Supranational institutions - Politics in Minutes (2016)

Politics in Minutes (2016)

Supranational institutions

Throughout the 20th century - especially in the periods following the two world wars - attempts were made to improve international relations by establishing international organizations that transcended national boundaries. Previously, international cooperation had relied on old imperial networks, or on alliances between countries for specific military or trade purposes. In the wake of the First World War, the League of Nations was set up with the aims of promoting peace and security, and at its peak had 58 member states. It was replaced after the Second World War by the United Nations, an intergovernmental organization with agencies including the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Health Organization (WHO) and International Labour Organization (ILO). Other important supranational organizations include the International Criminal Court, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Trade Organization (see here).

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