In 2005, the International Court of Justice issued three judgments.l In February, the Court upheld an objection to its jurisdiction in Certain Property (Liechtenstein v. Germany). In July, a chamber of the Court issued its judgment on the merits in Frontier Dispute (Benin/Niger). In December, the full Court issued its judgment on the merits in Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda).
This article reflects upon the lessons which might be learned from the League of Nations. It highlights a number of the key differences between the League of Nations and the United Nations, with consideration given to the characteristics which shaped both institutions, and the impact which those aspects have had on their ability to fulfil their respective mandates. The article addresses issues including the composition of the institutions’ memberships, the role of sanctions, the roles of the respective Secretariats, and concludes with reflections on broader lessons which might be learned, drawing on the purposes and principles of the respective institutions. The importance of Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations is emphasised, with recognition given to its central role in securing a peaceful society in which the Organization’s goal of bringing about social progress and better standards of life might be secured.
This chapter explains the membership practices in international organizations (IOs). It focuses on criteria for membership, rights and obligations of membership, suspension, expulsion, and withdrawal. In addition to setting out the legal criteria in an international organization's constitutive treaty relating to membership, it also discusses how these criteria have been applied in practice and how decisions that are political in nature have been made within the established institutional and legal framework. The chapter focuses on three different types of IOs: the universal, represented by the United Nations (UN); the regional, such as the European Union (EU) and African Union (AU), where membership is restricted to countries from a particular geographic area; and the specialized agencies which, while fulfilling a limited and technical function, are often open to universal membership.
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