Topic: 2025 – Responsibility of International Organizations
Country: Switzerland
Delegate Name: Christian Boyce
Committee: Legal
Topic: Responsibility of International Organizations
Country: Swiss Confederation
Delegate: Christian Boyce
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Joining the ranks of nations’ diplomats and United Nations (UN) officials, international
organizations (IOs) are generally granted comparable immunity to the two aforementioned
groups to ensure their effectiveness. With the growing prevalence of IOs in international affairs,
the question of accountability naturally arises. The UN’s various organizations, among others,
have fallen under scrutiny for the effects their work may have. Ultimately, the matter of whether
and how to attribute responsibility to IOs is becoming increasingly pressing.
The Swiss Confederation has played a large role in international organizations in recent
decades, with Geneva hosting the most IOs of any city in the world. Switzerland’s Host State Act
(HSA) creates privileges and immunities for the many IOs it hosts. While there are no explicit
provisions made for holding IOs accountable for harmful acts, there are agreements regarding
private-law disputes. The headquarters agreements made under the HSA require that IOs create
their own internal mechanisms for settling private-law disputes. Swiss law essentially maintains
a similar approach for international organizations just as it would diplomats, granting immunity,
though having some provisions for holding accountability.
Being an international organization itself, the United Nations has proposed a framework
for attributing responsibility to international organizations for their actions. As a part of General
Assembly Session A/66/10, the International Law Commission has detailed varieties of actions
for which international organizations would be held responsible. While the Draft Articles have
not been made into any form of binding law, they still cement themselves as a reference for
further discussion on the matter. Furthermore, with the countermeasures for responsibility
detailed in the articles from the session, there may still be debate over what may constitute
“self-defence” or similar matters.
In general, the accountability of international organizations is a topic with which the
Legal Committee must deal delicately. Seeing as the United Nations is itself an international
organization, any precedents set may affect the UN’s own efficacy in future endeavours. The
Swiss Confederation looks favorably upon creating a more comprehensive and binding
responsibility model for all intergovernmental organizations.
