Genesis of International Organizations

The formation of international organizations has been a notable feature of the international
relations since 1945. Perhaps the most feature of international scene today, in comparison with
a century ago, is the proliferation of international organizations of all types. This growth has
responded in part to the need for maintaining international peace and security, and in a greater
part to the pressing demands of nations for cooperation in the economic, social and technical
fields.

The League of Nations was the first universal comprehensive organizations formed by the
international community of nations. It was created in 1919, after the First World War. This
creation marked a turning point in the evolution of world affairs. Until the creation of the League
of Nations, world affairs were to a large extent influenced by the periodic international
conferences that were held in Europe. The system of conferences dealing with problems that
concerned two or more states had dominated the European affairs during the nineteenth
century. Although the Peace Conference of Westphalia of 1648, which ended the Thirty-Year
War (religious war) in Europe, was the first conference held in Europe, the Congress of Vienna
of 1815 initiated the era of international conferences and multilateral treaties. The Congress of
Vienna, which terminated the Napoleonic Wars, was a significant turning point because it
marked the first systematic attempt to regulate international affairs by means of regular
international conferences. The system of Congress of Vienna lasted for a century and
institutionalized not only the balance of power approach to international relations and politics,
but also a semi-formal international order.

The concept of international conference was introduced as a form of extended diplomacy

because the diplomatic contacts were unable alone to cope completely with the complexities of
international affairs. International conferences and diplomatic contacts were used by European
nations during the nineteenth century as forms of cooperation to introduce or promote their
political and economic relations, and to face world issues. In many cases, conferences resulted
in international treaties or formal peace. European nations held several conferences in the
nineteenth century, the major conferences were: the Paris Conference of 1856, the Berlin
Gathering of 1871 and the Berlin conference of 1878 which dealt with the questions of the
Balkans; and the Berlin Conferences of 1884 and of 1885 which dealt with the European
interests in Africa.
 During the course of time, conferences proved that they were inadequate to fulfill the
objectives they were intended to achieve. A conference could only be convened at the initiative
of one or more states involved, usually following international crises. Only invited states could
attend. An invited state involved might refuse to attend. Decisions could not be taken except by
unanimous agreements. These factors severely restricted the use and effectiveness of
conferences as methods of state cooperation. However, conferences constituted an important
prelude to the establishment of international institutions.

In the nineteenth century, several inter-governmental institutions were also established

covering transportation, communications, health and economic cooperation. Examples of such
institutions were the commission of the Rhine (1831), the Commission of the Danube (1856),
the International Telegraphic Union (1865) and the Universal Postal Union (1874). Such
international institutions were not comprehensive ones, but functional ones joining together
governmental departments or administrations for specific purposes. They were created by
multilateral treaties. The powers entrusted to them varied, but most of them performed
important administrative and legislative functions. They combined permanent bureaus or
secretariats and periodic conferences. Their decisions could be taken by majority vote. These
features constituted a step forward in state cooperation since they enable the institutions to
overcome the weaknesses of conferences, particularly the principle of unanimity.

The nineteenth century also witnessed the creation of several international non-
governmental institutions dealing with specific matters. Examples of such institutions were the
International Committee of the Red Cross (founded in 1863) and the International Law
Association (founded in 1873). Such private institutions created the machinery for regular
meetings and many established permanent secretariats. The works of these institutions were,
and remain, of considerable value in influencing governmental activities and stimulating world
action in specific matters of international concern.

The establishment of international institutions in the nineteenth century was significant since
they paved the way for international organizations of the twentieth century. The innovation of
the twentieth century was the creation of universal comprehensive organizations, such as the
League of Nations and the United Nations.

Just as the First World War had led to the establishment of the League of Nations, the
Second World War led to the establishment of the United Nations. In these two cases, States
developed ways for maintaining international peace and security and for cooperations between
nations. These two organizations laid the foundation for the system of international
organizations.

Today, the United Nations forms the key-stone of the system of international organizations.
Affiliated with the United Nations are the specialized agencies. Beside these organizations,
there are many regional organizations of various types and forms, in Europe, in America, in
Asia, in Africa, and in the Pacific.