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International Organizations

This guide is a selected list of electronic resources on selected international organizations. It was designed to support the Research Methods in International Law class.

General Resources

• Electronic Information System for International Law http://www.eisil.org/index.php?sid=795603136&t=sub_pages&cat=15
• IGO's and NGO's (Georgetown) http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/intl/guides/IGOsNGOs.cfm
• International Agencies and Information on the Web (U of Michigan) http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/intl.html
• International Governmental Organizations (Northwestern) http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govinfo/resource/internat/igo.html
• Materials on International Governmental Organizations and the Law in the MSU Libraries http://www.lib.msu.edu/publ_ser/docs/igos/igoorg.htm
• Official Web Site Locator for the United Nations Systems Organizations http://www.unsystem.org/

Intergovernmental Organizations (IGO's)

• Established by treaties
• Legal entities with international legal status
• Governmental representatives
• Enter into agreements with other IGO's or nations
• Most IGO's have:
  • Legislative body that issues resolutions and/or directives (UN General Assembly)
  • Dispute resolution mechanism (International Court of Justice)
  • Executive body to facilitate operations (UN Secretariat)

International Labour Organization (ILO)

The International Labour Organization is the UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. It was founded in 1919 and is the only surviving major creation of the Treaty of Versailles which brought the League of Nations into being and it became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946.

• http://www.ilo.org/
• Treaty/Constitution: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/constq.htm
• Agreements: Conventions and Ratifications/ International Labour Code http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/index.htm
• Table of Ratifications of the Fundamental Conventions http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/docs/declworld.htm
• Legislative body: International Labour Conference http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/index.htm
• Dispute resolution mechanism: Administrative Tribunal http://www.ilo.org/public/english/tribunal/
  Committee on Freedom of Association ILOLEX http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/norm/applying/freedom.htm
• Executive body: Governing Body http://www.ilo.org/global/What_we_do/Officialmeetings/gb/index.htm
• International Labour Office NATLEX, the database of national labour, social security and related human rights legislation maintained by the ILO's International Labour Standards Department. Records in NATLEX provide abstracts of legislation http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/natlex_browse.home
• ILO Research Guide (Cornell) http://library.lawschool.cornell.edu/WhatWeDo/ResearchGuides/ILO.cfm

World Health Organization (WHO)

The World Health Organization is the UN specialized agency for health. Established in 1948 its objective is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.

• http://www.who.int/en/
• Treaty/Constitution: http://www.who.int/governance/eb/constitution/en/
• Agreements: http://www.who.int/gb/bd/PDF/bd46/e-bd46_p4.pdf
• Legislative body: World Health Assembly http://www.who.int/governance/en/
• Dispute resolution mechanism:
• Executive body: Executive Board http://www.who.int/governance/eb/en/
• WHO Statistical Information System http://www.who.int/whosis/

World Trade Organization (WTO)

The WTO was created in 1995 by the Uruguay Round agreements. Formerly, international trade (in goods only) was regulated by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and a small organization also known as GATT. GATT was incorporated into the much larger WTO, which regulates international trade in goods, services and intellectual property.

• http://www.wto.org/
• Treaty: WTO Agreement with commentary http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/analytic_index_e/wto_agree_e.htm
  without commentary http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/04-wto.pdf
• Agreements: WTO Documents Online http://docsonline.wto.org/gen_home.asp
• Legislative body: Ministerial Conferences http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/minist_e/minist_e.htm
  General Council http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/gcounc_e/gcounc_e.htm
• Dispute resolution mechanism: General Council Dispute Settlement Body http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/dispu_e.htm
• Executive body: Secretariat http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/secre_e/intro_e.htm
• WTO Analytical Index Guide to WTO Law and Practice http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/analytic_index_e/analytic_index_e.htm
• WTO and GATT Research Guide (NYU) http://www.law.nyu.edu/library/wtoguide.html

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

As described by its own Internet site, WIPO is an agency of the United Nations "responsible for the promotion of the protection of intellectual property throughout the world through cooperation among States, and for the administration of various multilateral treaties dealing with the legal and administrative aspects of intellectual property."

• http://www.wipo.int/portal/index.html.en
• Treaty: WIPO Convention http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/convention/index.html
• Agreements: WIPO administers 23 treaties http://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/
• Legislative body: General Assembly http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/
• Dispute resolution mechanism: Advisory Committee on Enforcement of Industrial Property Rights http://www.wipo.int/enforcement/en/ace/
  and the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/
• Executive body: Secretariat http://www.wipo.int/about-wipo/en/intburo.htm
• Lexis has WIPO Administrative Panel Decisions concerning Internet domain name disputes from January 2000 (TRDMRK;UDRP).

Non-governmental Organizations (NGO's)

• Nongovernmental representatives and individuals
• No international legal status and generally do not enter into treaties or other international agreements (although they may promote such agreements)

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Founded in 1863, the ICRC is a Swiss based independent, neutral organization ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of war and armed violence. The ICRC has a permanent mandate under international law to take impartial action for prisoners, the wounded and sick, and civilians affected by conflict.

• http://www.icrc.org/
• Geneva Conventions http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/genevaconventions
• International Humanitarian Law database http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList2/Info_resources:IHL_databases
• National Implementation Database http://www.icrc.org/ihl-nat
• Structure: Assembly/Assembly Council/Directorate http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList2/About_the_ICRC:Structure

International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the first ever permanent, treaty based, international criminal court established to promote the rule of law and ensure that the gravest international crimes do not go unpunished. The jurisdiction and functioning of the Court shall be governed by the provisions of the Rome Statute.

• http://www.icc-cpi.int/
• Official Journal/Rome Statute http://www.icc-cpi.int/about/Official_Journal.html
• Organs of the Court: Presidency, Chambers, Office of the Prosecutor, Registry http://www.icc-cpi.int/about.html
• Legislative Body: Assembly of States http://www.icc-cpi.int/asp.html
• ASIL Electronic Resource Guide: International Criminal Law http://www.asil.org/crim1.cfm
• The University of Chicago posts an extensive bibliography of print and electronic materials relating to the ICC http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/~llou/icc.html
• "International Criminal Court" section of International Criminal Law: A Selective Resource Guide, http://www.llrx.com/features/int_crim.htm.

Ad Hoc International Courts

• International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
  • In 1993, the Security Council Resolution 827 established an international tribunal for "prosecuting persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law in…Yugoslavia."
  • http://www.un.org/icty/index.html
• International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)
  • Recognizing that serious violations of humanitarian law were committed in Rwanda, UN Security Council Resolution 955 established the ICTR to prosecute serious violations of international humanitarian law committed between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994
  • http://www.ictr.org/
• Special Court for Sierra Leone
  • Pursuant to Security Council resolution 1315 (2000) the Special Court for Sierra Leone was set up jointly by the Government of Sierra Leone and the United Nations. It is mandated to try those who bear the greatest responsibility for serious violations of international humanitarian law and Sierra Leonean law committed in the territory of Sierra Leone since 30 November 1996.
  • http://www.sc-sl.org/

Updated 11/2008. Friendly URL: www.law.asu.edu/intl-orgs.