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Ministates - League of Nations

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

= League of Nations =

The League of Nations (French: Société des Nations, /sɔsjete de nasjɔ̃/
abbreviated as "SDN" or "SdN") was an intergovernmental organisation
founded on 10 January 1920 as a result of the Paris Peace Conference
that ended the First World War. It was the first worldwide
intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain
world peace. Its primary goals, included preventing wars through
collective security and disarmament and settling international disputes
through negotiation and arbitration. At its greatest extent from 28
September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members.


Status: Intergovernmental organisation
Capital:
 * Palais Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland (1 November 1920 - 17 February 1936) (named Hôtel National until 1924)
 * Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland (17 February 1936 - 20 April 1946)
Official languages:
 * French, English [1]
Secretary‑General:
 * 1920–33 Sir Eric Drummond
 * 1933–40 Joseph Avenol
 * 1940–46 Seán Lester
Currency:
 * Swiss Franc (headquarters) [2]
Area:
 * varied; 17635 m² (189.82 sq ft) Palais des Nations
Established:
 * Treaty of Versailles 10 January 1920
 * First meeting 16 January 1920
Dissolved:
 * 20 April 1946

[1] Also local official languages used in the Mandates
[2] Also local currencies in the Mandates

The headquarters of the league were located in the Palais Wilson
situated within Geneva, Switzerland, and then were moved to the Palais
des Nations on 17 February 1936. The headquarters were considered a
sovereign territory of the League.

Although situated in Geneva, the premises of the headquarters were not
part of Switzerland. Though a a treaty agreement with the Swiss
government and the Canton of Geneva, the headquarters were subject of
the cantonal and federal laws. Police, fire protection and utility
services were provided by the Swiss Confederation.


== International Status ==

The League was an international organization, not a country, and de iure
the headquarters was a territory over which it held full sovereignty.
The charter also specified that the League is sovereign only over the
“permanent headquarters”; thus only Palais Wilson and later Palais des
Nations were considered sovereign territories of the League.

A League of Nations mandate was a legal status for certain territories
transferred from the control of one country to another following World
War I, or the legal instruments that contained the internationally
agreed-upon terms for administering the territory on behalf of the
League of Nations.

Although not really a League territory, they were often considered such
and included under this designation in various lists and treaties..

By the transfer of League assets to the newly established United Nations
and dissolution of the League, the Palais des Nations ceased to be a
sovereign territory; though it retained extraterritoriality status; the
remaining mandates were transferred into United Nations trust
territories.

== Passports & Citizenship ==

The League issued two kinds of passports. A diplomatic passport was
issued only to high ranking officials and only for work purposes.
Nansen passports were issued as refugee travel documents from 1922 to
1938. They were named after their promoter, the statesman and polar
explorer Fridtjof Nansen.

The passport issued by the League was written in French; Nansen identity
certificate issued by other countries were often written in French and
the language of the country (and they were technically not passports).

The League covenant has no provision for citizenship, and therefore
there were no recognized citizens of the League. In case a woman would
give birth in the headquarters, most likely the child would be stateless
under jus soli, unless the country of the parents follows the jus
sanguinis principle. Such a case was however never documented.

The citizenship of the Mandates was separate, and continued after the
Mandates gained full independence.


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Ministates - League of Nations garabik-news-2005-05@kassiopeia.juls.savba.sk - 2019-05-25 18:07 +0000

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