Interactions Between Regional and Universal Organizations ― A Legal Perspective

Cooperation through international organizations is fundamental to the international legal order. International organizations are nowadays ubiquitous and come in many different manifestations, each allowing for different levels of international cooperation. The profile of regional and universal organizations may vary greatly from one organization to another. At the same time, they do not live apart and this has led to the creation of a complex network of relationships. These relationships have seldom been the object of scholarship, and this volume seeks to address that gap. In general, the relationships between international organizations can include such questions as the conditions placed upon one organization by another, demarcations of competence, membership of other organizations, and various forms of collaboration involving the conclusion of agreements between organizations. Optimal coexistence, cooperation and coherence are among the requirements to ensure better governance. The volume concludes by analysing current issues, including issues of legal identity, responsibility and accountability and the development of a common law between organizations, and considers reforms as well as the prospects for international organizations and their relationships.

Laurence Boisson de Chazournes is Professor of International Law and International Organization at the University of Geneva and an Associate Member of the Institut de Droit international. She is a consultant and a member of groups of experts with various international organizations, including the World Bank, WHO, UNDP, ILO and UNEP. Between 1995 and 1999, Laurence Boisson de Chazournes was Senior Counsel to the World Bank. In the field of dispute settlement, she has served as arbitrator in international disputes and has pleaded before the ICJ and other dispute settlement fora.