Regional International Organizations Research Articles

PARTNER CITIES: HISTORICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

The article is devoted to the study of the historical context of the cities’ development as subjects of international relations, their evolutionary transformation from political and security unions, through political and religious unions to large agglomerations capable of conducting independent international activities, taking into account their own socio-economic, cultural and educational interests of their residents. Using an interdisciplinary approach that combines historical, legal, political science, and management disciplines, the author has revealed the multifaceted use of such concepts as «partner cities», «twin cities», «municipal cooperation», «decentralized cooperation of cities» etc., which proves that their use as synonymous definitions indicating a non-governmental, horizontal international level of cooperation between individual local actors is not sufficiently regulated.The study outlined the criteria for selecting a partner city. The historical way of the formation of global and regional international organizations and associations of municipalities, which developed recommendations for in-depth cooperation between cities of different political systems to exchange experience, deepening of cooperation in the environment of modern management in the context of urbanization, is highlighted. It is proved that such initiatives are based on intercultural cooperation, the foundations of the international and national law, which strengthens the reputation and foreign policy integration strategies of the state as a whole. It has been found that often in the process of decentralization, localization, and manifestation of their own subjectivity, cities are more effective and faster in making decisions, establishing international forms of cooperation, and implementing the most important projects.

Exit from Regime Complexity? Regional International Organizations under Scrutiny

Abstract Regional regime complexity has long been on the rise and carries a series of potential negative effects, such as waste of resources or reduced effectiveness of regional governance. This article investigates a specific strategy of how states cope with regime complexity, namely by exiting regional international organizations (RIOs). We develop hypotheses on how different types of regional regime complexity influence the chances for exits to occur and theorize interaction effects. The analysis reveals that higher levels of membership- and competency-based regime complexity as well as RIO incompatibility increase the likelihood of state withdrawals. In addition, state characteristics moderate this effect and influence who leaves which organization. Most importantly, smaller rather are less able to shape RIO policies and activities and have fewer capacities to implement them and are thus more likely to exit one of the organizations when being member in many overlapping RIOs. By contrast, powerful states can better navigate regime complexity and avoid negative side-effects and are therefore less inclined to withdraw from RIOs in situations of high regional regime complexity.

PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

Sustainable development is becoming a central element of the international agenda in the face of global challenges such as climate change, natural resource depletion and rising social inequality. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which unites eight Eurasian states, has unique potential to address these issues by ensuring security, economic cooperation and environmental sustainability, which makes this study relevant. The study's objective is to identify prospects and opportunities for implementing the principles of sustainable development within the framework of SCO, with an emphasis on assessing the organisation's strategic priorities, mechanisms and initiatives.The main areas of work include analysis of the role of the SCO Charter, the Strategy to 2025 and the Youth Innovation Campaign in achieving sustainable economic, environmental and social development in Eurasia. The study contributes to a theoretical understanding of international cooperation mechanisms for sustainable development. It provides empirical material for analysing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the regional level. The practical importancelies in identifying opportunities for integrating innovative and institutional approaches to address the region’s current challenges -thestudy methods toexamine sustainable development within the SCO framework. The content analysis focused on three key SCO documents: the SCO Charter, the Development Strategy Until 2025, and the 2024 Youth Innovation Campaign. Data systematisation and analysis were conducted across four categories: economic development, environmental protection, social development, and institutional effectiveness. Text analysis utilised Python tools, including Pandas libraries, for coding and interpreting results. The research resultshowed that the SCO Charter provides a basis for cooperation, the Strategy until 2025 specifies sustainable development directions, and the CIPP focuses on youth innovation and environmental initiatives. Including an ecological agenda, increased cross-border cooperation, and introduction of renewable energy offers significant prospects for achieving the SDGs. The implementation of the goals faces challenges such as political divisions and economic inequalities in the region. The value of the studyis that it expands existing approaches to sustainable development in regional international organisations such as the SCO, integrating political, economic and social aspects. The study contributes to developing recommendations for strengthening institutional mechanismsand involving civic initiatives in implementing sustainable development strategies. The study resultscan be used to optimise the SCO strategy, including developing environmentally oriented projects, supporting infrastructure initiatives and youth involvement in implementing SDGs. The work results also interest government authorities in participating countries, international organisations and researchers in sustainable development.

