Law of International Organizations summary
Law of International Organizations
Summary
Table of Contents
Lecture 2: Creation of a New International Legal Person......................................................4
Lecture 3: International structure within the UN context: Organs, Sub-organs and
Specialized agencies...........................................................................................................................6
Lecture 4: Membership in an International Organization.................................................10
Lecture 5: Decision-Making and Governance in the UN: Powers......................................13
Lecture 1: History and Definitions of International Organizations
State sovereignty – then and now
State
Art 2(1) UNC: all states are equal and sovereign
o Externally: independence
1648: peace of Westphalia
o Essentials of modern state system
o “Westphalia recorded the birth of an international system based on a
plurality of independent states, recognizing no superior authority over
them”
The pandemic
Yemen war: no end in sight (amnesty international)
Refugee Crisis Lifeline: refugees at Sea (vice News)
Does the pandemic stop at any border? Does the refugee crisis stop at the
Syrian, Malian, Yemeni border? Does as civil war affect only the country
itself?
o These problems do not stop at the borders.
Who else is affected?
What does this tell us about state sovereignty, independence?
Today’s challenges and threats
Key challenges – climate change, refugees, trade wars, terrorism
Globalization beneficial developments (taking away of borders)
o Free movement of persons, goods, capital, services – though many
argue it has major flaws
o National identity undermined by open borders?
All global threats have cross-border aspects
Shared risks and opportunities
Response and regulation should be concerted, too
Raison d’être of IOs
o Institutionalize inter-state cooperation by offering platform and more to
states and other stakeholders, incl. civil society
UN: sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
o States cannot achieve solutions/goals on their own start cooperating
together cross-border as the problems are cross-borders
1
,Law of International Organizations summary
Shaffer Ginsburg
“… international institutions facilitate state cooperation by reducing the transaction
costs of negotiating the transaction costs of negotiating agreements with multiple
parties, and by assuring states that compliance with them will be better monitored
and enforced.”
Burdensome and expensive when each time have to start from scratch IOs
make sure this does not happen.
IO need certain powers to contribute to problems which states are not able to
do on their own
What powers? Next week
Historical Development of International Cooperation
Middle ages
o Diplomacy existed – one on one FR vs NL etc
When bilateral relations on the basis of individual exchange of envoys proved
inadequate to address growing international relations
Ad hoc international conference organized
o Peace of Westphalia emanated from such conferences
o Stake holders coming together settle agreement and they leave
again.
Major developments 18th-19th century Europe
Major population growth
Industrial revolution factories build manufacturing began
New interventions
o Transportation
o Communication
Growing commercialization, economic transactions development of free
trade
1815 Vienna congress
International conference
Re-establishment Westphalian order after defeat of Napoleon
Need was recognized to gather more regularly
First attempt at ‘collective security’
o Holy alliance of great powers treaty-based ‘Concert of Europe’
o Balancing each other to prevent war…
o Yet without superior control: no institutionalization
o Did not last, as each state continued to pursue its own interest,
comforted by the right to use of force.
o Rhine commission The Central Commission for the Navigation of the
Rhine is an international organisation whose function is to encourage
European prosperity by guaranteeing a high level of security for
navigation of the Rhine and environs. It is the world's oldest
international organization still in operation.
Deals with Issues of navigation or pollution
1899, 1907: the Hague Peace Conferences
To resolve conflicts peacefully through mediation & arbitration
o Permanent court of Arbitration Established
o To resolve conflicts peacefully and avoid the use of force
2
, Law of International Organizations summary
Disadvantaged of Ad Hoc conferences:
o No efficiency or speed
o No guaranteed membership
o Decision-making by unanimity
o No logistics
All this called for establishment of permanent centres, networks of expertise
Institutional unions established
Functional associations for specific purposes
Private int’l unions predecessors of today’s NGO’s
o E.g., 1863: Red Cross (sui generis)
Public int’l unions predecessors of today’s IOs
o Coordinating communication, transport, infrastructure
o E.g., international Telecommunications Union
o Treaty based
o Majority voting improve efficiency
o Powers increased
o Permanent secretariat
Lack of coordination amongst them contradicting and overlap
1914-1918: WWI
Establishment of League of Nations
o Aiming to preserve peace and security
o Aiming at making right to wage war prerogative of the world
community through permanent, institutionalized international
cooperation
o And to coordinate public inst’l unions
Still no prohibition of use of force yet 1945
Prerogative in field of IL peace and security was moved from state to
international level
Failed
Reluctance of MS to take decisive action (WWII)
Lack of superior control over states WWII
Lack of commitment by great powers (US never in there, RUS was removed
after invasion of Finland)
Island of Palmas case (PCA, 1928): sovereignty as right has as corollary duty
States obligation to protect within its territory the rights of other states
don’t do any thing which might affect other states
1939-1945 World War II
Establishment of the United Nations (UN)
Art 2(4) UNC: prohibition of the force
Collective security revisited
Right to resort to war vested in a central body: the Security Council
Idea to establish UN developed among Allies, Soviets in WWII
United Nations Conference on IO
o San Francisco 1945
UNC adopted unanimously and signed
Entered into force upon deposition of ratification instruments with the US Gov
o Art 110 UNC
3
Law of International Organizations
Summary
Table of Contents
Lecture 2: Creation of a New International Legal Person......................................................4
Lecture 3: International structure within the UN context: Organs, Sub-organs and
Specialized agencies...........................................................................................................................6
Lecture 4: Membership in an International Organization.................................................10
Lecture 5: Decision-Making and Governance in the UN: Powers......................................13
Lecture 1: History and Definitions of International Organizations
State sovereignty – then and now
State
Art 2(1) UNC: all states are equal and sovereign
o Externally: independence
1648: peace of Westphalia
o Essentials of modern state system
o “Westphalia recorded the birth of an international system based on a
plurality of independent states, recognizing no superior authority over
them”
The pandemic
Yemen war: no end in sight (amnesty international)
Refugee Crisis Lifeline: refugees at Sea (vice News)
Does the pandemic stop at any border? Does the refugee crisis stop at the
Syrian, Malian, Yemeni border? Does as civil war affect only the country
itself?
