Conclusion

The book’s concluding chapter summarises its main findings and arguments. The book has tried to make sense of the legal concept of equity as it operates in the international law of the 21st century, setting it on a new basis and dealing with some common misconceptions about it. The thrust of its argument is that equity is a legal concept and a source of international law whose reach stretches beyond what has previously been conceded. Equity contributes to the development of international law and, as international law grows, the value of equity grows with it. By definition circumstance-specific, equity must remain flexible in order to fulfil its function qua justice. As time goes by, equity will still inform new international law and it will continue to be relevant, as an imperative of law as justice that international courts and tribunals are bound to apply.