The programs of the international institutions

The lives of people all over the world have come to be touched by the work of international organizations, as is evidenced by the interest taken by them in the protection of human rights or development, for instance; and states, especially the less developed ones but not only they, have become accustomed to look to these organizations for assistance in the solution of problems. At the same time, it is clear that international organizations have come to be so common a feature of international life and accepted, as a response to the needs of international intercourse rather than as a fulfillment of a philosophical or ideological desire to achieve world government. What has evolved is a large number of international organizations, basically unconnected with each other, though such connections, especially in the UN system, may subsequently be established, and each endeavouring to operate and achieve objectives involving some order in a particular field within its membership which may be a large or small group of states. Despite the fears and concerns of some governments that international organizations are increasing too fast and that they are a burden on their exchequers, they are still proliferating at a considerable rate. Generally, it is unusual for a new problem in international relations to be considered without at the same time some international organization being developed to deal with it. For instance, concern with the instability of commodities markets led to the establishment in the 1980s of the Common Fund for Commodities and the competition for the newly discovered wealth of the international seabed area resulted in the creation of the ISA under the Law of the Sea Convention of 1982, based on the concept of ‘the common heritage of mankind’. More recently in the 1990s the problems of international trade, which was growing increasingly complex, led to the development of the WTO. International society has, in spite of the diversity of culture and political systems, been progressively drawn closer together and become more united.

People and their governments now look far beyond national frontiers and feel a common responsibility for the major problems of the world and for lesser problems that may subsist within smaller groups of states. Many of those problems have over owed national boundaries, or called for attention beyond national limits, become international and demanded regulation and treatment in a wide sphere, with the consequence that governments have sought increasingly to deal with them through international organizations.International organizations, especially the global ones, have contributed much through their programmes. The contribution of the UN to the maintenance of international peace, particularly after the end of the Cold War, cannot be overestimated, while organizations like the FAO and the IBRD have done a great deal in the area of development and the promotion of better living conditions for the poor developing countries. International organizations have introduced a measure of peaceful coexistence and cooperative stability in international relations. The goals they have set and in large measure achieved and the values they have realized are of vital significance for all states and humanity as such. Clearly interdependence is increasingly being acknowledged and accepted as a practical reality, which requires an organizational structure in international relations. A very important premise for the growth of international organization and the increase in the number of IGOs is that states have accepted obligations and considerable limitations on their powers and liberties which were a consequence of their sovereign character.

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