o These problems do not stop at the borders.
Who else is affected?
What does this tell us about state sovereignty, independence?
Today’s challenges and threats
Key challenges – climate change, refugees, trade wars, terrorism
Globalization beneficial developments (taking away of borders)
o Free movement of persons, goods, capital, services – though many
argue it has major flaws
o National identity undermined by open borders?
All global threats have cross-border aspects
Shared risks and opportunities
Response and regulation should be concerted, too
Raison d’être of IOs
o Institutionalize inter-state cooperation by offering platform and more to
states and other stakeholders, incl. civil society
UN: sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
o States cannot achieve solutions/goals on their own start cooperating
together cross-border as the problems are cross-borders
1
,Law of International Organizations summary
Shaffer Ginsburg
“… international institutions facilitate state cooperation by reducing the transaction
costs of negotiating the transaction costs of negotiating agreements with multiple
parties, and by assuring states that compliance with them will be better monitored
and enforced.”
Burdensome and expensive when each time have to start from scratch IOs
make sure this does not happen.
IO need certain powers to contribute to problems which states are not able to
do on their own
What powers? Next week
Historical Development of International Cooperation
Middle ages
o Diplomacy existed – one on one FR vs NL etc
When bilateral relations on the basis of individual exchange of envoys proved
inadequate to address growing international relations
Ad hoc international conference organized
o Peace of Westphalia emanated from such conferences
o Stake holders coming together settle agreement and they leave
again.
Major developments 18th-19th century Europe
Major population growth
Industrial revolution factories build manufacturing began
New interventions
o Transportation
o Communication
Growing commercialization, economic transactions development of free
trade
1815 Vienna congress
International conference
Re-establishment Westphalian order after defeat of Napoleon
Need was recognized to gather more regularly
First attempt at ‘collective security’
o Holy alliance of great powers treaty-based ‘Concert of Europe’
o Balancing each other to prevent war…
o Yet without superior control: no institutionalization
o Did not last, as each state continued to pursue its own interest,
comforted by the right to use of force.
o Rhine commission The Central Commission for the Navigation of the
Rhine is an international organisation whose function is to encourage
European prosperity by guaranteeing a high level of security for
navigation of the Rhine and environs. It is the world's oldest
international organization still in operation.
Deals with Issues of navigation or pollution
1899, 1907: the Hague Peace Conferences
To resolve conflicts peacefully through mediation & arbitration
o Permanent court of Arbitration Established
o To resolve conflicts peacefully and avoid the use of force
2
, Law of International Organizations summary
Disadvantaged of Ad Hoc conferences:
o No efficiency or speed
o No guaranteed membership
o Decision-making by unanimity
o No logistics
All this called for establishment of permanent centres, networks of expertise
Institutional unions established
Functional associations for specific purposes
Private int’l unions predecessors of today’s NGO’s
o E.g., 1863: Red Cross (sui generis)
Public int’l unions predecessors of today’s IOs
o Coordinating communication, transport, infrastructure
o E.g., international Telecommunications Union
o Treaty based
o Majority voting improve efficiency
o Powers increased
o Permanent secretariat
Lack of coordination amongst them contradicting and overlap
1914-1918: WWI
Establishment of League of Nations
o Aiming to preserve peace and security
o Aiming at making right to wage war prerogative of the world
community through permanent, institutionalized international
cooperation
o And to coordinate public inst’l unions
Still no prohibition of use of force yet 1945
Prerogative in field of IL peace and security was moved from state to
international level
Failed
Reluctance of MS to take decisive action (WWII)
Lack of superior control over states WWII
Lack of commitment by great powers (US never in there, RUS was removed
after invasion of Finland)
Island of Palmas case (PCA, 1928): sovereignty as right has as corollary duty
States obligation to protect within its territory the rights of other states
don’t do any thing which might affect other states
1939-1945 World War II
Establishment of the United Nations (UN)
Art 2(4) UNC: prohibition of the force
Collective security revisited
Right to resort to war vested in a central body: the Security Council
Idea to establish UN developed among Allies, Soviets in WWII
United Nations Conference on IO
o San Francisco 1945
UNC adopted unanimously and signed
Entered into force upon deposition of ratification instruments with the US Gov
o Art 110 UNC
3
