UIA as a registry of international non-profit organizations

The purpose of this note is to clarify the role of the UIA as a registry of international organizations, whether governmental or non-governmental. The UIA also acts as a registry for world problems, strategies, international meetings and other entities relevant to international organizations.

Background

The UIA was founded 1st June 1907, Brussels, as Central Office of International Associations, by Henri La Fontaine (Nobel Peace Prize 1913) and Paul Otlet, Secretary-General of the then International Institute of Bibliography (see more about Paul Otlet), which subsequently became the International Federation for Documentation (FID), and with which UIA activities were closely associated. The UIA became a federation, under the present name, at the 1st World Congress of International Organizations (Brussels, 1910).
Read more about UIA early history or see the chronological checklist of milestones.

Prior to 1914, the registry work took the published form of an Annuaire de la Vie Internationale. During the period 1920-1939 the registry work on international organizations was taken over by the League of Nations with assistance from the UIA. In the 1920s the UIA published the first register of resolutions of all international organizations. The registry work on international organizations was continued from the 1951, with the support of recognition under UN/ECOSOC Resolution 334(XI) of 20 July 1950, confirmed at its 16th session (1953).

The Statutes were modified in 1951 to give the UIA the character of an institute with a world focus, having individuals as full members. It is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit body which is apolitical in character. Its programmes are totally oriented toward the community of international associations whose actions they are designed to facilitate, whether through special studies or through new uses of information. The UIA is registered under the Belgian law of 25th October 1919 as an international association with scientific aims. Read about possible statutory implications of international electronic environment.

Aims

Facilitate the evolution of the activities of the world-wide network of nonprofit organizations, especially nongovernmental or voluntary associations;
Promote understanding of how international bodies represent valid interests in every field of human activity or belief, whether scientific, religious, artistic, educational, trade or labour;
Enable these initiatives to develop and counterbalance each other creatively, in response to world problems, by collecting information on these bodies and their interrelationships;
Make such information available to them, and to others who may benefit from this network;
Experiment with more meaningful and action-oriented ways of presenting such information as a catalyst for the emergence of more appropriate organizations;
Promote research on the legal, administrative and other problems common to these international associations, especially in their contacts with governmental bodies.

Work as a registry

This work focuses on the following distinct but interrelated areas, which in electronic form are extensively hyperlinked together:

International organizations: The coverage includes continental and sub-continental regional bodies with a minimum of 3 countries involved:

Intergovernmental organizations: Since 1910, the UIA has established profiles on all such bodies. In recent decades this has extended to many of their component bodies. Profiles are currently maintained on over 1700 such bodies.

International non-governmental organizations: Since 1910, the UIA has established profiles on all such bodies. In recent decades this has extended to many of their component bodies. Profiles are currently maintained on over 6000 such bodies.

Other forms of international organization: In order to maintain the two above collections, profiles are also maintained on:

internationally-oriented national organizations

dissolved or apparently inactive organizations

recently reported bodies -- not yet confirmed

subsidiary and internal bodies

national organizations which may be confused with international bodies

relgious orders and secular institutes

autonomous conference series

multilateral treaties and intergovernmental agreements

currently inactive nonconventional bodies

These three groups together involve over 54,000 bodies, which are extensively hypmerlinked together in terms of their membership and working relationships. The profiles are published in hardcopy (Yearbook of International Organizations), CD and on the web.

International meetings: The UIA has maintained a register of international meetings since its foundation and its quarterly International Congress Calendar of some 7000 future international meetings is now in its 42nd year.

World problems: The UIA profiles some 40,000 problems and issues recognized by international organizations. The profiles are published in hardcopy (Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential), and on the web.

Global strategies: The UIA profiles some 35,000 strategies in response to issues as adovated by international organizations. The profiles are published in hardcopy (Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential), and on the web.

Biographies: The UIA profiles some 20,000 executives of international organizations. The profiles are published in hardcopy (Who's Who in International Organizations), CD and on the web.

Bibliographic references: The UIA profiles some 30,000 documents and studies relating to the above. The profiles are published in hardcopy, CD and on the web.

Verification and authentication work

In relation to all the above profiling, the UIA is obliged to engage in a variety of authentication processes according to criteria that it has established in the light of experience and in consultation with various bodies over the years.

The approach taken by the UIA, notably in the case of organizations, is to:

distinguish entities according to different degrees of "internationality" in order to establish a core of "more international" entities; associated with this core there may be a variety of levels of "less international" entities.
recognize the practicalities and logistics of obtaining up to date information in an environment which is often resistant to transparency, necessitating the publication of incomplete information and its constant revision
present profiles to the concerned bodies for regular review
actively resist pressures to position entities according to particular understandings of importance, or to include national entities that do not correspond to the focus on internationality (although exceptions are made, and appropriately positioned) for entities recognized by intergovernmental bodies in the light of political criteria
avoid pressuring reluctant organizations for information they may consider sensitive (eg financial details)
use references by one entity to another as a means of repositioning entities for authentication and verification purposes
ensure that entities are profiled, to the extent feasible, in the language of those associated with them

Recognition of role of UIA registration work

The 5-volume Yearbook of International Organizations is considered a standard reference source for any research on international organizations because of its comprehensive coverage

The International Congress Calendar, and the statistics generated annually from it, are considered as a stan dard reference work for the meetings industry

The databases associated with the Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential have most recently (1997-2000) been further developed under an INFO200 project of the European Commission (DG-XIII).