Some aspects of ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities in the activities of the Council of Europe

The article is devoted to the study and analysis of the acts defining the rights of persons with disabilities, providing for the ways of their guarantee and protection, which were adopted within the Council of Europe. The concept of human rights mechanisms, in particular, in the activities of regional international intergovernmental organisations, is revealed. The author demonstrates the complex multilevel nature of the European system of human rights protection, which includes special regulatory and institutional instruments. Some acts of the so-called ‘soft law’ of the Council of Europe are analysed. It is shown that the first documents of the Council of Europe in the field of the rights of persons with disabilities concerned mainly the economic rights of this category of persons. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of ensuring the required number of jobs, professional retraining and professional assessment of employees who have lost the ability to perform certain types of work. With the further improvement of human rights protection mechanisms, the Council of Europe’s strategy for ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities has also changed. Member states agreed on the importance of expanding the range of freedoms for people with disabilities. This was due to the existence of numerous barriers to access to social services, cultural life of society, diversification of leisure activities, etc. The recommendations that were subsequently adopted included provisions on the absolute prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability in such areas as education, transport, public services, political, social and cultural life of the state. The article also analyses the concept of universal design, which was introduced to ensure that the infrastructure of European countries is accessible so that every person with a disability can receive the necessary social services with minimal interference from third parties. The article examines the issue of protection of persons with disabilities from violence and ill-treatment, whether committed by relatives, healthcare professionals or third parties. The author identifies the categories of persons who are more vulnerable due to the combination of disability with certain other characteristics, such as age, gender, social status, citizenship, etc. The author reveals a new approach of the Council of Europe to ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities, which provides for the elimination of social barriers and their full integration into society.

Rethinking the Regime Security and Democratic Development through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a regional international organization that emerged in Eurasia in the post-Cold War period and has different priorities, unlike Western liberal organizations. In this respect, SCO is an unconventional international integration against non-traditional threats. SCO's institutional structure has been functionalized to serve security, understood as regime security against the threats of three evils: terrorism, extremism, and separatism. This study argues that one of the priorities of the SCO is to ensure regime security for its members. We can conclude that SCO can provide an essential basis for nation-building and democratic development among Central Asian Turkic Members (CATM).

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - TOWARDS REGULATION IN THE GLOBAL WORLD

The development of scientific and technological progress in the context of the transformation of international relations in the 21st century have brought to the forefront the problem of attitudes towards artificial intelligence in the world. Issues of ethics, law, attempts to formulate their vision of the situation are characteristic not only of states, but also of international organizations. The author of this study aimed to assess the activities of universal and regional international organizations in the field of resolving issues related to the work of artificial intelligence in international relations. The topic of artificial intelligence has undoubtedly long acquired a global character. The emergence of new threats and challenges to humanity undoubtedly poses a dilemma for the world community about the role that artificial intelligence will play in these processes. Will this be a creative embodiment, or will artificial intelligence be destructive? The answer to this question has not yet been found. Nevertheless, we can talk about the responsibility of international organizations, and the fact that now active actions are being taken to consolidate norms regarding artificial intelligence. For example, the United Nations, being a universal international organization, could not ignore the phenomenon of artificial intelligence, as well as regional organizations. In this context, it seems particularly relevant to analyze the first steps that are being taken in this direction, especially given the complex international relations between Russia and unfriendly states and organizations. All this is necessary to understand all the changes in the situation related to artificial intelligence on the world stage.

FOREIGN EXPERIENCE OF CRIME PREVENTION IN THE FAMILY SPHERE

The article states that in various countries, the consequences of crime in the family sphere can be mental, physical, economic and sexual injuries, which can become a threat to the life and health of not only spouses, but also their children. Therefore, crime in the family sphere is not only a domestic problem, it is also an international problem. It was determined that the beginning of the prevention of crime in the family sphere in foreign countries should be considered the results of the activity of the women's movement at the international level reflected in the chronology of conferences, in the texts of declarations and conventions of the United Nations (UN), resolutions of regional international organizations, and other international documents of the last decades , among which, first of all, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women should be singled out. It is also worth emphasizing that our study of foreign experience in the prevention of crime in the family sphere proved that in Europe, due to the active actions of international human rights organizations, the concept of observing human rights has significantly expanded, in particular, the understanding of the responsibility of the state for the commission of a criminal offense by a person - an offender - has changed. The article examines the experience of crime prevention in the family sphere in the USA, Sweden, Germany, Israel, Greece, France, Great Britain. Further integration of Ukraine into the EU and the Euro-Atlantic security space will open up to our state many tools for preventing crime in the family. However, already now in Ukraine, based on foreign experience, it is possible to implement campaigns to raise awareness about domestic violence, provide legal support, provide a safe environment and eliminate harm from violence, conduct diploma programs on gender violence. Therefore, understanding the global experience of crime prevention in the family sphere will make it possible to speed up the successful solution of this problem through joint efforts of state and non-state institutions of the public.

