List of intergovernmental organizations explained

The following is a list of the major existing intergovernmental organizations (IGOs).

For a more complete listing, see the Yearbook of International Organizations,^[1] which includes 25,000 international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), excluding for-profit enterprises, about 5,000 IGOs, and lists dormant and dead organizations as well as those in operation (figures as of the 400th edition, 2012/13). A 2020 academic dataset on international organizations included 561 intergovernmental organizations between 1815 and 2015; more than one-third of those IGOs ended up defunct.^[2]

United Nations and agencies

See main article: United Nations System.

See also: Member states of the United Nations and Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The UN has six principal organs:

• The General Assembly (the main deliberative assembly);
• The Security Council (decides certain resolutions for peace and security);
• The Economic and Social Council (assists in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development);
• The Secretariat (provides studies, information, and facilities needed by the UN);
• The International Court of Justice (the primary judicial organ).
• The United Nations Trusteeship Council (inactive)

The UN also includes various Funds, Programmes and specialized agencies:

• Food and Agriculture Organization
• International Labour Organization
• International Civil Aviation Organization
• International Maritime Organization
• International Telecommunication Union
• Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
• United Nations Capital Development Fund
• United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
• United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
• United Nations Development Programme
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations Environment Programme
• United Nations Human Settlements Programme
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization
• United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
• Universal Postal Union
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization
• World Food Programme
• World Meteorological Organization
• UN Tourism
• The UN maintains various offices:
  • United Nations Headquarters (New York City)
  • United Nations Office at Geneva
  • United Nations Office at Nairobi
  • United Nations Office at Vienna

The UN also includes subsidiary organs:

• International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
  • International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
  • International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)

Agricultural research organizations

• Africa Rice Center (West Africa Rice Development Association, WARDA)
• Bioversity International (International Plant Genetics Resources Institute, IPGRI)
• Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
• International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
• International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
• International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
• International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
• International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
• International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
• International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
• International Potato Center (CIP)
• International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
• World Agroforestry Centre (International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, ICRAF)
• WorldFish Center (International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, ICLARM)
• World Vegetable Center
• CGIAR
• CAB International (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, CABI)

Fisheries organizations

• Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC)
• Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
• Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC)
• Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC)
• Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC)
• International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
• International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC)
• International Whaling Commission (IWC)
• North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC)
• Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO)
• North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO)
• Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC)
• Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC)
• Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)

Maritime organizations

See also: Admiralty law, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, international waters and territorial waters.

• Antarctic Treaty Secretariat (ATS)
• International Hydrographic Organization
• International Maritime Organization
• International Seabed Authority
• International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
• Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM)
• North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES)

Financial, trade, and customs organizations

See also: International financial institutions, List of free trade agreements, Central bank, Bretton Woods system and Cartel.

• Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI)
• African Development Bank
• Asian Development Bank
• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
• Bank for International Settlements
• Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB)
• Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)
• Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB)
• Eurasian Development Bank
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
• European Investment Bank (EIB)
• Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
• Inter-American Development Bank
• Inter-American Investment Corporation (IDB Invest)
• International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)
• International Energy Agency (IEA)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
• International Development Law Organization (IDLO), headquartered in Rome
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• Islamic Development Bank (IDB)
• Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO)
• Nordic Development Fund (NDF)
• Nordic Investment Bank (NIB)
• New Development Bank (NDB)
• Organization for Economic and Co-operation Development (OECD)
• OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund)
• Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries (OPEC)
• West African Development Bank (BOAD)
• World Bank Group
  • International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
  • International Development Association (IDA)
  • International Finance Corporation (IFC)
  • Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
  • International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
• World Customs Organization (WCO)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)

Regional organizations

See main article: Regional organization and Continental union.

Europe

• European Union (EU)
  • Western European Union (defunct)
• Big Four (Western Europe)
• Council of Europe (CoE)
• Central European Initiative (CEI)
• Energy Community
• European Free Trade Association (EFTA)
• European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)
• European Patent Organisation (EPO)
• European Political Community (EPC)
• European Science Foundation
• European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL)
• European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT IGO)
• Group of 9 (G9)
• International Commission on Civil Status (ICCS)
• Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR)
• Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)
• Assembly of European Regions (AER)
• Eiroforum
  • European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
  • Danube Commission
  • European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA JET)
  • European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
  • European Space Agency (ESA)
  • European Southern Observatory (ESO)
  • European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)
  • European x-ray free electron laser (European XFEL)
  • Institut Laue–Langevin (ILL)
• Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission
• Benelux
• Belgium–Luxembourg Economic Union
• British–Irish Council
• Nordic Council
• Nordic Investment Bank
• Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS)
• Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR)
• Visegrád Group (V4)
• EUREKA
• European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST)
• Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations (Commonwealth of Unrecognized States)
• European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
• South-East European Cooperation Process
• West Nordic Council
• Three Seas Initiative

Asia

• Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD)
• Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
• East Asia Summit (EAS)
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
• International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)
• Mekong–Ganga Cooperation (MGC)
• Mekong River Commission (MRC)
• Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA)
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
• Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)
• Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS)
• Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

Transcontinental

• Group of Eight
• Eurasia
  • Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
  • Central Asian Cooperation Organization
  • Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations
  • Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)
  • Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA)
  • Conference of the New Emerging Forces (CONEFO)
  • Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
  • Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)
  • Eurasian Economic Union (EEU or EAEU)
  • GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development
  • Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)
  • Organization of Turkic States (OTS)
  • Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
  • TRACECA
  • Union State
• Trans-Atlantic
  • Group of Seven
  • Group of Ten (economics)
  • North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
  • Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
  • South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone (ZPCAS)
• Mediterranean
  • Union for the Mediterranean
• Indian Ocean
  • Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)
  • Indian Ocean Commission (COI)
• Arctic Ocean
  • Arctic Council
• Pacific Ocean

