The proliferation of international organizations is presently a hot issue. New international organizations have been created over the last few years, such as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the World Trade Organization. At the same time a certain reluctance may be observed to create new organizations. Overlapping activities and conflicting competences occur frequently and the need for coordination 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? These and other questions were discussed during a conference that took place from 18 to 20 November, 1999, in the Academy Building of Leiden University, The Netherlands. A large number of experts, both academics and practitioners, participated. The purpose of this book is to present the issues discussed during the Leiden conference to a larger audience. This book contains the adapted papers for theconference and several other contributions.

Preface. Proliferation of International Organizations: an Exploratory Introduction; N.M. Blokker. The Attitude of States towards the Proliferation of International Organizations; I. Seidl-Hohenveldern. Co-ordination between Universal and Regional Organizations; C. Dominice. The World Court, the WHO, and the UN System; N.D. White. Techniques to Avoid Proliferation of International Organizations - The Experience of the World Bank; I.F.I. Skibata. The Proliferation of Arms Control Organizations; P.C. Szasz. The Proliferation of International Institutions Dealing with International Environmental Matters; G. Loibl. Organizational Proliferation and Centralization under the Treaty on European Union; A. von Bogdandy. The Proliferation of Law-Making Organs: A New Role for the International Law Commission? R. van Alebeek. The Proliferation of Administrative Tribunals; P.C. Szasz. The International Court of Justice and other International Courts; H. Thirlway. The Proliferation of International Judicial Organs: the Role of the International Court of Justice; D.W. Prager. The Dispute Settlement System of the World Trade Organization: Institutions, Process and Practice; F. Feliciano, P.L.H. Van den Bossche. Comments; T.A. Mensah. Comments; C. Rozakis. Flexibility and the International Labour Organization; D. Devlin. The European Union and the Concept of Flexibility: Proliferation of Legal Systems within International Organizations; I.F. Dekker, R.A. Wessel. Extending the European Family of Nations: The Response of the Council of Europe to Growing Membership;R. Lawson. The Primary Model Rules of Accountability of International Organizations: The Principles and Rules Governing their Conduct or the Yardsticks for their Accountability; K. Wellens. Views from Practice; L.D. Johnson. The World Bank Inspection Panel: A Model for Other International Organizations? S. Schlemmer-Schulte. Final Remarks; H.G. Schermers. Index.