International Organizations and the United Nations

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about international organizations, their legal personality, and the structure and functions of the United Nations.

International Organization

A voluntary association of subjects of international law (usually States) established by treaty to exercise a task or function, governed by rules of international law and possessing its own international legal personality.

Intergovernmental organization

An international organization where the voluntary association is composed of States.

Rhine Commission ($1815$)

The first River Commission created to regulate the use of rivers crossing several States.

Universal Postal Union ($1874$)

An administrative union created to coordinate the administrative action of States in technical sectors.

Derivative entities

A feature of international organizations indicating they are created by States rather than being primary subjects of the international community.

Universal organization

An international organization where membership is opened to States from all around the world.

Regional organization

An international organization where membership is limited to States from a certain geographical location.

Open vs closed organizations

Classifications based on whether an international organization accepts (or does not accept) new Member States.

Functional organization

An international organization that carries out only technical functions, such as the regulation of telecommunication.

Political organization

An international organization where relevant issues for the international community are discussed, such as peace and security.

Reparations for injury ($1949$)

An Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which addressed whether the United Nations had international subjectivity and the capacity to bring international claims.

Count Folke Bernadotte

A Swedish diplomat and UN mediator shot by Israeli militants on $17$ September $1948$, whose death prompted the ICJ's Reparations for injury opinion.

International Person

The conclusion by the ICJ that an organization like the UN is a subject of international law, though it is not a State or a 'Super-state.'

Plenary organs

Organs in which all Members participate, characterized by debate, discussion, and wide competence.

Non-plenary executive organs

Organs that handle urgent matters and those within their own delimited sphere of competence.

Individual organ

An organ acting in the exclusive interest of the international organization, often with administrative functions.

Suspension

A less severe measure than expulsion that temporarily removes certain rights, such as voting rights, to encourage a member State to change its behavior.

Expulsion

A last-resort measure for reiterated violations of obligations where a State is removed from the organization.

Council of Europe (CoE)

An organization established in $1949$ tasked with the protection of human rights in Europe, which counts $46$ member States.

United Nations ($UN$)

A universal, open, political international organization established by the $1945$ UN Charter to preserve peace and ensure cooperation.

UN Charter ($1945$)

The founding treaty of the United Nations which outlawed the use of force between States and established a system of collective security.

Sovereign equality

A principle enshrined in Article $2$ of the UN Charter stating all Members of the UN are equal.

General Assembly (UNGA)

The plenary organ of the UN that represents all members and can discuss any questions within the scope of the Charter.

Security Council (UNSC)

The executive organ of the UN with primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, consisting of $5$ permanent and $10$ elected members.

Veto power

The power of the five permanent members ($P5$) of the UNSC to block decisions on non-procedural matters.

Secretariat

The administrative organ of the UN, headed by the Secretary-General, which must remain independent and not receive instructions from external authorities.

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

The principal judicial organ of the UN, composed of $15$ judges, with adjudicative and advisory functions.

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

A UN organ with $54$ members that initiates studies and reports on economic, social, cultural, and health matters.

Trusteeship Council

The UN organ tasked with supervising the administration of Trust Territories, which suspended operations in $1994$ after the independence of Palau.

Expansion Model

A proposal for UNSC reform focused on adding new permanent members, such as India, Brazil, Germany, or Japan.