Introduction to Intergovernmental Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations

1
Introduction to Intergovernmental Organizations
and Non-Governmental Organizations Research
Documentation.

• ALR - International Law
• January 14, 2004

2
Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) a
definition

• An association of States established by and
  based upon a treaty, which pursues common aims
  and which has its own special organs to fulfil
  particular functions within the organization.
  Encyclopedia of Public International Law, p.1289.
• IGOs can enter into agreements with other IGOs
  or nation states.

3
Typical Characteristics of Classical IGOs

• Most have a legislative body that creates legal
  acts, such as resolutions and directives, that
  bind the IGO under intl law.
• IGOs may also have a dispute resolution
  mechanism to resolve conflicts b/n Member States.
• Many IGOs also have an executive body to
  facilitate the IGOs operations.

4
Supranational Organizations

• Executive Authority (commission).
• An Organ composed of States (council).
• A Parliamentary Assembly.
• A Court of Justice.
• Sometimes further organs with consultative powers.

5
Legal Personality of IGO

• Whether an international organization possesses
  legal personality in international law is a
  question of positive law and depends upon its
  constituent treaty.
• An international organization that possesses
  legal personality also has responsibility under
  international law.
• Nearly all international organizations are also
  legal persons under municipal law (capacity to
  own/dispose of property/litigate)

6
Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)

• An international organization consisting of
  non-governmental representatives and individuals,
  a characteristic that distinguishes them from
  IGOs.
• NGOs have no international legal status
  therefore, they do not enter into treaties or
  other international agreements, although they
  might promote such agreements.

7
I. Research of IGOs/NGOs - Web Searching

• Many International Organizations produce a
  variety of documents, ranging from treaties
  facilitated by IGOs to reports issued by NGOs.
• Searching for websites .int / .org / .gov are
  common domain names (.int domain name reserved
  for intl orgs).

8
II. Research of IGOs/NGOs Intl Periodicals.

• International Organization (http//mitpress.mit.ed
  u/io ) Table of Contents and abstracts are
  provided at the IO Website. Westlaw (INOG, 1995-
  )(Full-text).
• Journal of International Affairs
  (http//jia.sipa.columbia.edu/journal.html )
  Selected articles available in full-text on JIA
  website Westlaw (JIAF, 1995-98)(Full-text).
• International Legal Materials (http//www.asil.org
  /internati.htm ) Available on Lexis beginning
  with v.1 (1962), Westlaw (ILM) beginning with
  v.19 (1980), and via ASIL website beginning with
  v.36 (1997).

9
III. Research of IGOs/NGOs Periodical Indexes.

• Index to Legal Periodicals Books
  (http//www.hwwilson.com/databases/legal.cfm ).
  Westlaw (ILP).
• Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals
  (http//www.law.berkeley.edu/library/iflp ).
  Westlaw (IFLP).
• Legal Trac/LRI Lexis (Law Rev./LRI) and Westlaw
  (LRI).
• PAIS International (http//www.pais.org ).

10
Directories and Research Guides

• Intergovernmental Organizations Websites by
  Subject http//docs.lib.duke.edu/igo/subject.html
  .
• International Organization Information
  http//www-libraries.colorado.edu/ps/gov/int/inter
  nat.htm .
• NGO Links http//www.ngo.org/links/ .
• Lauterpacht Research Centre for Intl Law
  http//www.law.cam.ac.uk/rcil/orgns.htm.
• Union of International Associations Index of
  International Organization Web Sites
  http//www.uia.org/website.htm .

11
I. Representative IGOs Online Council of Europe
(http//www.coe.int/ ).

• Database of European Treaties.
• Committee of Ministers documents.
• European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) materials.
• Human Rights Documentation database (HUDOC).
• Commissioner for Human Rights.
• Parliamentary Assembly.
• Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Texts.
• Site of the Secretary General.

12
II. Representative IGOs Online North Atlantic
Treaty Organisation (http//www.nato.int/.

• Basic Texts (formal agreements, key policy
  documents).
• Fact Sheets.
• Press Releases.
• Ministerial Communiques.
• Standardization Agreements.
• Other publications (including the NATO Handbook,
  NATO Update and various booklets and visual
  presentations).

13
III. Representative IGOs Online World Trade
Organization (http//www.wto.org/) .

• Official documents (e.g. GATT).
• Documents Online provides a searchable and
  browsable database of the official documentation
  of the WTO. (http//docsonline.wto.org/?language1
  ).
• Panel and Appellate Body Reports.

14
IV. Organization of American States (OAS)
(http//www.oas.org/ ).

• General Assembly information.
• Treaties.
• Founding documents and other documents of current
  importance.
• Reference materials.
• Other publications and library links.
• IACD Digital Library http//www.oas.org .

15
I. Representative NGOs Online Amnesty
International (http//www.amnesty.org ).

• Works to promote human rights, as articulated in
  the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Online Documentation Archive http//web.amnesty.o
  rg/library/engindex .
• Access to Annual Reports, News Releases, and
  other international human rights documents,
  searchable by country, region, sub-region, or
  theme.

16
II. Representative NGOs Online Intl Campaign
to Ban Landmines (ICBL) (http//www.icbl.org ).

• The ICBL works toward a ban on the use of
  antipersonnel landmines worldwide, passage of the
  Mine Ban Treaty, increased resources for victim
  assistance, and increased resources for de-mining
  operations.
• The web site provides the text of the mine ban
  treaty, index on landmines, and even landmine
  films on the Internet.