Sovereignty in the Age of Globalization

States have always had unchallenged sovereign power, but in the present time, this power is collapsing due to the emergence of international organizations, regional organizations, international courts, and tribunals, NGOs & MNCs. Sovereignty and globalization are both concepts that are looked into in this paper through the application of a methodical framework. Global factors influence the internal matters of a state, ultimately affecting the effectiveness of the state's sovereign powers. Furthermore, the paper talks about the challenges faced by the state due to this increased involvement. And opportunities. Undoubtedly, nationalism has risen across the globe because of global expansion. Migration is on the rise due to globalization, and along with it, the nationalistic sentiment has also increased. Numerous nations are facing severe difficulties owing to migration, resulting in a direct impact on state sovereignty. In regards to challenges faced by the sovereignty of the state, the paper even highlights futuristic aspects, keeping in mind the past and historical events that helped mankind throughout this challenging journey.

Between Crisis and Revival: Withdrawal Threats, State Exits, and Institutional Change of Regional International Organizations

Between Crisis and Revival: Withdrawal Threats, State Exits, and Institutional Change of Regional International Organizations

Navigating the Great but Uneven Transition: State Fragility and Climate Change Vulnerability in India and Neighboring Countries

Due to climate change, the world is experiencing a great transition in how nations pursue, distribute, and utilize resources. However, a more pressing concern posed by climate change is its exacerbation of environmental inequality, which is unevenly burdening economically marginalized countries. Among those in the marginalized group, India and its neighboring countries in the South and Southeast Asian regions have been classified as particularly vulnerable to climate change-induced risks. Focusing on state fragility as a main cause of a country’s climate change vulnerability, this research seeks to examine which configurations of state fragility dimensions contribute to heightened climate vulnerability in the regions through the utilization of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fs/QCA). The analysis suggests that when countries exhibit (1) lower levels of fragility in cohesion and social dimensions combined with higher levels of economic, political, and external intervention dimensions of state fragility; or (2) higher levels of cohesion, economic, political, social, and external intervention dimensions, they suffer from a heightened level of climate change vulnerability. In light of the findings, this research proposes that policymakers in India and its neighboring countries implement policies that foster inclusive growth, enhance their democratic governance, and leverage international regional organizations to address vulnerability to climate change.

Linguistic tools of manipulation in russian language translations Of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and its “Sisters” resolutions

One of the ways to clarify national terminology and to enshrine correct definitions of concepts related to various aspects of gender issues in the legal framework is using the official translations of international documents on women’s rights and gender equality in Ukrainian language. The issue of the correctness of translations of international documents in general and in the field of human rights and gender equality in particular is not only an important subject of scientific research, but also has great practical significance in the context of Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine. Russian language is an official language of the UN. All documents from the working languages of the UN General Assembly (English and French) are translated into Russian and used by regional international organisations, as well as by countries beside the russian federation where this language has status of the official or state language. In addition, many translations of international documents into Ukrainian have been made using Russian translations as basis. This also applies to such important documents in the field of women’s rights and gender equality as UN Security Council Resolution 1325 “Women. Peace. Security” and related Security Council resolutions, in particular, 1888, 2467, 2493 and others. Based on a comparative analysis of the original texts of the above-mentioned UN Security Council resolutions and their russian translations, the article offers a classification of directions of linguistic manipulation in the translation of documents, illustrated by specific examples; draws conclusions about the consequences and impact of the using of incorrect translations on the policy of ensuring women’s rights and gender equality at both the international and national levels; offers recommendations for identifying linguistic manipulation during translation process.

Good governance in autocratic international organizations

AbstractA large and growing number of international organizations (IOs) are made up and governed by illiberal or outright authoritarian regimes. Many of these authoritarian IOs (AIOs) formally adopt good governance mandates, linking goals like democracy promotion, anti-corruption policies and human rights to their broader mission. Why do some AIOs adopt good governance mandates that appear to conflict with the norms and standards these regimes apply at home? We argue that AIOs adopt good governance mandates when they face substantial pressure from inside or outside the IO to adopt them. Central to our argument is that not all aspects of good governance are inherently or equally threatening to autocratic regimes. They pursue strategies that minimize the threat by externalizing policy outside the membership and strategically defining the goals to avoid or enact. This allows autocratic governments to uptake good governance talk but lessen any deep commitment to the norms and sometimes even to use them strategically to project their own power outside of the organization. Using data on 48 regional IOs with primarily autocratic membership between 1945 and 2015, we demonstrate that AIOs facing pressure from external good governance promoters will adopt good governance mandates but strategically shape those mandates in their favor if they can form bargaining coalitions with like-minded governments. The findings have sobering implications for the future of good governance promotion through IOs.

