Definition
International legal obligations owed to the international community as a whole, rather than solely to one specific state.
TERMINOLOGY NOTE
Distinction: obligations owed erga omnes and peremptory jus cogens norms are related but analytically different.
Theoretical Context
Erga omnes describes to whom an obligation is owed, whereas jus cogens identifies peremptory normative status. The two notions are related but not identical.