Administrative Tribunals of International Organizations

Abstract

International organizations are mandated to undertake increasingly complex activities which necessitates that they be vested with the ability to contract. They are private legal actors that need to purchase, rent, invest and, most importantly for the purposes of this chapter, hire employees in order to carry out their functions. However, international organizations invariably enjoy immunity from suit and legal process before national courts. The present chapter provides an overview of the nature of international administrative tribunals, with special reference to the World Bank Administrative Tribunal (WBAT). The WBAT was established in 1981 following the entry into force of its Statute, which had been adopted in 1980 by the Bank's Board of Governors. The very existence of international administrative tribunals is borne out of a need to ensure that all staff members have a recourse mechanism to enforce their contracts of employment inspite of the organization's immunities. Keywords:Administrative Tribunals; International Administrative Tribunals; WBAT