IIO concepts and organisations

UN headquarters

New York

UN Members number

193

UN Mandate

End all war and promote social and economic development and maintain a peacful enviorment

key obligations for member states

• Give up use of force exept self defense

• carry out Security council orders

• do not sign treaty contradicting the charter

Moscow decleration

1943, allied powers, a general international organisation should be created after the war

Charter of UN(1945)

• set basic rules of conduct

• basic commitments, refrain from use of force, respect ICJ desicions

UN GA Subsidary organs

six committees, the only place where all members come together, General debate format, commissions and councils. joint inspection unit, UN dispute tribunal

UNGA Voting system

• all countries one vote

• important issues need 2/3 majority

• regular issues: simple majority

UN desicions are

Political recommendations

what is seen as an important issue UNGA

Peace and security, election of members to UNSC and UNSOC, acceptance of new mebers, suspension of voting rigths

UN membership procedure

descion made by the GA, formal application by letter to secretariat, SC: posetive recommendation without VETO - sent to GA passed 2/3 majority

besides members there are also

Non-member observers: palestine (2011) and Vatican

IGO observer status

EU - enhanced observer status

observers have the rigth to

speak and vote on procedural matters

EU has the rigth to

speak, vote on procedural matters and Submit proposals + circulate documents

GA Committees

put forward and make desicions, find correct compromise, preperations of drafts, report back to plenary meeting

Budget of UN

decided by GA, financing core activites and offices,no large increase past 20 years, US largest contributor 22%, regular budget adopted by consensus

Uniting for peace resolution

if UNSC fails to agree, GA steps in, emergency meeting within 24 hours

Trusteeship council

no longer in effect, aimed for all states to have self determination, decolonisation, helped prepare for independence

ECOSOC

social and humanitarian outreach, coordination with NGOs, knowledge production, report on humanitarian crisis, coordinates 15 specialised agencies (IMF, WHO, UNESCO, ILO). focuses on development, children’s rights. funding through earmarked and core funding through voluntary contributions

1951 convention relating to the status of refugees

defines who is a refugee, need identity to have rigths

had a eurocentric focus (post ww2)

outlines rigths of refugees, acess to healthcare, courts, education

What happens when identified as refugee?

goverments are not allowed to forcefully send people back once status is given

must treat equal to all other citizens

UNHCR structure

UN program, reports to GA. Operational mandate - executive comittee.

Leader: high comissioner of refugees

Funding based on voluntary donations - Trump almost killed it, overall monetary decrease more earmarked contributions

UNHCR pupose

Assist refugees - shelter, registration, education

emergency support - airlifts

Supportfor internally Displaced persons

IOM Structure

173 members, geneva headquarters, assesed and project based contributions, regularly meeting councils and comittees

IOM purpose

Migration managment:

Managing checkpoints, visa checkpoints, Voluntary return, traning of govermental staff

Aid where UNHCR cannot beacuse of strict defenitions of refugees

Can be hierd by goverments, or ios

World health organisation structure

WH assembly, Executive board, director general and secretariat, six regional offices - highly decentralised

WHO purpose

rule making organisation on global health. One legally binding convention on tobacco control.

requierd reporting from states if outbreak of infectious disease occurs

recommendations and non binding guidance on health and disease management

collecting and pooling of health data

WHO budget

Voluntary contributions, states, philantrophic, private actors, world bank,

Goal of security council

end international war and promote peace and security

SC members

15 members, 5 permanent members, 10 elected every 2 years 10 elected, desicions made by 9 members (og 5 included)

Key obligations UN

Member states must give up use of force unless in self defense, carry out SC desicions, provide military resources to the council for enforcment

SC Enforcment

Can take any action it deems neccessary including use of military force, respond to threats to peace and security, power well beyond every other IO

SC Compliance

Members are legally subordenate to the council, gets it thrugh political persuation and military action, force as a last resort, peacekeeping operations should have the concent of the govements

3 main components of peacekeeping

1, impartial between sides

2, can only use force to defend thier own lives

3, consented by relevant goverments

2 major powers of the security council

decide on military action for all states, impose economic sanctions and blockades

