Regulatory Cooperation Between International Organizations: Uncovering Innovative International Law-Making Processes

International organizations have conquered an important place in international law in the past decades. With hundreds of international organizations in existence today and many working in the same fields and addressing similar issues, there is a growing need for coordinated actions and unified responses to better tackle globalchallenges. As a result, international organizations often cooperate in their regulatory activities to address gaps, overlaps and conflicts. For
instance, several organizations provide inputs into decisions on measures to mitigate climate change, including the UN, OECD, FAO, WHO, World Bank, and EU; the FAO reviews proposals for the listing of marine species as endangered before the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species approves them; and food safety standards are approved by a body jointly established by the FAO and the WHO in which the EU
also participates. While regulatory interactions between organizations have been increasing, legal scholarship has failed to catch up with these practices. This research project aims to fill that gap. It comprehensively maps regulatory cooperation practices betweeninternational organizations. Furthermore, it analyzes the diversity of cooperation rules and instruments, assesses the outcomes of cooperation, and inquires into their democratic accountability. Finally,
the project seeks to integrate these practices in the theory of international law-making.