International Organizations. Prof. Dr.Dr. José Escribano. 2025.

UC3M

4. Spain and IO

A ) Spain and the UN

B ) Spain and European Integration.

C ) Spain and other International Organizations

A ) Spain and the UN

One of Spain's foreign policy priorities is the promotion of strong and legitimate

multilateral institutions that allow progress towards a peaceful, prosperous

world, in which the basic rights of human beings are protected and development

compatible with social cohesion is promoted. and the preservation of the

environment. To achieve this goal, the body with the greatest global legitimacy is

the United Nations Organization, key to international peace and security, the

promotion and protection of human rights and sustainable development.

The forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations, an organization

that was established in 1919, after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, “to

promote international cooperation and achieve peace and security”. The outbreak

of World War II highlighted the failure of the League of Nations.

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 International Organizations. Prof. Dr.Dr. José Escribano. 2025. UC3M

In January 1942, representatives of 26 nations approved the Declaration of the

United Nations, at which time United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt first

referred to the "United Nations."

At the end of World War II, representatives of 50 countries, meeting in San

Francisco, drafted the Charter of the United Nations, which was signed on June

26, 1945 by 51 founding Member States. It indicates both the duties and

obligations of the Member States, as well as the organs and procedures that make

up the United Nations. Following the accession of the Republic of South Sudan

on July 14, 2011, 193 Member States currently make up the organization.

Spain joined the UN on December 14, 1955 and has been an elected

member of the Security Council five times; this is approximately once every ten

years. The last one, in the biennium 2015-2016. Throughout these years, and

especially after the advent of democracy, Spain has been actively involved in the

organization, reiterating the need for the international community to base itself

on the pillars of security, development and respect for human rights, in such a

way that it resolves in a concerted and supportive manner the great challenges of

our time.

Spain ranks eleventh in the scale of financial contributions to the United Nations

Regular Budget and is a member of the Geneva Group, made up of the largest

contributors, which carries out exhaustive monitoring of administrative and

budgetary issues in the United Nations system , including its specialized Agencies

and International Technical Organizations.

The Charter of the United Nations and its Principles

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17 specialist organisations

On June 26, 1945, the Charter of the United Nations was signed at the end of the

United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco. Its

entry into force occurred on October 24 of the same year, after its ratification by

the majority of States, including the permanent members of the Security Council.

The Statute of the International Court of Justice is an integral part of the Charter.

Since 1963, the UN General Assembly has approved amendments to articles 23,

27, 61, 62 and 109 of the Charter, highlighting the amendment to Article 23 that

increased the number of members of the Security Council from eleven to fifteen.

Spain in Peacekeeping Operations

The UN Peacekeeping Forces, popularly known as "blue helmets", were born in

November 1956, although the first peacekeeping mission began in 1948 in the

Middle East. Its function is to control disputes between countries or

communities, avoiding confrontations, while negotiations are carried out that can

put an end to conflicts.

The activities of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPO) are one of

the most important of the United Nations, and have been carried out since 1948,

very shortly after the creation of the organization. The department directs

operations and creates the right conditions for lasting peace in countries affected

by conflict. Military, police and civilian personnel work in each peacekeeping

operation, with the ultimate goal of providing security and support for the

consolidation of a political peace.

The first was approved in 1948, in May, when the United Nations Organization

for the Supervision of the Truce (UNTSO) between Israel, the Palestinians and

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several Arab countries was launched, which is still active. In January 1949, the

United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)

began to operate and, like the previous one, is still present. Since then, the balance

of the DOP supposes more than 70 operations all over the world. Currently, many

people are involved in the different 14 active operations in the world directed

from the DPO.

According to the count released by the United Nations (March 2019), these

missions deploy 102,554 troops, of which 88,268 are uniformed personnel

(military and police), 12,392 are civilians, and 1,354 are United Nations

volunteers. Since the beginning of these operations, a total of 3,828 members of

the United Nations peacekeeping missions have lost their lives in the

performance of their duties. The peacekeeping forces were collectively awarded

the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.

Spain has been contributing to United Nations Peacekeeping Operations for 30

years, having participated in fifty missions on four continents in which it has

deployed more than 160,000 civilian and military personnel from the three

Armies of our Armed Forces, as well as the State Security Forces and Bodies.

Currently, the Spanish military effort in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations

is concentrated in Lebanon (participation in UNIFIL/FINUL led by the UN DOP),

while the National Police Corps and the Civil Guard make an outstanding

qualitative contribution to the police components stationed in Colombia (as

observers in the Political Mission led by the UN Department of Political Affairs

and Peacebuilding in that country) as well as in other operational Missions in

Mali, the Central African Republic and Haiti.

