In the context of globalization, integration of economies, unification of laws and erasing borders between countries, it is no longer possible to make decisions individually. It is necessary to coordinate intentions on various issues with the rest of the international community. Along with states, important organizations in world politics are international organizations. Conflicts between groups of people and countries, terrorist groups, climate change, geopolitics, development of the Arctic shelf, the disappearance of rare species of animals - this is not a complete list of issues that require their participation. To confront the new challenges of our time is possible only by joint efforts.
Definition
The international organization is a voluntary union of member states created for cooperation in the fields of economy, politics, culture, ecology, security. All their activities are based on international treaties. The nature of the interaction can be either interstate or non-state, at the level of public associations.
Signs
At the heart of any international organization are at least six main features:
- Any organization must be created and act in accordance with international legal standards. Usually, when creating such an association, all member states sign an international convention, protocol or agreement that guarantees the fulfillment of all obligations undertaken by the parties.
- The activities of international organizations are regulated by its Charter, which defines the goals, objectives, principles, structure of the association. The provisions of the Charter should not contradict the norms of international law.
- The presence of rights and obligations of all participants. Usually they are equal for any member of the association. Also, they should not cancel the independent rights of participants. State sovereignty cannot be violated. The rights of international organizations determine the status of associations, regulate the issues of their creation and activities.
- Permanent or regular activities, sessions, meetings between members to resolve international issues.
- Decision-making by a simple majority vote of members of the organization or by consensus. Final decisions are recorded on paper and signed by all participants.
- Availability of headquarters and governing bodies. Not infrequently, the Chairman of the organization acts as the latter. Participants are presided over in turn, a limited time period.
Classification
What international organizations exist? All associations are divided according to several criteria.
| Criterion | Subtype of Organization |
| International legal capacity | Intergovernmental. They are created on the basis of an agreement between the governments of the participating countries. Members are states whose interests in the organization are civil servants |
| Non-government. Relations in these associations are not regulated by government agreements. A member can be any country that agrees with the goals and objectives of the organization. A prime example is the International Chamber of Commerce. | |
| Circle of interests | Special:
|
| Universal. The range of issues addressed by the organization is not limited to one area of life. States Parties are entitled to submit any questions. A prime example is the UN | |
| Territory of action | Worldwide - Worldwide international organizations, which may include any country, regardless of geographic location. Most often, these associations have a large number of participants. Examples: World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization |
| Interregional is a community of states within several regions united by a common idea or problem. These include the Organization of Islamic Cooperation | |
| Regional - organizations that include the states of one region in their composition to resolve internal issues. An example is the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) or the Council of the Baltic Sea States | |
| Multilateral - international organizations, in which more than two countries interested in cooperation take part. Thus, the WTO (World Trade Organization) includes in its ranks any country that agrees to comply with certain trade and economic principles put forward by society. This is not related to the location or political structure of the country. | |
| Legal status | Formal ones are associations in which the meetings of the participants are formal. That is, each participant has a role to play, all meetings are documented, relations between members are depersonalized. Such organizations have a management apparatus and their own authorities. An example is OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) |
| Informal - organizations in which interaction is informal on an ongoing basis. These include giants such as the G20 and the Paris Club of creditor countries |
One organization can immediately meet several criteria.
List of Key International Organizations
According to 2017, there are 103 global organizations in the world. Some of them are permanent, others gather for sessions.
African Union
It is an international intergovernmental organization with 55 member states. The main goal of the association is the full cooperation and development of African states and peoples. His interests include economics, trade, security, education, healthcare, wildlife conservation, human rights, and more.
Asia Pacific Economic Community
An international regional organization with economic and trade interests in the Asia-Pacific region. The association initiates the creation of unhindered and free trade between the participating countries.
Andean Community of Nations
International Regional Association of South America. Has a socio-economic orientation. Community members advocate for the integration of Latin American states.
Council of the Arctic
This international community includes eight states. Its goal is to preserve nature in the Arctic region, to minimize damage to nature during the development of shelves.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
This is an international organization of Southeast Asian states. The range of issues considered by the association is not limited, but the main problems relate to the creation of trade zones.The structure includes 10 countries. In 2006, a declaration was signed between Russia and the Association, allowing states to cooperate in the framework of meetings held by the Association.
Bank for International Settlements
This is a financial institution. Its goal is to strengthen cooperation between central banks of different countries and simplify international settlements.
World Association of Nuclear Power Operators
An organization whose members are countries operating nuclear power plants. The purpose and mission of the organization is to create conditions for the safe use of atomic energy, to increase the safety of nuclear power plants.
world Trade organisation
A multilateral international organization whose member countries are parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. It is called to create conditions for the liberalization of trade participants. One of the largest organizations, it has 164 members.
International Atomic Energy Agency
An organization whose goal is to promote the safe use of atomic energy. The agency also prevents the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
UN
United Nations Organization - an association created after the Second World War by 50 participating countries to maintain peace and security on the planet. At the moment, the UN is the most influential organization in the world. In addition to maintaining peace, the UN is now addressing a wide range of global issues. What international organizations are included in the UN? There are 16 institutions in total. The organization includes such specialized international associations:
- The World Meteorological Organization is a UN body that is responsible for meteorology, global warming and the interaction of the atmosphere with the oceans.
- The World Health Organization is a UN agency dedicated to solving international problems in the field of public health. The organization actively contributes to improving the level of medical services, hygiene, vaccination of the population in the world. The structure includes 194 countries.
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, better known by the acronym UNESCO. The association deals with education and the elimination of illiteracy, discrimination in education, the study of different cultures and the social sphere of human life. UNESCO is actively involved in the fight against gender inequality, plays a huge role in solving a wide range of problems on the African continent.
- UNICEF, or the UN International Children's Emergency Fund, provides comprehensive assistance to the Institute for Maternity and Childhood. Among the main goals of the fund are reducing child mortality, reducing deaths in pregnant women, and promoting primary education among children.
- The International Labor Organization is a special UN agency responsible for regulating labor relations both within countries and on the international labor market.
Russia's participation in global organizations
The Russian Federation takes an active part in the life of the world community and is a permanent member of a large number of world organizations, consider the main ones:
- The Customs Union is a supranational association of several countries with the aim of creating a single economic space and market, eliminating customs restrictions on goods.
- The United Nations (Security Council) is a permanent organ of the United Nations dealing with international security issues.
- The Commonwealth of Independent States is a union of states formerly part of the USSR. The main goal of the CIS is the issues of political, economic and cultural interaction between the participating countries.
- The Collective Security Treaty Organization is a council of several states to maintain peace and order in the territory of participants.
- The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is an organization dedicated to resolving security issues in Europe.
- The Council of Europe is a union of European countries to strengthen democracy, improve human rights law and cultural interaction between countries.
- BRICS is a group of five countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and the Republic of South Africa.
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a regional forum for the development of trade between participants.
- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an association whose goal is to maintain peace and stability. It is not a military bloc.
- The Eurasian Economic Union is a regional organization that advocates for the integration and rapprochement of the markets of the participating countries.
- The International Organization for Standardization is a worldwide association whose main goal is to issue international standards and their implementation on the territory of all participants.
- The International Olympic Committee is an organization created with the aim of reviving and promoting the Olympic movement in the world.
- The International Electrotechnical Commission is an association engaged in the standardization of electric networks and equipment.
- The World Trade Organization is a trade union designed to ensure equal rights in the international market to all participants.