Important International Organizations and Treaties of 20th Century

This episode explains the important International Organizations and Treaties of the 20th century. In the last episode, the history of International Law till the year 1948 was discussed. In the present episode, further developments in the field of international law have been discussed. 

1. 1958 – The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is an office of the U.N. Secretariat that promotes and facilitates peaceful international cooperation in outer space. It is part of the UN that was established in the year 1945. If aliens actually visit the Earth, this will be the competent organization to deal with the same. Visionary approach of United Nations. 

2. 1960 – Establishment of Latin American Free Trade Association (LAFTA) by the Treaty of Montevideo. This treaty provided for new foreign investment rules and restrictions on operations of foreign firms in Latin American countries. It was later transformed into Latin American Integration Association. Currently, it has 13 member states. 

3. 1967 – Establishment of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) initially as a security association since at that point of time, entire Southeast Asia was beset with conflicts. It is currently a political and economic union of 10 member states including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines and Singapore. 

4. 1967 – Signing of the Outer Space Treaty or the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. Currently, there are 113 parties to this convention. Key provisions of the Outer Space Treaty include prohibiting nuclear weapons in space; limiting the use of the Moon and all other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes; establishing that space shall be freely explored and used by all nations; and precluding any country from claiming sovereignty over outer space or any celestial body.

5. 1969 – Adoption of Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) that introduced the concept of ‘jus cogens’ in International Law. VCLT is one of the most important treaties in International Law. Currently, there are 116 parties to this convention. 

6. 1972 – United Nations Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm, Sweden. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was created as a result of this conference. Around 122 countries attended it. Its success lies in the fact that in 1972, environmental governance was not seen as an international priority and still it was able to bring on board so many countries. 

7. 1979 – Signing of the Moon Treaty or the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. Currently, 18 states are parties to the treaty. Its primary objective of is to provide the necessary legal principles for governing the behavior of states, international organizations, and individuals who explore celestial bodies other than Earth, as well as administration of the resources that exploration may yield. 

8. 1985 – Establishment of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). It is a regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia aiming to accelerate the process of economic and social development in its member states through increased intra-regional cooperation. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. 

9. 1991 – Birth of Mercosur, a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción. Mercosur's purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people, and currency. Its members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

10. 1995 – Birth of World Trade Organization (WTO) through the Marrakesh Agreement. It replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that was established in 1948. It is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. Currently, it has 164 member states. 

11. 1996 – Formation of Shanghai Five that later on succeeded as Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the year 2001. It is a political, economic and security organization. Its member states are China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

12. 1998 – The International Criminal Court (ICC) is established under the Rome Statute, adopted by 120 States on 17 July 1998 during the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court in Rome and enters into force on 1 July 2002.