The author offers an international law perspective on a specific issue of self-determination of indigenous peoples. The article begins with the definition of indigenous peoples, then proceeds to self-determination in general. The last section examines the forms of indigenous selfdetermination and its meaning for indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples have a right to self-determination which allows them for control over their destiny, their livelihoods, their culture and customs. It may be realized, most of all, in the form of autonomy or self-governance. As such, self-determination allows indigenous peoples to participate in decision making in matters that affect their rights.

Legal Protection of Cultural Assets – Terminological Problems

In article the author occupies herself with the issue of the lack of any uniform or precise terminology in the normative regulation in a such specific domain as the legal protection of the cultural goods. By creating the protection mechanisms for the widely defined cultural goods in the Constitution and the other legal acts the lawmaker used several different terms to define similar fields of legal norms’ usage. The research based on the Constitution and located on the ground of the law that specifies preservation and caretaking of historic monuments enabled the author to perceive some fallacies, that can even be called shortages, in the same field, as the polish law is considered as well as its relation to the international law. In the first part of the article the author presents terminology that is being used in the sphere of the legal protection of cultural goods in the international law. Afterwards she considers the terminology used for defining the same field in the Polish Constitution. In the next part of her thesis she introduces the terminology employed on the ground of polish law pointing out that the legislator uses numerous legal terms for the same field. This leads her to the conclusion about the lack of terminological discipline showed by the legislator, which effects, as she sees it, in the attenuation of the legal protection and even in developing of the legal gap.

Place of International Law in the Legal System of Ukraine

An important factor in shaping the legal system of an independent democratic state is to define the place of its international obligations in the domestic legal system. International law binds states that are bound by its norms governing their cooperation within the international community. Therefore, it is necessary to refer to the problem of the relation of international law to internal law by analyzing the regulations of the Ukrainian legislation and the international conventions concluded by it. The subject of the analysis are the provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine of 1996 and the Act on International Agreements of 2004 as well as the provisions of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 1969, to which the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic acceded in 1986 and to which Ukraine is now a party.

Legal Protection of Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion

Freedom of thought, conscience and religion is one of the fundamental freedoms of individual, which has to be and is protected by international and national law, as shown on the example of the Polish Constitution. Freedom of conscience includes both the right of individual to choose the worldview and the right to change it. Freedom of religion ensures the right to express and manifest the views and convictions on religion individually and collectively, privately or publicly. Considering derogation of freedom of thought, conscience and religion, international law states that it may be restricted, but only in specific circumstances and under the legal act. The Polish Constitution is in line with international law in terms of restricting the above freedom.

The secret of correspondence is a very important rights and freedoms. It is guaranteed in acts of international law and by the provisions of the Polish Constitution. In the system of Polish law, constitutional norms specify the provisions of civil law, concerning personal rights, copyright and criminal law. The term correspondence should be understood broadly in the present relations and not limited only to traditional paper letters.

The role and importance of the international legal solutions to global processes

Growing international inter dependencies, weakening of internal and external sovereignty of the state and necessity of joint overcoming of problems and global threats reveals the necessity of creating new rules of global order, based not only on nation states, but also on growing number of international organizations and institutions, regional groupings, communities and local organizations. The globalization of political life fosters rise of number of institutions, organizations and international groupings and development of international law. The cooperation between them should respect the rules of equality, freedom, democracy, partnership, solidarity, respect for cultural diversity and environmental protection.