Russia's Leadership in Eurasia: Holding Together or Falling Apart?

Abstracts The Russo–Ukraine War raises important questions on the dynamics of regional leadership and followership in what may be termed “Russian-led Eurasia.” These questions, in particular, the strength of Russian leadership in the region is complicated by the ambiguity in existing literature and competing images of Russia's relations with long-standing allies—notably Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan—which are often portrayed in terms of a “community of fate” or partners destined for closer integration but also as a “community of fortune” or ad hoc, situational partners, loosely centered on Russia. This article offers an innovative theoretical and methodological exploration of Russia's relations with regional partner states by utilizing the English School of International Relations and regional integration organizations to assess Russia's regional leadership. As argued in this article, Russian-led Eurasia may be understood as an example of a regional interstate society with Russian hegemony serving as a socially conferred, binding institution. But this hegemony is inherently unstable owing to Russia's inability to balance hegemonic “rights” with “responsibilities.” War in Ukraine did not create this problem, but it has created the conditions for leadership transition in the region.

Economic crises and the survival of international organizations

How do hard economic times affect countries’ foreign policy and, specifically, their international commitments? Although a large body of literature assumes that economic crises lead to the prioritization of domestic politics at the expense of international cooperation, these claims are rarely subjected to systematic empirical tests. This study examines one important aspect of these relationships: the consequences of economic crises for the survival of international organizations (IOs), a question that attracted only scant scholarly attention to date. Theoretically, we argue that even though economic crises can weaken member states’ commitment to IOs, they also underscore their ability to tackle the root causes of such crises and mitigate their most pernicious effects. As such, economic crises are actually conducive to IO longevity. We expect this effect to be especially pronounced for currency crises, IOs with an economic mandate, and regional IOs, given their particular relevance for international cooperation during hard economic times. These conjectures are tested with a comprehensive sample of IOs and data on currency, banking and sovereign debt crises from 1970 to 2014. Using event history models and controlling for several alternative explanations of IO survival, we find ample empirical support for the theoretical expectations.

Sun from Behind the Clouds: the Appeals Board of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts

Abstract One of the lesser-known regional international organizations in Europe is the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). It has a mandate to undertake tasks such as the production of weather forecasts, conduct scientific research to improve meteorological projections, maintain extensive datasets, and to better coordinate European meteorological infrastructure. The Centre has three sites across three European states where it has over 400 staff, and given it is immune from suit, its staff members only have an internal justice mechanism to resort to in the event of employment/pensions disputes. Little is known about the ECMWF Appeals Board given its untransparent nature. As uncovered in this article, it has undergone partial reform, and simultaneously, there has been an uptick in the number of cases. This article analyses these developments and highlights that more must be done to align the ECMWF Appeals Boards with the features of other international administrative tribunals.

ПРЕДУПРЕЖДЕНИЕ И ЛИКВИДАЦИЯ ЧРЕЗВЫЧАЙНЫХ И КРИЗИСНЫХ СИТУАЦИЙ: ПРОБЛЕМЫ ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ МЕЖДУНАРОДНО-ПРАВОВОГО РЕГУЛИРОВАНИЯ

The conceptual concept and types of interaction of international legal regulators on the prevention and liquidation of emergency and crisis situations are formulated The role of generally recognized principles of international law in ensuring international cooperation in the prevention of emergencies and crisis situations has been established. International cooperation in this area is based on and implemented through universal, regional international legal mechanisms, as well as bilateral treaties. The role of the United Nations in the normative, programmatic and expert support of cooperation between states on disaster risk reduction, as well as universal international organizations and conferences in the development of international legal regulators for countering emergency and crisis situations is considered. The analysis of the activities of international regional organizations on the international legal provision of emergency prevention, including in the arctic region, is carried out. In conclusion, it is concluded that there is an insufficient level of coherence and integrity of the international legal regulation of the prevention and liquidation of emergency and crisis situations.

