International Geneva Exam

yellow – year/number

WWI

July 1914 - November 1918

League of Nations years

1919-1946

WWII

September 1939 – September 1945

ratification of the UN charter

October 1945

International Organizations (IOs) in Geneva

42

States represented by a permanent mission in Geneva

184

INGOs in Geneva

497

Geneva hub of expertise 1

Peace, security and disarmament

Geneva hub of expertise 2

Humanitarian action and humanitarian law, human rights and migration

Geneva hub of expertise 3

Labour, economics, trade, science and telecommunications

Geneva hub of expertise 4

Health

Geneva hub of expertise 5

Environment and sustainable development

Multilateralism

a collective action coordinated between at least three actors, implies a shared realization it is in their interests to work together to resolve problem that is too complex to be adressed by individual action

Global governance

the system of institutions, norms, rules, and processes through which global issues are managed in the absence of a world government

International Orgnaization (IO) characteristics

have at least 3 states as members, created by formal constitutive agreement (treaty, charter, convention), have permanent Secretariats

IO examples

multi-purpose like the UN, or specialized like the WHO (NOT the ICRC)

NGO characteristics

non-profit, national or international, provide expertise & info, 2 tasks: advocate a specific cause + provide services

Structural challenges to Global Governance

weak enforcement, voluntary compliance, trend towards bilateral/regional action, fragmentation, representation deficits, power dynamics

Thematic challenges to Global Governance

emerging tech (AI, cybersecurity), protracted humanitarian crisis, refugee flows, climate change, sustainability, global health, respect of international law & human rights

multilateralism is contrasted with

unilateralism, bilateralism, regional action, club diplomacy

UN Security Council current nonpermanent members (10)

Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, Somalia, Bahrain, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Latvia, Liberia

UN Security Council P5

US, UK, France, Russia, China

G7

intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, & US w/ EU as non-enumerated member. Formed 1973

G20

intergovernmental forum made up of the G7 and the next 13 largest economies, inc. EU & African Union. Formed 1999

6 principal organs of the UN

General Assembly (GA), Security Council (SC), Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC), Secretariat, International Court of Justice (ICJ), Trusteeship Council

founded 1951, intended as temporary institution to support millions of Europeans displaced after WWII. Became permanent and global in 1967

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Russian revolution

1917-1923

International Labour Organization (ILO)

founded 1919, constitution is part of the treaty of Versailles, 186 member states

Cold War

1947-1991

UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

one of the 6 principle organs – forum for discussing international economic & social issues, formulating policy recs for member states and UN System. rotating membership of 54 countries, 1,600+ NGOs w consultative status

International Telegraph Union

1865

French vision for creation of LoN

Léon Bourgeois: law must be backed by force, proposed an international army to enforce collective security

British & American vision for creation of LoN

excluded a permanent international army, emphasized moral obligation and public opinion

Eric Drummond

first secretary-general of the LoN

Joseph Avenol

2nd secretary-general of the LoN

Seán Lester

3rd secretary-general of the LoN

Rachel Crowdy

highest ranking woman at the LoN (Chief of the Department of Opium Traffic and Social Issues Section)

foundation of technical activities of the LoN

article 23 (& 25) of the covenant

6 economic and social concerns LoN was expected to address, summarized in Article 23 (& 25)

humane working conditions, suppression of traffic in women & children, suppression of traffic in opium & other harmful drugs, maintenance of freedom of communications & transit, fair treatment of commerce, public health

continuity between LoN & UN (3 major lines)

norm production, rise of experts, decolonization

UN’s core mission

maintaining international peace and security

the UN is part of the same intellectual genealogy as the LoN, both represent

attempts to institutionalize peace through multilateral governance

3 approaches to peace

moral transformation of individuals, reform of domestic political systems, transformation of the international order

1st period of UN history

Western domination, 1945-1955

2nd period of UN history

Tensions & wars of decolonization, 1955-1965

3rd period of UN history

Marginalization of UN & a new majority in GA, 1966-1985

4th period of UN history

2nd chance for collective security w end of Cold War, 1986-2000

5th period of UN history

Multilateralism in crisis, 2000-

3 core principles of peacekeeping operations (PKOs)

consent of parties, impartiality, minimal use of force

1st Geneva Convention of 1864 ...

for the amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field

2nd Geneva Convention of 1949 ...

for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea

3rd Geneva Convention of 1929 ...

relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War

4th Geneva Convention of 1949 ...

relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War

Battle of Solferino, Memories of Solferino, foundation of the International Committee of the Red Cross

1859, 1862, 1863

Switzerland joined the UN

2002

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

adopted by the GA in 1948 (not legally binding)

International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR)

1966 (legally binding)

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

1966 (also legally binding)

International Bill of Human Rights is composed of

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

GA Resolution 60/251, 2006

established Human Rights Council to replace Commission on Human Rights, universal periodic review (UPR), subsidiary organ of GA

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

mechanism of HRC, operational since 2008, meets 3x per year, 4.5 yr cycle, peer reviews every state (US boycotted), currently in 4th cycle

examples of the 10 UN human rights treaty bodies

Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; on Social Cultural & Political Rights; on Discrimination Against Women; Against Torture; on Migrant Workers; on Enforced Disappearances

humanitarianism

underlying philosophy and set of values/principles promoting well-being & dignity of every human being

humanitarian action

practical response to crisis guided by humanitarian principles, represents a concrete expression of these principles to protect human dignity and ease suffering

imperial humanitarianism

18th century to WWII (nation states, missionaries, red cross movement)

neo humanitarianism

1945-1991 (Cold War Period) (UN, NGOs)

liberal humanitarianism

1991-present (state-military interventions, private sector)

emergency humanitarianism

emergency branch that focuses on symptoms (rather than causes)

alchemical humanitarianism

branch that adds ambition of removing the root causes of suffering

International Federation of Red Cross Societies

founded in 1919, 192 societies today

4 humanitarian principle

humanity, neutrality, impartiality, indepence

4 branches of NGOs

Dunantists, Wilsonians, Solidarists, faith-based

Dunantist NGO branch

based on humanitarian principles (Red Cross movement, Save the Children, Doctors without Borders)

Wilsonian NGO branch

compatibility with foreign policy of States (USAID, CARE)

Solidarist NGO branch

social justice, human rights, development (Oxfam, Amnesty)

faith-based NGO branch

based in religion (World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, Islamic Relief, etc.)

GA Resolution 46/182 “Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance of the United Nations” (1991)

founding document of concept of int humanitarian system (establishment of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC)/ Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs)

jus ad bellum

“law on going to war” (whether or not going to war/use of force is legal)

jus in bello

“law in war” – rules governing behavior in ongoing conflicts = International humanitarian law (Geneva Conventions)

Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions

1977 & 2005

4 components of ICRC’s work

prevention, protection, assistance, cooperation

LoN Covenant

Part I of the Treaty of Versailles, signed June 1919, entered into force Jan 1920

LoN Article 10

guaranteed territorial integrity of member states, articulated principle of international solidarity

LoN Articles 12–15

established procedures for peaceful dispute resolution (arbitration, judicial settlement, Council/Assembly procedures).

LoN Article 16

created a sanctions regime (economic sanctions mandatory; military sanctions optional)

LoN Article 7

established headquarters in Geneva, opened all positions equally to men & women, granted diplomatic privileges to representatives & officials