International Organizations Immunities Act IOIA

Congress passed the International Organizations Immunities Act on December 29, 1945, as the United States prepared to host the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions. It lets the President designate public international organizations in which the United States participates, by executive order, to receive legal privileges and immunities. Dozens have been designated, from the UN, the IMF, and the World Bank to the Organization of American States and Interpol.

Designated organizations are immune from lawsuits and their property and archives cannot be searched or seized, unless they waive immunity. Their officers and employees are immune from lawsuits over acts performed in their official capacity, though not for private conduct, and their imported goods are exempt from customs duties. Staff from other countries typically hold special G-4 visas. The President can limit or revoke an organization's immunities.

The law said organizations would have the same immunity as foreign governments, but did not say whether that meant the near-total immunity of 1945 or the narrower rules adopted later. In Jam v. International Finance Corporation, decided February 27, 2019, the Supreme Court ruled 7 to 1 that organizations get only the restrictive immunity foreign governments have today, meaning they can be sued over commercial activities. Supporters of broad immunity say it protects organizations from interference by any one country, while critics say it leaves people harmed by their projects without a remedy.