league-of-nations.org

Continuity

Continuity

Who We Are

We are the League of Nations. As of January 14, 2026, we publicly declare the revival of the League as an international civil association, acting in the logic of the former peacekeeping mission and the principles of collective security. Our voice claims political weight and must be taken into account by governments, international organizations, and the UN, as we represent the direct will of people from different countries and operate through open democratic procedures.

Historical Continuity

The League of Nations was the first universal organization created after the First World War: its Covenant was adopted in 1919 and entered into force on January 10, 1920. The League sought to prevent wars through diplomacy and collective security, and after April 18, 1946, many of its functions were transferred to the United Nations. We regard ourselves as the civic successors of this peacekeeping idea and continue it at the civil level.

We accept full historical and programmatic continuity of the League of Nations’ mission:

We accept full historical continuity of the League of Nations in terms of values, goals, and peacekeeping functions: prevention of war, development of international law, protection of civilian victims, and mechanisms of collective responsibility.

We continue the work where the historical League completed its mandate: we are creating a modern civic infrastructure of peace based on direct democracy and global representativeness.

We claim political weight: our resolutions are formed through direct democracy by members from different countries and are addressed to states and international organizations, including the UN.

Legal Basis of Our Activities

We operate within the framework of freedom of association enshrined in international law and have the right to exist as an international NGO, entering into consultative relations with the UN (ECOSOC, Article 71 of the UN Charter; Resolution 1996/31). This is a recognized channel for influencing the global agenda. (un.org)

Our activities are based on the right of people to freely associate and participate in public life. This means that the civic League of Nations may exist and operate without mandatory state registration, while registration is required only where national laws attach specific advantages to it (for example, legal personality).

We build a “civic mandate” through:

  1. direct, equal voting of members from different countries;
  2. public procedures and open protocols;
  3. representativeness — a broad international membership base;
  4. institutionalization of interaction with the UN system through obtaining consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and participation in relevant processes.

The legal path of influence is provided by the UN Charter itself: non-governmental international associations may establish “suitable consultative arrangements” with the UN and participate in the work of ECOSOC and its bodies in the prescribed manner. This formalizes the political significance of our positions on the global agenda.

What the Law Says

The right of people to freely associate and create organizations is an international standard. It covers both registered and unregistered associations; any restrictions are permissible only by law and must be necessary and proportionate. These guarantees are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 20) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 22). (un.org)

UN practice clarifies: associations, including unregistered groups, have the right to operate, and registration may not be used as an arbitrary barrier. This is reflected in the thematic report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (A/HRC/20/27), as well as in the OSCE/Venice Commission Joint Guidelines on Freedom of Association. (digitallibrary.un.org)

Our Path to Recognition and Influence

We are building formal relations with the UN system through consultative status with ECOSOC. The UN Charter (Article 71) and ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31 explicitly provide for consultative relationships with non-governmental international organizations—this is an institutional channel for participation in UN processes and for giving weight to our positions. (un.org)

Our Course Toward Institutional Recognition

We seek to formalize our influence:

  1. by obtaining consultative status with ECOSOC;
  2. with the support of states — by applying for observer status at the UN General Assembly (as is possible for certain NGOs; example: the ICRC, 1990);
  3. by initiating an intergovernmental declaration recognizing our historical and programmatic continuity and, subject to the political will of states, a new founding treaty on the status of the revived League. (digitallibrary.un.org)

Our Mandatory Principle

Any individual or organization that unequivocally condemns wars and commits to steadfastly defending peace by legal means may join the League.

Public Revival

By this declaration of January 14, 2026, we announce the revival of the League of Nations (civic) as an international civil association. From the moment this statement is published, the League is considered revived and to have commenced its activities in accordance with the charter and principles set forth on the website.

Principle of Membership and Direct Democracy

Citizens of different countries and organizations join the League on the basis of one mandatory principle: an unequivocal condemnation of wars and readiness to stand firmly in defense of peace. Decisions are made by direct voting of members on key issues — one member = one vote, with open protocols and transparent procedures.

Reference Links (for internal use)

  1. Transition from the League of Nations to the UN; decision on the dissolution of the League in April 1946, UN Geneva materials:
    https://www.ungeneva.org/en/about/league-of-nations/transition
  2. UN Charter, Preamble “We the peoples…” and Article 71 on consultative arrangements with NGOs:
    https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text
  3. ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31: criteria and rights of NGOs with consultative status:
    https://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ngo/Resolution_1996_31/
  4. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 20 (freedom of peaceful assembly and association):
    https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
  5. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Articles 20–22 (prohibition of war propaganda; freedom of assembly and association):
    https://2covenants.ohchr.org/About-ICCPR.html