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International organization
 
 
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An intergovernmental organization (IGO) is an organization
Organization

An organization is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals, which controls its own performance, and which has a boundary separating it from its environment....
 comprised primarily of sovereign
Sovereignty

File:Leviathan gr.jpgSovereignty is the exclusive right to control a government, a State, a people, or oneself. A sovereign is a supreme lawmaking authority....
 states
State (law)

The term State has several meanings in law:# in private international law and conflict of laws, State can refer to a well-defined jurisdiction, with its own set of laws and courts....
 (referred to as member states), or of other intergovernmental organization. Intergovernmental organizations are often called international organizations
International organization

An intergovernmental organization is an organization comprised primarily of Sovereignty State , or of other intergovernmental organization. Intergovernmental organizations are often called International_organization, although that term may also include international nongovernmental organization such as international non-profit organizations...
, although that term may also include international nongovernmental organization
International nongovernmental organization

An international nongovernmental organization is a voluntary association of organizations or individuals for worldwide or regional action.The term Non-governmental organization or NGO is sometimes used to describe these groups, although it more correctly refers to an entity working domestically....
 such as international non-profit organization
Non-profit organization

A nonprofit organization is any organization that does not aim to make a profit, and which is not a public body....
s (NGOs) or multinational corporation
Multinational corporation

A multinational corporation or transnational corporation is a corporation or enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country....
s.

Intergovernmental organizations are an important aspect of public international law.






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An intergovernmental organization (IGO) is an organization
Organization

An organization is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals, which controls its own performance, and which has a boundary separating it from its environment....
 comprised primarily of sovereign
Sovereignty

File:Leviathan gr.jpgSovereignty is the exclusive right to control a government, a State, a people, or oneself. A sovereign is a supreme lawmaking authority....
 states
State (law)

The term State has several meanings in law:# in private international law and conflict of laws, State can refer to a well-defined jurisdiction, with its own set of laws and courts....
 (referred to as member states), or of other intergovernmental organization. Intergovernmental organizations are often called international organizations
International organization

An intergovernmental organization is an organization comprised primarily of Sovereignty State , or of other intergovernmental organization. Intergovernmental organizations are often called International_organization, although that term may also include international nongovernmental organization such as international non-profit organizations...
, although that term may also include international nongovernmental organization
International nongovernmental organization

An international nongovernmental organization is a voluntary association of organizations or individuals for worldwide or regional action.The term Non-governmental organization or NGO is sometimes used to describe these groups, although it more correctly refers to an entity working domestically....
 such as international non-profit organization
Non-profit organization

A nonprofit organization is any organization that does not aim to make a profit, and which is not a public body....
s (NGOs) or multinational corporation
Multinational corporation

A multinational corporation or transnational corporation is a corporation or enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country....
s.

Intergovernmental organizations are an important aspect of public international law. IGOs are established by treaty
Treaty

A Treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. A Treaty may also be known as: agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, exchange of letters, etc....
 that acts as a charter
Charter

A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified....
 creating the group. Treaties are formed when lawful representatives (government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
s) of several states go through a ratification
Ratification

Ratification is the act of approving and paying for supplies or services provided to and accepted by the government as a result of an unauthorized commitment....
 process, providing the IGO with an international legal personality.

Intergovernmental organizations in a legal sense should be distinguished from simple groupings or coalition
Coalition

A coalition is an Wiktionary:alliance among individuals, during which they cooperate in Joint venture, each in his own self-interest. Joining forces together for a common cause....
s of states, such as the G8
G8

The Group of Eight is a forum for governments of eight nations of the northern hemisphere: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States; in addition, the European Union is represented within the G8, but cannot host or chair....
 or the Quartet
Quartet on the Middle East

The Quartet on the Middle East, sometimes called the Diplomatic Quartet or Madrid Quartet or simply the Quartet, is a foursome of nations and international and supranational entities involved in mediating the peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict....
. Such groups or associations have not been founded by a constituent document and exist only as task groups.