• • ANZUS
  • Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
  • Colombo Plan
  • Group of Five
  • Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG)
  • Pacific Islands Forum
  • Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
  • Secretariat of the Pacific Community
• African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States
  • Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA)
• Afro-Asian organizations
  • Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization
  • D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation

Africa

• African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO)
• African Union
• Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
• Conseil de l'Entente
• Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
• East African Community (EAC)
• West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA)
• Southern African Development Community (SADC)
• Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
• Arab Maghreb Union
• International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR)
• African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW)

Americas

• Organization of American States (OAS)
• Union of South American Nations (USAN)

• Mercosur

• Andean Community of Nations
• Forum for the Progress and Integration of South America (PROSUR)
• Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
• Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
• Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
• Central American Parliament
• Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA)
• Rio Group
• System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces (SICOFAA)
• Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI)
• Central American Integration System
• Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)
• Pacific Alliance

Military alliances

See also: List of military alliances.

• Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS)
  • AUKUS Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Pact)

Cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious organizations

• Commonwealth of Nations
• International Association for Religious Freedom
• International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)
• Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
• Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)
• Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI)
• Arab League
• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
• International Dialogue Centre - KAICIID
• International Organization of Turkic Culture (TÜRKSOY)
• Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy
• Religions for Peace

Educational organizations and universities

• Academy of European Law (ERA)
• Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)
• Cerlalc
• Commonwealth of Learning (COL)
• EUCLID (university)
• European Schools
• European University Institute
• IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
• International Bureau of Education IBE, now a part of UNESCO
• International Institute for the Unification of Private Law
• United Nations University (UNU)
• University for Peace (UPEACE)
• World Maritime University (WMU/IMO)
• International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
• International Publishers Association(IPA)

Law enforcement cooperation

See also: Law enforcement agency and police.

• International Criminal Court (ICC)
• International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
• Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)

Transport

• Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF)
• Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD or OSShD)
• International Union of Railways（UIC）
• International Civil Aviation Organization
• TRACECA
• Southeast Europe Transport Community
• International Transport Forum (ITF)

Humanitarian organizations

• International Cospas-Sarsat Programme
• United Nations Disaster Mitigation & Relief Organization (UNDMRO)

Environmental organizations

See also: List of supranational environmental agencies.

• Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)
• The Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Global Environment Facility (GEF)
• Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
• Green Climate Fund (GCF)
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA)
• UN Alliance for Sustainable Development Goals (UNASDG)
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Arms control

See main article: Arms control and weapon of mass destruction.

• Conference on Disarmament
• Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
• Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)
• Wassenaar Arrangement
• Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
• Australia Group (AG)
• Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)

See also: List of weapons of mass destruction treaties and Naval conference (disambiguation).

Energy organizations

Multi sector organizations

• International Energy Agency
• Energy Charter
• Energy Community
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
• International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
• International Energy Forum (IEF)

Nuclear power organizations

See main article: Nuclear power, Nuclear weapon, Nuclear proliferation and Nuclear disarmament.

• European Atomic Energy Community
• International Atomic Energy Agency
• International Centre for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science Applications in the Middle East
• Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization
• Nuclear Energy Agency
• United Nations Atomic Energy Commission
• World Association of Nuclear Operators

Sustainable energy organizations

• International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
• Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL)
• Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP)
• International Solar Alliance

See also: CERN and International Commission on Radiological Protection.

Digital organizations

• Packet Clearing House (PCH)
• Digital 9 (D9)

Ideological and political groupings

• Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD)
• Non-Aligned Movement
• Group of Seven (G7)
• Group of 15 (G-15)
• Group of 77 (G-77)
• Group of 24 (G24)
• G20
• Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
• BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)
• Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA)
• Association of World Election Bodies (AWEB)
• New Agenda Coalition
• Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative^[3]
• Western European and Others Group

See also: Warsaw Pact. (disbanded)

See also: International Workingmen's Association, Second International, Socialist International and Fourth International.

Other

• Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law
• International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
• International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)
• Partners in Population and Development
• South Centre
• SKA Observatory (SKAO)
• World Organisation for Animal Health
• Forum for India-Pacific Islands cooperation (FIPIC)
• U-Report
• International Center for Promotion of Enterprises (ICPE)
• International Council on Social Welfare

Defunct

• Allied Control Council
• Arab Cooperation Council
• Central Treaty Organization
• Comecon
• Council of Ambassadors
• Customs and Economic Union of Central Africa
• Delian League
• Eurasian Economic Community (transformed into Eurasian Economic Union)
• French Community
• French Union
• G33
• International Authority for the Ruhr
• International Trade Organization
• Latin League
• Latin Union
• League of Corinth
• League of Nations
• Peloponnesian League
• Organisation of African Unity
• Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
• Union of African States

See also

• List of local government organizations
• List of international sports federations

References

1. (six volumes in print format, plus online, subscription-based edition)
2. Eilstrup-Sangiovanni. Mette. 2020. Death of international organizations. The organizational ecology of intergovernmental organizations, 1815–2015. The Review of International Organizations. en. 15. 2. 339–370. 10.1007/s11558-018-9340-5. 1559-744X. 1814/60598. 158698033 . free.
3. http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Aussenpolitik/Friedenspolitik/Abruestung_/Nukleares/NVV_node.html German Foreign Ministry, retrieved 6 July 2011