The Legal Status, Responsibility and Liability of International Institutions Under International Law

Abstract

Since the creation of man and his activities a role has always been played by the idea of law. The idea that order is necessary and chaos inimical to a just and stable existence of the society. Every society has created for itself a framework of principles within which to develop. There are things to be done, what cannot be done, permissible acts, forbidden acts etc. all have been spelt out (most often in the primitive period not in written form) within the consciousness of that community. Progress has always been based upon the group as men and women combine to pursue commonly accepted goals. International institutions are imbued with all the above attributes. As with every other community, the activities of the international institutions are supervised by in-built mechanism within the body or expressly provided for by the treaty that gave rise to the particular institution. So also are provisions for sanctions where necessary. The legal status of the organizations have been of intense debate by academicians and jurists over the years. The end of the debate as to whether international institutions are legal personalities appears very remote. However the responsibilities and liabilities of these institutions may not be provided for in the treaties upon which they were established. But one may say that as with every human endeavour and association, these institutions should have responsibilities and liabilities whether provided for or not in the treaties that established them as such can be inferred from their functions/activities. This certainly is as it should be as no existence on earth goes without responsibilities and liabilities. This paper will, in the light of the above x-ray the legal status, responsibility and liability of international institutions under international law. The historical background and classification of international institutions shall also be discussed.

Keywords: Legal Status, Responsibility, Liability