UN and NATO are led by

a Secretary General

WHO is led by

a Director General

UN Secretary general

appointed by GA suggested by SC, bureacratic support to diffrent organs, can bring something to the attention of the SC and they have to consider it

Permanent 5

China, France, Russia, US, UK, China

desicion making SC

desicions are legally binding

substancive descions 9 votes, including p5 which all have veto power

procedural desicions 9 votes (no veto power)

Practice of abstentions - norm not to veto

peace keeping “Triangle”

Host state consent, Impartiality, Non use of force

Mandates of peacekeeping

Maintain peace and security, protect civilians, support organization of elections, disarmament, restore rule of law and promote human rigths

trusteeship council members

made up of the permanent five

International Criminal Court headquarter + members

The hauge, 122 members

ICC Mandate

put an end to impunity for war criminals by bringing them to justice for:

War crimes, Genocide and crimes against humanity, Crimes of aggression

ICC Obligations

Jurisdiction over domestic courts where prosecution has been insufficent relating to a crime comitted by a citizen of a state part or on state party land

Enforcment ICC

Has no military or police force relies on domestic ones, also no prison to contain war criminals themselves

The Rome statue

treaty which defines the powers of the court (mostly procedural), member states must obide by all rules, have the rigth to decide aggressor and put out arrest warrants - done by the prosecutor, Court looks more like a legal superior to domestic courts

ICC does not have the power to

Convict anyone below the age of 18

Convict a death penalty

Blame anyone taking orders from superiors , unless one knew that the act was unlawful

Compliance

relative fast compliance, 3 security council members have yet to sign tho, bad reputaion if not signing,

Enforcement ICC

obligation to follow court ruleings, court itself is an instrument of enforcment

International Court of Justice

UN organ, Satue is integrated in the UN charter meaning that UN membership equals ICJ membership. 15 judges elected for 9 years by simple majority in GA, ad hoc added from each country if not already present

ICJ Jurisdiction

1. solving potential disputes between countries

2. advisory opinions on legal matters to issues brougth up by un organs and specialized agencies

Between sovereignty and international rule of law

Limitations of ICJ

need both parties consent to hear the case

legal desicions only affect parties so have no precident

No opportunity for appeal

Enforcment ICJ

winning party has the rigth to ask SC to consider the matter if there is no compiance

Bretton Woods Confrence 1944

Aim: prevent systemic crash like 1930s, USA free trade market and trade liberalisation. european trade agreements with former colonies, failed to create an IO, led to creation of WB, IMF and GATT

WTO created, HQ, Members

created in 1995. 164 members, located in Geneva

2022 Geneva Package

included clauses about enviormental sustainability, waiver for covid vaccines, WTO reform

WTO structure

primarily intergovermental, exept for disputesettlement mechanism,

Ministeral confrence - desicion making organ, yearly meetings

Small secretariat and a general council, frequent meetings

WTO purpose

rule setting authority

Transparency in trade - public lists of import tariffs for all products

court like dispute settlments for complaints

avoid protectionism

bound tariffs

Most favourd nation Principle

1. simplify trade

2. lower tariffs

Tariff equality between trading partners

not favour own nations goods

Sources of non compliance WTO

1. political opportunism (eg domestic interests) protect an important domestic sector or company

2. Free riding through unilateral non-tariff barriers

Dispute settlment WTO

1. bilateral solution is first attempted

2. complaint to WTO

3. WTO appoints a panel of three trade experts

4. complaning and accused country can go into appellate body

5. report is approved or disaproved

Dispute settlment WTO issue

all new judges are being blocked by the US, no longer 3 judges, whoch os the minimum - been suspended since 2019

WTO Critisism

Contributes to growing inequality by preventing developing countries from developing economically

ignores labour and enviormental related issues

International Labour organisation Structure

185 Members, LofN origin

1. International Labour confrence - Annually

2. International labour office

3. governing body (executive organ 56 members) regular meetings

also Tripartism - employers and labourgroups present

ILO policy

International agreement on labour standards

conditions are legally binding if ratified

Eg minimum wage, child or forced labour

ILO Compliance

• tripartism

• voluntarism

• peer pressure

Complaint structure of ILO

Complaints are submitted by member states, worker or employment group

• investigation by comission of inquiery - report

Ultimate action: Sanctions or expulsions

Global economic governance

used to focus on reuniting a war torn europe, now more focused on economic relationship between north and south. wealth distribution and stabalising the economic world order

