International Organizations and New Global Challenges

Abstract

The article deals with one of the outcomes of the owing international organization process, which is the creation of international organizations. The starting point is the distinction between «organization», already present in classical Greece, in the states- system of Hellas, and «organizations», whose origin is bound to the international system arising from the Congress of Viena. Secondly, a working definition of «international organizations» is put forward and a tipology based on four criteria of classification is established. These are: the legal-political nature of its membership; the character and scope of the organization; its aims and purposes, and its structure and organization. Thirdly, comes the analysis of the functions of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) as international actors, either as instruments of the state (or, contrarily, as modifyers of the state's conduct); or as autonomous subjects in intemational relations. Lastly , attention is given tot the prospects of IGOs becoming managers of international global issues of international dimension; notably climatic change and environmental degradation, taking the preparation and outcomes of the Rio summit as an example of this.