Intergovernmental organizations must also be distinguished from treaties. Many treaties (such as the North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement

The North American Free Trade Agreement is a trilateral trade bloc in North America created by the governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico....
, or the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was the outcome of the failure of negotiating governments to create the International Trade Organization ....
 before the establishment of the World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization is an international organization designed to supervise and Free trade international trade. The WTO came into being on 1 January 1995, and is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which was created in 1947, and continued to operate for almost five decades as a de facto international org...
) do not establish an organization and instead rely purely on the parties for their administration becoming legally recognized as an ad hoc
Ad hoc

Ad hoc is a List of Latin phrases which means "for this [purpose]". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalisable and which cannot be adapted to other purposes....
 commission. Other treaties have established an administrative apparatus which was not deemed to have be granted international legal personality.

Types and purposes

Intergovernmental organizations differ in function, membership and membership criteria. They have various goals and scopes, often outlined in the treaty or charter
Charter

A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified....
. Some IGOs developed to fulfill a need for a neutral forum for debate or negotiation
Negotiation

Negotiation is a dialogue intended to Dispute resolution, to produce an agreement upon courses of action, to bargain for individual or Collective bargaining, or to craft outcomes to satisfy various interests....
 to resolve disputes. Others developed to carry out mutual interests in a unified form.

Common stated aims are to preserve peace
Peace

Peace is a term that most commonly refers to an absence of aggression, violence or hostility, but which also represents a larger concept wherein there are healthy or newly-healed interpersonal relationship or international relations, safety in matters of social or economic welfare, the acknowledgment of equality and fairness in political re...
 through conflict resolution
Conflict resolution

Conflict resolution is a range of processes aimed at alleviating or eliminating sources of conflict. The term "conflict resolution" is sometimes used interchangeably with the term dispute resolution or alternative dispute resolution....
 and better international relations
International relations

International relations represents the study of foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, international organization , non-governmental organizations , and multinational corporations ....
, promote international cooperation on matters such as environmental
Natural environment

The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a term that encompasses all life and non-living things occurring nature on Earth or some region thereof....
 protection, to promote human rights
Human rights

Human rights refer to the "basic rights and freedom to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of speech, and equality before the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, i...
, to promote social development
Social change

Social development redirects here. For the aspect of human biological development, see psychosocial developmentSocial change is a general term which refers to:...
 (education
Education

File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
, health care
Health care

File:Ear surgery on a patient.jpgFile:Monoclonal antibodies3.jpgHealth care, or healthcare, refers to the treatment and management of illness, and the preservation of health through services offered by the Medicine, pharmaceutical, Dentistry, clinical laboratory sciences , nursing, and allied health professions....
), to render humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid

Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarianism purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crisis. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity....
, and to economic development
Economic development

Economic development is the development of wealth of countries or regions for the well-being of their inhabitants. It is the process by which a nation improves the economic, political, and social well being of its people....
. Some are more general in scope (the United Nations) while others may have subject-specific missions (such as Interpol or the International Organization for Standardization
International Organization for Standardization

The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO , is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations....
 and other standards organization
Standards organization

A standards organization, standards body, standards development organization or SDO is any entity whose primary activities are developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpreting, or otherwise maintaining standards that address the interests of a wide base of users outside the standards develo...
s). Common types include:

  • Worldwide or global organizations - generally open to nations worldwide as long as certain criteria are met. This category includes the United Nations
    United Nations

    The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
     (UN) and its specialized agencies, the Universal Postal Union
    Universal Postal Union

    The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, and hence the world-wide postal system....
    , Interpol
    Interpol

    The International Criminal Police Organization, better known by its Electrical telegraph Interpol, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation....
    , the World Trade Organization
    World Trade Organization

    The World Trade Organization is an international organization designed to supervise and Free trade international trade. The WTO came into being on 1 January 1995, and is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which was created in 1947, and continued to operate for almost five decades as a de facto international org...
     (WTO), and the International Monetary Fund
    International Monetary Fund

    The International Monetary Fund is an international organization that oversees the global financial system by following the macroeconomic policies of its member countries, in particular those with an impact on exchange rates and the balance of payments....
     (IMF).
  • Regional organization
    Regional organization