The bretton woods conference (1944)

objective: reconstruct war-torn europe, prevent another economic crisis.

economic liberalism: free market trade and financial stability

emergance of World bank and IMF

World bank objectives

1. poverty reduction

2. economic development

World bank structure

HQ: Washington DC, 189 memberstates, 5 institutions which make up the world bank group

World bank goal + pathway

meet UN sustainability goals by funding public sector and projects. main clients are mid income countries + credit worthy income countries

Other WB activities

Data collection, research on development issues

International development association

gives credit to the about 80 lowest income countries. more favorable conditions then IBRD: no interests and long term

Private sector funding

supports countries in developing countries, enhance economic development by investments

International centre for settlement of investment disputes

conflicts between memberstates and private investors from other countries.

can only be discussed on a voluntary basis

decisions are binding

IMF Objectives

providing countries with funds to remain liquid for intvestments

monetary stability: adjusting to balance of payments difficulties

What does the IMF do?

large scale credit to states in financial insecurity (bail out)

Technical assistance, advice on goverment policy

Monotoring (research financial affairs)

general research: world economic outlook

IMF structure

Board of governance, secretariat is smaller then WB

executive board which is deciding on loans, day to day desicions

joint development comittee with WB

Four deputy managing directors

Desicion making in WB and IMF

predominantly by concensus, only sometimes formal votes

voting shares based on contribution, Us highest precentage (defacto veto)

Conflict - if one country raises contributions they would automatically get more power

Critiscism WB and IMF

neoliberal institutions umplementing “washington concensus” Principles:

fiscal discipline, liberalisation of trade, privatisation of trade, deregulation

not very diverse organisational culture

Why did regional banks develop

dissatisfacrion with world bank lending among developing countries and scarcity of funding for regional funding

Asian Infrastructure bank

Both asian and non asian members, also non state mambers.

emerged beacuse of competition between china and US, reducing interdependency, china unhappy with WB structure

Asian Infrastructure bank purpose

promote the silk economic belt

ifrastructure investments in asia: overcome transport and connectivity barriers dor exports

Asian Infrastructure bank criticisms

Chinese dominance, an instrument for foreign policy

lack of accountability

exercising overt influence comes with great costs

safeguards and social and economic standards

epistemic communities

scientific and knowledgable communities

Neo realism on enviormental politics

when it is in a great powers interests hegemons in the system influences the likelyhood of cooperation

Neo institutionalism on enviormental politics

interdepnedence, enviormental issues are cross borders meaning that issues affect even great powers. Cooperation leads to mutual gains

Liberalism on enviortmental politics

Domestic pressure thrugh liberal society

Constructivism on climate politics

A strong social norm will lead to further cooperation

NGOs, civil activism etc play a big role in shaping the normative enviorment they are “Norm enterpenours”

autonomus effects of institutions

Stockholm Conference on the human Environment (1972)

first climate confrence, led to the creation of the UNEP

Rio conference on enviorment and development (1992)

Creation of UNFCCC (UN framework convention on climate change; convention of biological diversity)

Rio + 20 (2012)

UN conference on Sustainable development

Sustainable development goals

made by UN in 2015, Agenda 2030

UNEP Structure

Founded as a result of stockholm conference, convened by UNGA at the intítiative of swedish goverment

Subisidary body of the UNGA - no own membership

Budget: 5% GA, rest are voluntary contributions

HQ: Nairobi Kenya

UNEP Task

Support goverments in drafting and implementing enviormental agreements

Facilitates negotiaitons and development of international enviormental law

support scientific communities and national implementation

UNEP Limitations

• Size and lack of funding

• structure - subsidary organ. not a specialized organ, haigh dependency on UNGA

• lack of enforcment power, relied on shaping norms

• logisitcs with location, far away and hard to recruit high ranking officers

The montreal Protocol

Use of CFC limit, Success: there was a scientific consensus, impacted health and genes.

UNEP aided data collection