The Role of International Organizations in Disarmament
2008 Volume 33 Pages 23-40
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2008 Volume 33 Pages 23-40
As disarmament is one of the several critical measures to maintain and strengthen international peace and security, this article analyzes the role of international organizations in disarmament.
In this article, I deal with international organizations in a wider sense, including continuous international conferences such as the Conference on Disarmament (CD) and the NPT Review Conference and international non -governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Abolition 2000, World Court Project (WCP) and International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), in addition to traditional international organizations.
As traditional international organizations I deal with the United Nations (UN), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization Prohibiting Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), and other organizations relating to nuclear-weapon-free zones.
The process of disarmament can be divided into the following six stages; i) research or agenda -setting, ii) deliberation or non -binding agreement, iii) negotiation and elaboration of a treaty, iv) implementation of a treaty, v) verification of a treaty, and vi) reaction to violation. The article analyzes which international organization plays which stage of activities in the disarmament process.
After this examination, I propose i) to strengthen the function of the United Nations in the field of disarmament, ii) to revive the function of the Conference on Disarmament by changing rules, iii) to use Ottawa Process more frequently in other areas of disarmament, iv) to strengthen the review process of the NPT Review Conferences to promote not only nuclear non -proliferation but also nuclear disarmament, and v) to make use of international NGOs or civil societies more extensively which have been playing a significant role in disarmament. The Role and Limits of the International Criminal Justice Sys tem in establishing the “Rule of Law”in Post-Conflict Soci eties : Cooperation between the ICTY and the War Crimes Chamber in Bosnia and Herzegovina