    Regional Organisations are in a sense, international organizations , as they incorporate international membership and encompass Geopolitics entities that operationally transcend a single nation state....
    s - open to members from a particular region
    Subregion

    A subregion is a conceptual unit which derives from a larger region or continent and is usually based on location. Cardinal directions, such as south or southern, are commonly used to define a subregion....
     or continent
    Continent

    A continent is one of several large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents ? they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia ....
     of the world. This categories includes the Council of Europe
    Council of Europe

    The Council of Europe is the oldest international organisation working towards European integration, having been founded in 1949. It has a particular emphasis on legal standards, human rights, democracy development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation....
     (CoE), European Union
    European Union

    The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European Union member state, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community....
     (EU), African Union
    African Union

    The African Union is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of 53 African states. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity ....
     (AU), Organization of American States
    Organization of American States

    The Organization of American States is an international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. Its members are the thirty-five independent states of the Americas....
     (OAS), Association of Southeast Asian Nations
    Association of Southeast Asian Nations

    The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated ASEAN , is a geo-political and economic organization of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand....
     (ASEAN), and Union of South American Nations.
  • Cultural, linguistic, ethnic, religious, or historical organizations - open to members based on some cultural, linguistic, ethnic, religious, or historical link. Examples include the Commonwealth of Nations
    Commonwealth of Nations

    The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
    , La Francophonie
    La Francophonie

    La Francophonie, or the Francophonie, is an international organization of polities and governments with French language as the mother or customary language, wherein a significant proportion of people are francophone or where there is a notable affiliation with the French language or Culture of France....
    , Community of Portuguese Language Countries
    Community of Portuguese Language Countries

    The Community of Portuguese Language Countries is the intergovernmental organization for friendship among lusophone nations where Portuguese is an official language....
    , Latin Union
    Latin Union

    The Latin Union is an international organization of nations that use a Romance languages. Its aim is to protect, project, and promote the common heritage and unifying identities of the Latin, and Latin-influenced, world....
    , or Organisation of the Islamic Conference
  • Economic organizations - based on economic organization. Some are dedicated to free trade
    Free trade

    Free trade is a type of trade policy that allows traders to act and transact without coercive interference from government. Thus, the policy permits trading partners mutual gains from trade, with goods and services produced according to the law of comparative advantage....
    , the reduction of trade barriers (the World Trade Organization) and International Monetary Fund. Others are focused on international development
    International development

    International development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development - the development of livelihoods and greater quality of life for humans....
    . International cartel
    Cartel

    A cartel is a formal agreement among firms. It is a formal organization of producers that agree to coordinate prices and production. Cartels usually occur in an Oligopoly, where there is a small number of sellers and usually involve homogeneous products....
    s, such as the Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries (OPEC), also exist. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
    Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

    The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international organization of 30 countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and free market economy....
     was founded as an economics-focused organization. An example of a recently-formed economic IGO is the Bank of the South
    Bank of the South

    The Bank of the South ; or BancoSur is a monetary fund and lending organization first proposed by Venezuelan President of Venezuela Hugo Ch?vez....
    .


Some organizations, such as NATO
NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization , also called the Atlantic Alliance, is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949....
, have collective security
Collective security

Collective security can be understood as a security arrangement in which all states cooperate collectively to provide security for all by the actions of all against any states within the groups which might challenge the existing order by using force....
 or mutual defense provisions.

The Union of International Associations
Union of International Associations

The Union of International Associations is a non-profit organization non-governmental organization researching, under UN mandate, the global civil society and publishing information on Yearbook of International Organizations, International Congress Calendar, Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential, etc....
 publishes an annual directory of organizations
Yearbook of International Organizations

The most up-to-date and comprehensive reference to international organizations published by the Union of International Associations .Unchallenged in this field of reference since 1910, the Yearbook of International Organizations provides the most extensive coverage of non-profit international organizations available today, whether governm...
 and provides ancillary information on most international organizations, both intergovernmental and non-governmental.

