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{{Unreferenced|date=June 2008}}
An '''international organization''' is, by definition, any organization with international membership, scope, or presence. However, in common usage, the term is usually reserved for '''intergovernmental organizations''' ('''IGO''') such as the [[United Nations|U.N.]], the Council of Europe, or the World Trade Organization, with sovereign states or other IGOs as members. Their scope and aims are most usually in the public interest but may also have been created with a specific purpose.
An '''international organization''' is, by definition, any organization with international membership, scope, or presence. In common usage, the term is usually reserved for [[intergovernmental organization]]s ('''IGO''') such as the [[United Nations|U.N.]], the Council of Europe, or the World Trade Organization, whose members are sovereign states or other IGOs.<br />


While many [[non-governmental organization]]s (NGOs), a generalising term used for privately created organizations with international scope, certainly have international presence and aims, it is in the sense of IGOs that the term "international organization" is used in the remainder of this article. NGOs tend to relate more to global issues on individual levels rather than state problems on systemic levels.
While many [[non-governmental organization]]s (NGOs), a generalizing term used for privately created organizations with international scope, certainly have international presence and aims, it is in the sense of IGO that the term "international organization" is more properly used. NGOs tend to relate more to global issues on individual levels rather than state problems on systemic levels.


Hence, '''international organization''' has become a less specific term. Official and technical documents now favor [[intergovernmental organization]] ([[IGO]]) and [[non-governmental organization]] (NGO) to ensure clarity.
==Legal nature==
Legally speaking, an international organization may be established by a constituent document such as a [[charter]], a [[treaty]] or a [[Convention]], which when signed by the founding members, provides the IGO with [[Juristic person|legal recognition]]. International organizations so established are [[subject of international law|subjects of international law]], capable of entering into agreements among themselves or with states. Thus international organizations in a legal sense are distinguished from mere groupings of states, such as the [[G-8]] and the [[Group of 77|G-77]], neither of which have been founded by a constituent document and exist only as [[task group]]s, though in non-legal contexts these are sometimes referred erroneously as international organizations.

International organizations must also be distinguished from treaties. Many treaties (e.g., the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA) or, in the 1947-1995 period, the [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]] (GATT)) do not establish an international organization and rely purely on the parties for their administration becoming legally recognised as an ''[[ad hoc]]'' commission.

==Membership and function==

International organizations differ in function, membership and membership criteria. Membership of some organisations ([[global organization]]s) is open to all the nations of [[Earth|the world]] as far as they comply with membership criteria and after approval by a general assembly or similar body. This category includes the [[United Nations]] and its specialised agencies and the [[World Trade Organization]]. Other organisations are only open to members from a particular [[subregion|region]] or [[continent]] of the world, like [[European Union]], [[African Union]], [[ASEAN]] and other regional organisations.

Finally, some organisations base their membership on other criteria: '''cultural or historical links''' (the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], [[La Francophonie]], the [[Community of Portuguese Language Countries]], the [[Latin Union]]), level of '''economic''' development or type of economy ([[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD), [[Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries]] (OPEC), or '''religion''' ([[Organisation of the Islamic Conference]]).

The [[Union of International Associations]] provides ancillary information on international organisations.

==Historical Development of International Organisations==
{{Expand|date=August 2007}}

International organisations developed mainly from the need of nations and governments to have a neutral forum where to debate and consider matters of importance to more than one particular nation. However, some IOs also developed from the need of an either executive or enforcement body which could carry on multinational interests in a unified form.

Among the first IOs were the [[Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine]], initiated in the aftermath of the [[Napoleonic Wars]], and the future [[International Telecommunications Union]], which was founded by the signing of the [[International Telegraph Convention]] by twenty countries in May 1865.

In the nineteenth century, [[France]] showed interest in the creation of many international organisations (such as those which maintain the ''[[SI|Système international d'unités]]'' ([[metric system]])){{Fact|date=December 2007}}.

==Purpose of International organisations==
International organisations describe and define their purpose in their charter or other document of creation. International Organisations exist with diverse aims, including but not limited to increase international relations, promote education, health care, economic development, environmental protection, human rights, humanitarian efforts, inter-cultural approach and conflict resolution.

==Examples of organisations==
===Global organisations===

*[[United Nations]], its [[:Category:United Nations specialized agencies|specialized agencies]], and associated organisations
*[[International Hydrographic Organization]]
*[[International Seabed Authority]]
*[[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons]]
*[[World Trade Organization]]
*[[INTERPOL]]

===Regional organisations===
The members of a '''regional organization''' are generally considered to share a [[geographic region]].
[[Image:Continental Orgs Map.png|450px|right|thumb|Organisations grouping almost all the countries in their respective continents. Note that [[Russia]] is member of both the [[Council of Europe]] (COE) and the [[Asia Cooperation Dialogue]] (ACD), and [[Cuba]] is currently a [[Cuban relations with the Organization of American States|''suspended'' member]] of the [[Organization of American States]] (OAS)]]

[[Image:Regional Organizations Map.png|450px|right|thumb|Several smaller regional organizations with non-overlapping memberships.]]

[[Image:Alliances expansive Map.png|450px|right|thumb|Several non-overlapping large alliances. Softer colours indicate observer/associate or candidate countries.]]

