International Organizations

and globalization
 International organizations
 Governmental  Non Governmental (NGO)

 Members: states  Members: natural or

 Statute: international legal persons
agreement  Statute: private law
 Permanent organs agreement
 Common goals of  Permanent organs
members  Common goals of members
 International organizations
 Global  Local

- aimed to cover all of - aimed to cover some

the states states
Example: Example:
- United Nations - regional: Council of

- World Trade
Europe
Organization - functional: NATO
Governmental organization - definition

 Form of international cooperation

 Permanent character
 Based on multilateral international agreement
 Permanent members: states and sometimes
international organizations (European
Community is a member of WTO)
 Permanent organs with specific competences
 Established to achieve common goals
 Governmental organization
 Created by states and based on the states’
decisions
 Member states decide on legal personality
of the organization (in the statute)
 If legal personality is granted, organization
becomes a legal person in international
law
 Atributes of international
organization as a legal person

 ius tractatuum – right to conclude international

agreements

 ius legationis – right to diplomatic relations: to

send and receive diplomatic missions

 ius standi – right to international claims and

international responsibility
Governmental organizations in globalization

Two major points of view:

1. Organizations take over the role of the states

and become most important actors on
international (global) scene

2. Organizations support the states and must

adjust to new situation (globalization)
Increasing role of governmental organizations

 more international relations in

globalization era
 states need more forms of international
cooperation
 international organizations, especially
those with common membership, such as
UN can help managing the challenges of
globalization, if they are prepared for that
 United Nations
 Established in San Francisco in 1945 by 50
states
 United Nations
 Based on the United Nations Charter
(„constitution” of international law)
 UNITED NATIONS
 Headquarters in New York
 United Nations
 Is a legal person in international relations
 Common membership: today 192 members

Membership in the United Nations is open to all

peace-loving states which accept the obligations
of the Charter and, in the judgement of the
Organization, are willing and able to carry out
these obligations.
(art. 4 of the UN Charter)
 Goals of the United Nations:
 to maintain international peace and security;
 to develop friendly relations among nations;
 to cooperate in solving international economic,
social, cultural and humanitarian problems and
in promoting respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms;
 to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of
nations in attaining these ends
(art. 1 of the UN Charter)
Two main bodies of the UN

General Assembly Security Council

 General Assembly
a "parliament of nations"
 representation of all the members
 each Member State has one vote
 voting by 2/3 majority in important
matters (peace and security, budget)
 annual regular session from September to
December
 Security Council
 15 Council members:
 China, France, the Russian Federation, the United
Kingdom and the United States — permanent
members
 other 10 are elected by the General Assembly for
two-year terms

 primary responsibility for maintaining international

peace and security
 meets at any time, whenever peace is threatened
 all Member States are obligated to carry out the
Council's decisions.
UN in globalization – reform discussion

„ If the UN is to be a
useful instrument for
its Member States and
for the world’s
peoples… it must be
fully adapted to the
needs and
cuircumstances of the
21st century”
„In Larger Freedom” Kofi Annan
2005
Secretary – Ban Ki Mun
Main failures of the United Nations:
 War in Iraq (intervention in contrary to
the Security Council vote)
 Tutsi – Hutu conflict in Rwanda (UN
didn’t take sufficient actions to prevent
the humanitarian disaster)
 „Oil for Food” program (corruption in the
UN structures)
 War against terrorism – (major role
played by the US not UN)
 UN REFORM
The pace of today's globalized world means that change is
a constant, and this is no different for the United Nations.

The demands by Member States of the UN and its

Secretariat, agencies, funds and programmes have grown
enormously.

The UN is expected to deliver more services in more places

than ever before to the world's people who are most in
need.
 UN REFORM
1996: Secretary-General-designate Kofi
Annan outlines goals for term:

to make the United Nations leaner, more

efficient and more effective, more
responsive to the wishes and needs of its
Members and more realistic in its goals
and commitments.
 UN REFORM
1997: The Secretary-General issues his report on
"Renewing the United Nations: A Programme for
Reform„
2000: The "Road map towards the implementation of
the UN Millennium Declaration" is issued.
2004: The Peacebuilding Commission established
2005: „In Larger Freedom Report”
Ethics Office established
Human Rights Council established
2006: United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
adpoted
 UN REFORM - RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS
1. Counter-terrorism strategy - a unique
global instrument that will enhance national,
regional and international efforts to counter
terrorism.

2. Peacebuilding Commission - established

“to marshal resources at the disposal of the
international community to advise and propose
integrated strategies for post-conflict recovery,
focusing attention on reconstruction,
institution-building and sustainable
development, in countries emerging from
conflict.”
 UN REFORM - RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS
3. Human Rights Council - designed to allow
for a more rigorous implementation and
monitoring of human rights, replacing the
Human Rights Commission.

4. Ethics Office Ethics Office - responsible for

managing and overseeing the new
Whistleblower protection and revised financial
disclosure policies, as well as the development
of Ethics training programmes for staff.
 UN REFORM - RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS
Discussion about the UN reform continues.
Latest proposals include organizational issues:

 more countries represented in Security Council

 strengthening of the UN bodies including
Secretariat
Non – Governmental Organizations
 Very active in globalization movement
 Play important role in globalization
discussions
 Support international conferences
 Serve as experts to United Nations work
 „consultative status” by United Nations
 NGOs in globalization
 Human Rights NGOs:
 Amnesty International
 International Red Cross
 Human Rights Watch

 Anti-globalization / Alter -globalization NGOs:

 International Forum on Globalization
 Corporate Watch
 Friends of the Earth
 „the debate on the nature of the global
institution is and always will be ideological,
because it is part of a larger debate on the
future of the global society”

Maurice Bertrand
1995 EJIL
 Important vocabulary
Governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
Common goals
Membership
Diplomatic relations
International responsibility
United Nations Charter
Security Council
General Assembly
Peace and security