Proliferation of International Organizations: Legal Issues

There has been a proliferation of international organizations at the end of the 20th century; at the same time a certain reluctance may be observed to create these. Overlapping activities and conflicting competences occur frequently, and the need for co-ordination is evident. The events in former Yugoslavia are an example. Both during the armed conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo and afterwards in the era of reconstruction, the need to coordinate the work of organizations such as the UN, NATO, the EU, the World Bank, OSCE, and the Council of Europe was vital. Against this background a number of legal issues have become more important that have not yet been researched extensively, perhaps the only exception being the proliferation of international tribunals. Questions include the following: Why were new organizations created while others already existed in the same or a related field?; what specific legal problems have arisen that are related to the coexistence of different organizations working (partly) in the same area?; what mechanisms or instruments have been developed to coordinate the activities and to solve legal problems?