuals and manage the behaviour of countries and companies? Is international law even worth the paper it is written on?

The new series shows how individuals can use international law to create positive change – and even change the law itself. Animated guides help us understand the background, history and key elements of international law. They explain where it originates, what it is, how the UN and human rights are involved. And they describe what might happen if international law is breached. Twenty presenter-led programmes look at increasingly important areas of international law: space, environment, water, and the power of multinationals.

The programmes address a wide range of issues: ownership of space; war in space; whether companies are really interested in abiding by the law; and what happens when people challenge big business. We ask if access to water can be discriminatory or whether international law can help stop islands sinking. The answers and explanations are provided via case-studies and interviews with practising lawyers and legal experts, exploring the power and influence of international law.