International Treaties, Organizations, and State Relations

Treaties, Declarations, and Supranational Organizations

The Relations Between States

States are held in constant relationship concerning various international problems. Many issues similarly affect a large number of countries, and only through coordinated solutions can they be resolved.

• We have signed treaties, conventions, and international declarations of rights through which states commit to performing certain actions or avoiding others.
• International and supranational organizations are created, to which states delegate certain functions.

Treaties, Agreements, and Declarations of International Law

There are numerous international treaties and conventions signed by states on the most diverse subjects, such as arms control.

There are also various international declarations of rights. These documents often collect essential principles for humans, though not all countries in the world have signed and accepted them. Among universal statements are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, and the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, etc.

Supranational Organizations

There are organizations worldwide, including the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), and at the continental or regional level, such as the European Union (EU) and the Arab League. They perform an important role in economic development, health promotion, education, and peace.

Organization of the United Nations (Aims)

• Maintaining peace and security.
• Fostering friendly relations among nations based on the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples.
• Cooperating in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian nature.
• Developing and encouraging respect for human rights.

Organizations Dependent on the UN

• UNICEF: Created to protect children and youth.
• UNESCO: Aims to achieve peace and social welfare through culture.

Non-Governmental Organizations

NGOs

NGOs are private entities that are independent of governments and, in principle, independent of states and political parties. Examples include:

• Humanitarian actions through the implementation of prevention efforts or direct action in an emergency (Red Cross).
• Advocacy for human rights and denouncing places where they are not respected (Amnesty International).
• Protection of nature and reporting the destruction of the environment (Greenpeace).