History

While treaties, alliance
Alliance

An alliance is an agreement between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests. The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, between the Kingdom of England and Portugal, is the oldest alliance in the world which is still in force....
s, and multilateral
Multilateralism

Multilateralism is a term in international relations that refers to multiple countries working in concert on a given issue.Most international organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization are multilateral in nature....
 conferences had existed for centuries, IGOs only began to be established in the 19th century. Among the first were the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine
Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine

The Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine is an international organisation whose function is to encourage European prosperity by guaranteeing a high level of security for navigation of the Rhine and environs....
, initiated in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts involving Napoleon I of France First French Empire and changing sets of European allies and opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815....
, and the future International Telegraph Union
International Telecommunication Union

The International Telecommunication Union is the second-oldest international organization still in existence , established to standardize and regulate international radio and telecommunications....
, which was founded by the signing of the International Telegraph Convention by 20 countries in May 1865.

See also

  • List of intergovernmental organizations
    List of intergovernmental organizations

    The following is a list of intergovernmental organizations....
  • List of organizations with .INT domain names
    List of organizations with .INT domain names

    This is a list of organizations with .INT domain names, in alphabetical order of the second-level domain name. The list is not comprehensive; there are around 130 domains delegated under .INT...
  • Intergovernmentalism
    Intergovernmentalism

    The term Intergovernmentalism can mean different things:...
  • International organisations in Europe
    International organisations in Europe

    The following table lists the independent Europe#Independent States, and their memberships in selected organizations and treaties, and their use of the Euro....
  • International trade
    International trade

    International trade is exchange of Capital , goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, it represents a significant share of gross domestic product ....
    /list of international trade topics
    List of international trade topics

    This is a list of international trade topics.* Absolute advantage* Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights * Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ...
  • List of international organizations
    List of international organizations

    This is an alphabetical list of international organisations and non-governmental organisations with the country or region in which their main or international office is based....
  • Multilateral development bank
    Multilateral Development Bank

    A multilateral development bank is an institution, created by a group of countries, that provides financing and professional advising for the purpose of international development....
  • Non-aggression pact
    Non-aggression pact

    A non-aggression pact is an international treaty between two or more states, agreeing to avoid war or armed conflict between them and resolve their disputes through peaceful negotiations....
  • Supranational aspects of international organizations
    Supranational aspects of international organizations

    Many international organizations also have Supranationalism aspects, meaning that decisions can be made by the organization as a whole that are binding on member states that disagree....
  • Supranationalism
    Supranationalism

    Supranationalism is a method of decision-making in multi-national political communities, wherein power is transferred to an authority broader than governments of member states....
  • Supranational union
    Supranational union

    A supranational union, sometimes also called a supranational state, is a group of countries that has:* some of the traits of a regional international organization...
  • Trade bloc
    Trade bloc

    A trade bloc is a type of intergovernmental agreement, often part of a regional intergovernmental organization, where regional barriers to trade are reduced or eliminated among the participating states....
  • World government
    World government

    World government is the concept of a political body that would make, interpret and enforce international law. Inherent to the concept of a world government is the idea that nations would be required to pool or surrender sovereignty over some areas....


Further readings and External References

  • Claude, I.L. (1959). Swords into Plowshares: The problems and progress of international organization. New York: Random House
http://untreaty.un.org/English/Seminar/Laos_03/intorganizations.ppt
http://www.aallnet.org/sis/fcilsis/Syllabi/kuehl/Introduction%20to%20Intergovernmental%20Organizations%20and%20Non-Governmental.ppt
  • Free service allowing search through websites of all intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) as recognized and profiled by the Union of International Associations
    Union of International Associations

    The Union of International Associations is a non-profit organization non-governmental organization researching, under UN mandate, the global civil society and publishing information on Yearbook of International Organizations, International Congress Calendar, Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential, etc....
    .
  • Reports on the activities of various intergovernmental organizations maintained by the American Society of International Law
    American Society of International Law

    The American Society of International Law is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational membership organization, based in Washington, D.C.. It was founded in 1906, and was chartered by the United States Congress in 1950....
    .