Current Approaches to Improving Consensus Decision-Making Mechanisms in International Regional Organizations

This study is aimed to study a key element of the activity of any international organization — the problem of consensus decision-making and the corresponding practice of solving it both in integration bodies (Eurasian Economic Union, European Union) and in interstate organizations devoid of a supranational component (Shanghai Cooperation Organization, North Atlantic Treaty Organization treaty, Collective Security Treaty Organization).Aim. Identify current approaches to improving the application of the rule of consensus in interstate (intergovernmental) structures and their bodies.Tasks. Investigate and generalize the practice of consensus decision-making within the international regional organizations, highlight actual ways to increase the efficiency of their decision-making mechanisms.Methods. The study used general scientific methodology. The comparative analysis method is used to compare existing decision-making practices. Analysis, synthesis, generalization, as well as the formal logical method were used to formulate the conclusions of the work.Results. The collective decision-making based on consensus follows from the international legal principle par in parem non habet imperium. It emphasizes the equality of all participants in an international organization and excludes the imposition of obligations non-approved by a sovereign state. From this point of view, consensus is a way to strengthen unity and achieve organizational stability. Simultaneously the practice of using this form in various international organizations gives evidence to its low efficiency in decision-making. Achieving consensus requires intensive efforts to coordinate the positions of the parties, and the emergence of “one-vote veto” situations cannot be ruled out. A possible way to increase the efficiency of decision-making within the framework of integration processes (EU, EAEU) lies through the development of supranational mechanisms.Conclusions. Analysis of the practice of functioning of international regional organizations (SCO, NATO, CSTO) allows to identify two approaches aimed at overcoming the negative features of consensus decision-making. The first involves the development of an international organization with formal obligations of members into a community associated with the establishment of a set of shared values among its participants. The second presumes the creation of mechanisms that allow interested states to use the institutions of such a structure to make collective decisions without a not-participating state. Both approaches do not exclude but complement each other.

About PanAfrican Journal of Governance and Development

PanAfrican Journal of Governance and Development (PJGD) is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal of Jimma University that publishes editorials, research articles, book reviews, commentaries, and notes. PJGD offers a platform for the expression of new scientific inquiries to intellectuals of the world in general and Africa & Ethiopia in particular to reflect on how governance and development can be promoted, strengthened, and consolidated. The biannual edition is published in February and August of each year only in English language. PJGD is APC Free Journal.
 PJGD accepts scientific works focused on the diversified areas of Governance and Development drawn from multiple disciplines of Political Science and International Relations, Public Management, Leadership, Development Economics, Environmental Governance, Peace and Conflict, Human Rights, National and International Law, Globalization, Public Policy, Regional and International Organizations, Gender, Peace and Conflict Management, International Political Economy, Multiculturalism, Civil Society, and related areas.

Genomic Research and Artificial Intelligence: Problems of Legal Regulation at the Global and Regional Level

The authors examine the trends and features of the development of legal regulation of genomic research in the context of digitalization at the level of global and regional international organizations, including integration associations. The current sources of legal regulation of the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the field of genomic research in modern international and integration law are analyzed, and the main trends in the development of global and regional regulation are identified. Attention is given to the fact that key international acts adopted both at the global and regional levels, and regulating certain aspects of genomic research, are so-called acts of soft law, which are advisory and constitute a kind of «pre-law». In conclusion, recommendations are presented for improving the relevant legal regulation within the framework of integration associations with the participation of the Russian Federation.

Costly Signaling and China's Strategic Engagement in Arctic Regional Governance

In recent years, China has become an increasingly important actor in Arctic regional governance. While Beijing consistently frames its engagement in the region as a strategy of mutually-beneficial cooperation, some Arctic countries have raised significant concerns about its growing economic presence, warning that China may leverage its geopolitical influence to change the existing norms and rules in the polar region. Facing the mounting “China threat” skepticism, what are Beijing’s coping strategies to belie concerns? Based on a review of the existing research and government documents, particularly Chinese-language scholarly works and official reports, this article specifically identifies two types of costly signaling approaches employed by China to reduce Arctic countries’ distrust. First, China has started to curtail its Arctic investment in oil, gas, and mining while engaging more in sectors that chime well with Western societies’ global environmental values, including clean and renewable energy, ecological research that addresses further climatic change associated with global warming, and other environmentally sustainable industries. Second, Beijing has increasingly involved in regional international organizations, such as the Arctic Council, to signal its willingness to exercise state power under institutional constraints. These approaches aim to send a series of costly signals to conventional Arctic states, reassuring them that China is not a revisionist power that pursues hegemony in the region. Taken together, our findings have both scholarly and policymaking implications to understand China’s participation in Arctic regional governance.