17
III. Representative NGOs Online Intl
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
(http//www.icrc.org/ ).

• Established in 1863, the ICRC serves a
  humanitarian mission to protect the lives and
  dignity of victims of war, prevent internal
  violence, and to provide victims with assistance.
• Intl Humanitarian Law pages (http//www.icrc.org/
  eng/ihl ).
• IHL Database (http//www.icrc.org/ihl ).
• National Implementation Database
  (http//www.icrc.org/ihl-nat ).
• International Review of the Red Cross.

18
IV. Representative NGOs Online CARE
(http//www.care.org ).

• Created in 1945 to provide emergency assistance
  to Europe, CARE International is a confederation
  of ten NGOs that deliver relief assistance and
  work to end global poverty through sustainable
  development.
• The website has a CARE newsroom, current press
  releases, Special Reports, and CARE publications.

19
An Introduction to NAFTA legal research and
materials

• On Jan.1, 1994, the North American Free Trade
  Agreement (NAFTA) established a single trade zone.

20
Primary NAFTA resources

• North American Free Trade Agreement
  Implementation Act of 1993, Pub.L.No. 103-182,
  1993 USCCAN (107 Stat.) 2057. Legislative
  History at 2552.
• NAFTA text final version, including supplemental
  agreements. (KDZ944.A41992.A2) (CCH 1994).
• NAFTA final text, summary, legislative history
  and implementation directory. (KDZ944.A41992.A35)
  (Oceana Pub., 1994).
• Reams Schultz, NAFTA Legislative History
  (KDZ944.A41992.N676 2000).

21
NAFTA Decisions

• Important to remember that the Agreement does not
  stand alone.
• The rulings of panels on the provisions of the
  General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and
  the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have
  been incorporated into NAFTA therefore, the
  rulings of all three Panels are important.

22
NAFTA/FTA Panel Decisions

• NAFTA Secretariat (http//www.nafta-sec-alena.org/
  DefaultSite/dispute/index_e.aspx?CategoryID40).
• OAS Trade Division (http//www.sice.oas.org/DISPUT
  E/nafdispe.asp ).
• Lexis (Apr.1995-present, NAFDEC) Westlaw
  (1989-present, NAFTA-BIP).
• U.S. NAFTA Secretariat, U.S. section, Room 10601
  14th Constitution Aves., N.W., Washington DC
  20230. Tel [phone].

23
GATT Decisions

• Adopted Panel Reports Within the Framework of
  GATT 1947 http//www.sice.oas.org/DISPUTE/gatdis
  pe.asp (1948-1994).
• Lexis (GTTWTO, Aug.1948-present) Westlaw
  (WTO-DEC)(GATT, 1948-1994 WTO, 1995-present).
• SICE Foreign Trade Information System -
  http//www.sice.oas.org/Indexe.asp .

24
Basic Treatises on NAFTA

• Abbott, Frederick M. Law and policy of regional
  integration The NAFTA and western hemispheric
  integration in the World Trade Organization
  system. (KDZ944.A41992.A73)(1995).
• Folsom, Ralph Haughwout. Understanding NAFTA and
  its international business implications.
  (KDZ944.A41992.F65) (1996).
• Glick, Leslie Alan. Understanding the North
  American Free Trade Agreement Legal and Business
  Consequences of NAFTA (KDZ944.A41992.G58) (1994).
• NAFTA and Beyond a New Framework for Doing
  Business in the Americas / Ed. Norton
  Bloodworth (KDZ944.A41992.N32) (1995).

25
Important NAFTA Looseleaf Services

• North American Free Trade Agreements, ed. Holbein
  Musch (Oceana, KDZ944.A35.N61) (6 volumes).
• International Trade Reporter. Current Reports.
  (BNA, HF3000.I57).

26
NAFTA Online

• NAFTA Secretariat http//www.nafta-sec-alena.org
  /DefaultSite/home/index_e.aspx.
• NAFTANET http//www.nafta.net/naftagre.htm .
• NAFTA Implementation Resource Guide
  http//www.tradeport.org/ts/ntdb/nimp.html.
• NAFTA Dispute Settlement Procedures
  http//www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/nafta-alena/dispgraph
  -en.asp . (See Handout).

27
An Introduction to WTO legal research and
materials

• The World Trade Organization (WTO) first
  entered into force as the General Agreement on
  Tariffs and Trade (GATT) on Jan.1948 as a
  multilateral instrument for 123 governments.

28
Authoritative Bodies of the WTO

• Contracting Parties
• Council of Representatives
• Specialist Standing Committees.

29
Official Documents of the WTO

• Basic Instruments Selected Documents (BISD).
• Document Dissemination Facility (DDF) contains
  all publicly available documents distributed by
  the WTO since 1995. (http//docsonline.wto.org/gen
  _home.asp?language1_1 ).
• Law and Practice of the World Trade Organization
  (Oceana, K4600.L38).

30
Finding WTO Documents

• Analytical Index Guide to GATT Law and Practice
  (1995, K4602.2.G84).
• Online WTO via the Internet http//www.wto.org.
  
• International Trade Administration Home Page
  (U.S. Dept of Commerce) http//www.ita.doc.gov
  .

31
Other Sources on the WTO

• Pescatore, Pierre. Handbook of GATT Dispute
  Settlement. (K4602.2.P4).
• The Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral
  Trade Negotiations The Legal Texts.
  (K4603.1987.A4).
• The Texts of the Tokyo Round Agreements/GATT
  (K4603.A4.A46).

32
WTO Lexis and Westlaw -

• Westlaw Database ID (WTO/GATT)(1994-present)..
• Lexis GATT Panel and World Trade
  Decisions(1948-present) World Trade
  Organization Dispute Settlement(1996-present)
  and GATT Basic Instruments and Selected
  Documents.
• US Department of Commerce, Trade Compliance
  Center (for WTO issues) 202-219-3605.