Belonging to All Members, and to None

As with any agreement, headquarters agreements between an international organization and its host state may give rise to dispute.   In its 2004 Review of the Headquarters Agreements Concluded by the Organizations of the United Nations System , briefly recognizes this fact: “Although rarely activated, United Nations headquarters agreements normally contain a mechanism for the settlement of disputes that may arise from their interpretation or application.” [1]   The use of ‘normally’ is noteworthy, insofar as it is striking that any headquarters agreement would omit such a provision. [2]   After all, particularly for a longstanding universal international organization such as the United Nations, headquarters typically exist for decades at a time, spanning multiple governments which may vary in how much they welcome or resist such international presence.   For example, the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America signed its headquarters agreement with the governmen...

Several news outlets picked up the story that - as a consequence of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic - the United Nations will be virtually convening the weeklong General Debate for the first time. Prior to this, telecommuting arrangements were in place for all staff at the U.N. headquarters beginning on March 16 .²  This gives rise to an interesting question: in a time of public health crises and lockdowns of varying severity the world over, to what extent can local health initiatives impact the operations of the United Nations?  Answering this question comprehensively would require a review of the headquarters agreements applicable to the various permanent U.N. stations around the world,¹ as well as the more provisional arrangements applicable to U.N. conferences and the like.  As a first step toward an answer, this post will assess which provisions of the 1947 Agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United N...

International Organizations have operations, permanent and temporary, in almost every country around the world.  These operations require goods of every type to function - furnishings, office supplies, telecommunications hardware, and on and on.  Of course, not every country in which international organizations operate produces every type of good necessary to those operations.  Moreover, representatives of member states* and international civil servants must enter and leave countries, bringing with them personal effects and work-related items.  Thus, international organizations, representatives, and civil servants all import and export goods to varying extents.   Based on the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Untied Nations ("CPIUN")¹, this post provides an overview of some of the customs rules applicable to the operations of international organizations and the persons who work within them.  The relevant (or arguably relevant) pr...