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Beginnings of the League of Nations (LON)
In September 1916, British governor Robert Cecil wrote an memorandum arguing that the world could only exist if the nations cooperated with each other. This was the very beginning of the creation of the LON. -
Establishment of the League of Nations (LON)
The League of Nations (LON) was created and officially put into force on January 10th, 1920. LON was created as a result of the aftermath of World War I. At this point, the Treaty of Versailles and the Covenant of the League of Nations had both been signed. The power of LON was entered into force on this day. -
First Permanent Court of International Justice meeting, League of Nations
The Permanent Court of International Justice, or the World Court, was the first international court to be formed although the creation of one was suggested by many people centuries before. At this first meeting, Bernard Loder was elected as President and Max Huber as Vice-President. -
First Commission of Enquiry for the European Union, League of Nations
The first Commission of Enquiry for the European Nation was held. This commission strived to increase cooperation between European governments in every aspect of international work. -
United Nations (UN) created
Since the League of Nations (LON) failed to prevent the Second World War, it was replaced by the UN. The UN officially came into existence when the United Nations Charter was ratified. The UN Charter states basic regulations towards preventing war and the importance of the maintenance of international peace and security. When the UN was first established, there were only 51 nations represented at the assemblies, less than half of the number of countries represented by the UN today. -
International Monetary Fund (IMF) comes into official existence
Although the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was created on July 22nd, 1944, it officially came into existence more than a year later with the signing of the Articles of Agreement. The IMF works to store international financial peace and stability. -
League of Nations dissolved
The League of Nations (LON) was dissolved because of its replacement by the UN. The failure of LON was mainly because it could not resolve the conflict that arose in the 1920's and 1930's, as it never had its own military alliance to enforce decisions. This lack of a military alliance led to an arms race, which ultimately began World War II. -
General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) supplements the IMF
The General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was signed to support the IMF. It promotes free trade amongst nations through the reduction of tariffs on goods and it also helps solve trade disputes. -
First discussions for the World Trade Organization (WTO)
In November of 1947, 56 delegates representing different nations meet in Cuba to begin negotiating the charter for a proposed "International Trade Organization". This marks the very beginning of the creation of the WTO. -
World Health Organization founded by the UN
On April 7th, 1948, the UN created the World Health Organization (WHO), which deals with international and public health issues. Since its creation, WHO has been the one of the leading contributors in eradicating smallpox. WHO's current priorities include eradicating diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/ AIDS. WHO is also a good example of another international organization. -
Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations. It lists the basic human rights that all people, regardless of their race, religion, etc. should be automatically entitled to. Some examples of these are the right to security, the right to a trial, and the right to education. This is a significant document as it globalizes the right of every single human being. -
UN takes trusteeship over Jerusalem
The United Nations took trusteeship over Jersualem because of the high-intensity conflict over Jerusalem between the Palestinians and the Israelis. With the UN in control of Jerusalem, the UN hoped that it would alleviate the ongoing arguments between the Arabs and the Jews. -
The Kennedy Round of the WTO negotiations
The Kennedy Round, the 6th round of General Agreements on Tarriffs and Trade negotiations named after President John F Kennedy, took place from 1964 to 1969. This round of negotiations managed to achieve tarriff cuts worth $40 billion of world trade, a major success. -
UN approves of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The UN approved of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which helps prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. All member nations have signed the NPT with the exception of India, Israel, North Korea (who signed and then withdrew), and Pakistan. The NPT has three main "pillars": non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use of nuclear technology. -
IMF creates the Special Drawing Right (SDR)
The Special Drawing Right (SDR) was created by the IMF to support the Bretton Woods fixed exchange rate system. The SDR is allocated to countries according to their IMF loan limits, and it is based on a number of significant international currencies. -
IMF drafts rules regarding currency exchange
Due to the collapse of the international gold standard and the fixed-exhange-rate system, the IMF drafted new rules regarding currency exchange rates. -
Russia wins entry into the IMF
On April 27 of 1992, Russia, along with 12 other Soviet republics, win entry into the IMF. -
World Trade Organization established
Negotiations for the establishment of the WTO started in 1986 and continued for 10 years. These negotiations were about the GATT, of General Agreements on Tarriffs and Trade. Finally, on the first day of 1995, the WTO officially came into existence. -
China joins WTO
In December of 2001, China finally joined the WTO. This decision was made after 15 long years of negotiations regarding the General Agreements on Tarriffs and Trade, This was the longest negotiation in the history of the WTO. -
WTO offers to lower medicine prices
In September 2003, the WTO announced a deal aimed at giving developing countries access to cheaper medicines. Although the developing countries were extremely accepting of this idea, other aid organizations were opposed to this.