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 International Organizations. Prof. Dr.Dr. José Escribano. 2025. UC3M

Member of Spain in IO of the UN System

United Nations (UN). Member since 1955.

• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
• Universal Postal Union (UPU)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
• World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
• International Labour Organization (ILO)
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• International Monetary Fund (IMF )
• World Bank ( WB )
• International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• International Development Association (IDA)
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD )
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
• International Criminal Court (ICC)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
• Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW )

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B ) Spain and European Integration

European Union (EU). Member since january, 1st. 1986

Source: MAUEC

Spain's aspirations to achieve its incorporation into the European Communities

gained momentum with the arrival of democracy and, for this purpose, the

Government of President Adolfo Suárez officially requested, on July 26, 1977,

accession to the EEC (today the European Union). European). This Spanish

aspiration was satisfied eight years later -on June 12, 1985- with the signing of

the Accession Treaty in Madrid and effective integration into the Economic

Community on January 1, 1986. Since then, Spain's path has been marked by

important advances that have resulted in the welfare of Spanish society as a

whole.

Three and a half years after its accession -in June 1989- Spain incorporated its

national currency (peseta) into the Exchange Mechanism of the European

Monetary System, established by France, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and

Luxembourg since 1979. Likewise, Spain reinforced its commitment to

integration by signing the Schengen Agreement in June 1991, which, delving into

the concept of a "Europe without Borders", involved the progressive elimination

of border controls between Member States.

The signing of the Maastricht Treaty (1992) gave the European Union its current

name as well as the design of the roadmap towards a common currency. That

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same year, during the Edinburgh Summit, the Member States established the so-

called Cohesion Fund for environmental, transport and energy infrastructure

projects in countries with an income level below 90% of the EU average. As a

consequence of this, Spain obtained, together with the rest of the structural funds

received, invaluable support for regional revitalization and development.

In December 1995, coinciding with the end of the second rotating Spanish

Presidency of the EU, the denomination "euro" was agreed in Madrid for the

common European currency, the implementation of which took place

successfully as of January 2002. This fact made Spain a participant, as a founding

member, of the new European currency that has meant the effective

materialization of a unifying project such as the EMU that aspires to the economic

integration of all the Member States.

Spain has played an active role in the construction of the European project,

involving itself in the negotiation of the treaties of Amsterdam (1997), Nice

(2001), the failed Constitutional Treaty (2004) and Lisbon (2009), in force since

december, 1st, 2009. In the same way, it has been contributing to the

development of policies with sustained contributions in areas as diverse as

citizenship, cohesion policy, cultural and linguistic diversity, judicial cooperation

or the fight against terrorism, as well as leaving its mark on foreign relations,

especially in regarding the policy oriented towards Latin America and the

southern shore of the Mediterranean.

Spain has held the six-monthly rotating Presidency of the Council on four

occasions, two of them (1989 and 1995) during the governments of Felipe

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González; the third (2002), with José María Aznar, and the fourth (2010), with

José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero.

On July 1st, 2023, Spain assumed the fifth Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Spain's commitment to the process of European construction has always been

very intense, as Europe represents a benchmark of freedom and prosperity for

Spain. Reason why, regardless of our different governments, Spain has always

supported greater political and economic integration.

The involvement of our country has also been evidenced in the notable

managerial work of the many Spaniards who have been occupying high positions

in the European institutions.

The European Parliament has been chaired by Spaniards on three occasions:

Enrique Barón (1989-1992), José María Gil-Robles (1997-1999) and Josep

Borrell (2004-2007). For his part, Javier Solana held the position of High

Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) for a decade,

since 1999, a position also held by Josep Borrell until 2024.

Likewise, the European Commission, guardian institution of the EU Treaties, has

had the outstanding presence of Spaniards in their respective portfolios of

European commissioners: Marcelino Oreja, Pedro Solbes, Loyola de Palacio, Abel

Matutes, Miguel Arias Cañete, Joaquín Almunia, Manuel Marín, or Teresa Ribera

in the current mandate of the European Commission ( 2024-2029 ).

The European Union is the natural framework for the political and economic

development of our country, and that is why at this time Spain assumes its

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responsibilities by promoting a more efficient, more democratic Union, closer to

citizens, capable of responding to the challenges and needs of the current 21st

century.

C ) Spain and other International Organizations

MEMBERSHIP IN OTHER IO

• Council of Europe
• International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol )
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE )