Internal Adjudication by International Organizations

This chapter considers the nature, remit, and functioning of review mechanisms established by international organizations to address grievances concerning their conduct. Do these mechanisms serve as adequate modes of redress for injured individuals and can they result in effective reparation? The practice is diverse, although the mechanisms that address claims from individuals not connected to the organization remain few. A review of the most relevant mechanisms reveals different understandings of, and degrees of adherence to, external rules and principles. For the most part, there has been little regard to the procedural and substantive rights of affected individuals explored in previous chapters. But if reparation is a right belonging to victims or even an obligation owed to them as the ultimate beneficiaries, international organizations cannot restrict their procedures and claimants’ entitlements in the pursuit of their own understanding of rules and obligations.