'''Europe''':
*[[European Union]] (EU)
*[[Council of Europe]] (COE)
*[[European Free Trade Association]] (EFTA)
*[[European Patent Organization]] (EPO)
*[[Western European Union]]
*[[Eiroforum]]
:*[[European Space Agency]] (ESA)
:*[[European Organization for Nuclear Research|CERN]](CERN)
:*[[European Southern Observatory]] (ESO)
*[[Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission]]
*[[Benelux]]
*[[Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union]]
*[[British-Irish Council]]
*[[Nordic Council]]
*[[Nordic Investment Bank]]
*[[Organisation conjointe de coopération en matière d'armement]](OCCAR)
*[[Agency for international trade information and cooperation]](AITIC)

'''Asia''':
*[[Asia Cooperation Dialogue]] (ACD)
*[[Asian Development Bank]] (ADB)
*[[East Asian Summit]] (EAS)
*[[Association of Southeast Asian Nations]] (ASEAN)
*[[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation]] (SAARC)
*[[Economic Cooperation Organization]] (ECO)
*[[Gulf Cooperation Council]]
*[[Colombo Plan]]

'''Eurasia''':
*[[Commonwealth of Independent States]] (CIS)
*[[Shanghai Cooperation Organization]] (SCO)
*[[Eurasian Economic Community]]
*[[Central Asian Cooperation Organization]]
*[[TRACECA]]
*[[GUAM]]
*[[Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation]] (BSEC)

'''Africa''':
*[[African Union]]
*[[Conseil de l'Entente]]
*[[Economic Community of West African States]] (ECOWAS)
*[[West African Economic and Monetary Union]] (UEMOA)
*[[Southern African Development Community]] (SADC)
*[[Intergovernmental Authority on Development]] (IGAD)
*[[Arab Maghreb Union]]

'''The Americas''':
*[[Organization of American States]] (OAS)
*[[Union of South American Nations]]
:*[[Mercosur]]
:*[[Andean Community]]
*[[Caribbean Community]] (CARICOM)
*[[Association of Caribbean States]] (ACS)
*[[Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States]] (OECS)
*[[Central American Parliament]]
*[[Rio Group]]
*[[Cooperation System of the American Air Forces]](SICOFAA)

'''Trans-Atlantic''':
*[[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO)
*[[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (OSCE)
*[[South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone]] (ZPCAS)

'''Arctic Ocean''':
* [[Arctic Council]]

'''Indian Ocean''':
* [[Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation]] (IOR-ARC)
* [[Indian Ocean Commission]] (IOC)

'''Pacific''':
*[[ANZUS]]
*[[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation]] (APEC)
*[[Pacific Islands Forum]]
*[[Pacific Regional Environment Programme]] (SPREP)
*[[Secretariat of the Pacific Community]]

===Organisations with various membership criteria===
[[Image:Postempire Orgs Map.png|450px|right|thumb|International organisations that largely represent the independent states formed after the breakup of an empire. [[La Francophonie]] has overlapping membership with all three of the other organisations shown in the map.]]

*[[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD)
*[[OPEC|Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries]] (OPEC)
*[[Commonwealth of Nations]]
*[[La Francophonie]]
*[[Comunidade dos países de língua portuguesa]] (CPLP)
*[[Organization of Ibero-American States]] (OEI)
*[[Unión Latina]]
*[[Non-Aligned Movement]]
*[[Arab League]]
*[[Organisation of the Islamic Conference]]
*[[Advisory Centre on WTO Law]]

===Financial international organisations===
* [[Bank for International Settlements]]
* [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF)
* [[World Bank Group]]


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Intergovernmental organization]]
* [[List of international organisations]]
* [[List of international organizations]]
* [[International organisations in Europe]]
* [[International organizations in Europe]]
* [[Supranationalism]]
* [[Supranationalism]]
* [[Supranational aspects of international organizations]]
* [[Supranational aspects of international organizations]]
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* [[Energie-Cités]]
* [[Energie-Cités]]
* [[Multilateral Development Bank]]
* [[Multilateral Development Bank]]

==Further reading==
* Claude, I.L. (1959). ''Swords into Plowshares: The problems and progress of international organization''. New York: Random House.

[[Category:International organizations|*]]
[[Category:International relations]]
[[Category:Lists of organizations]]
[[Category:International trade]]
[[Category:World government]]
[[Category:International law]]

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[[de:Internationale Organisation (Völkerrecht)]]
[[et:Rahvusvaheline organisatsioon]]
[[es:Organización internacional]]
[[eo:Internacia organizaĵo]]
[[eu:Nazioarteko erakunde]]
[[fa:سازمان بین‌المللی]]
[[fr:Organisation internationale]]
[[fur:Relazions e Organizazions Internazionâls]]
[[hr:Međunarodna organizacija]]
[[is:Alþjóðastofnun]]
[[it:Organizzazione internazionale]]
[[he:ארגון בינלאומי]]
[[kn:ಅಂತರರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಸಂಘಟನೆಗಳು]]
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[[pt:Organização internacional]]
[[ru:Международные организации]]
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[[sr:Међународна организација]]
[[sh:Međunarodna organizacija]]
[[fi:Kansainvälinen järjestö]]
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[[uk:Міжнародні організації]]
[[zh:国际组织]]

Revision as of 09:52, 12 June 2008

An international organization is, by definition, any organization with international membership, scope, or presence. In common usage, the term is usually reserved for intergovernmental organizations (IGO) such as the U.N., the Council of Europe, or the World Trade Organization, whose members are sovereign states or other IGOs.

While many non-governmental organizations (NGOs), a generalizing term used for privately created organizations with international scope, certainly have international presence and aims, it is in the sense of IGO that the term "international organization" is more properly used. NGOs tend to relate more to global issues on individual levels rather than state problems on systemic levels.

Hence, international organization has become a less specific term. Official and technical documents now favor intergovernmental organization (IGO) and non-governmental organization (NGO) to ensure clarity.

See also

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