Political Science: International Organizations

"The advent of the African Union (AU) can be described as an event of great magnitude in the institutional evolution of the continent. On 9.9.1999, the Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity issued a Declaration (the Sirte Declaration) calling for the establishment of an African Union, with a view, inter alia, to accelerating the process of integration in the continent to enable it play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems compounded as they are by certain negative aspects of globalisation."

The European Commission embodies and upholds the general interest of the Union and is the driving force in the Union's institutional system. Its four main roles are to propose legislation to Parliament and the Council, to administer and implement ...

Select prefered language. The Council is made up of the relevant government ministers from member states. For any EU law to be passed, or deal on the EU budget to be agreed to, the Council of the European Union (along with the European Parliament) must vote in favour of it.

The European Parliament is the only directly-elected body of the European Union. The 785 Members of the European Parliament are there to represent the citizens of Europe ... Parliament plays an active role in drafting legislation.

CASE-LAW (since 17/06/1997). Earlier case-law is available on EUR-Lex. Since the establishment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in 1952, its mission has been to ensure that "the law is observed" "in the interpretation and application" of the Treaties.

EUR-Lex provides free access to European Union law and other documents considered to be public. The website is available in 23 official languages of the European Union; choose your preferred language from the language bar at the top of the homepage.

Provides a valuable panoramic view of the EU and it's many institutions, cultures, peoples, governments, etc.

Find out what the European Union does, what it’s for and how it works in 12 easy lessons here on the EU’s official website. Each lesson answers key questions about the EU such as: Why do we need the EU? How does it affect us? What powers does it have? What does the future hold for the EU?

Access to the latest copies of the Official Journal L series (Legislation) and C series (Information, notices and preparatory EU legislation), available for free.

A licensed supplement to the open access content on the IMF website. "The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) eLibrary simplifies analysis and research with direct access to the IMFʹs periodicals, books, working papers and studies, and data and statistical tools. You will find information and perspective on macroeconomics, globalization, development, trade and aid, technical assistance, demographics, emerging markets, policy advice, poverty reduction, and so much more. -- Publisher description"

"The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization of 189 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. Created in 1945, the IMF is governed by and accountable to the 189 countries that make up its near-global membership."

"NATO is a unique alliance of countries from Europe and North America bound by shared democratic values and committed to safeguard each other’s freedom and security. The Alliance is dedicated to the peaceful resolution of disputes. If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military capacity to undertake crisis management operations, alone or in cooperation with partner countries and international organisations..."

"NATO brings together 29 sovereign countries from Europe and North America, consulting and cooperating in the field of security and defence. All Alliance decisions are taken by consensus, with each Ally having an equal say. Members are committed to the same values and share the strategic goal of maintaining security in the Euro-Atlantic area. NATO members have pledged to support each other against attack, in accordance with Article 5 of the Alliance’s founding treaty, which asserts that an attack against one is an attack against all."

In the search box below, use keywords to locate UN documents. On the results page, you can narrow your search further by subject, legislative body, year, or symbol. If you cannot find what you are looking for, use advanced search. For those familiar with UN documentation, the previous ODS search page is still available.

The home index for the United Nations.

Global Policy Forum monitors policy making at the United Nations, promotes accountability of global decisions, educates and mobilizes for global citizen participation, and advocates on vital issues of international peace and justice.

"The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) represents the world's commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. We have a unique mandate from the international community to promote and protect all human rights."

An index to resources relevant to human rights.

With breaking news from the UN News Centre.

"ODS is the UN's Official Document System. You can search for UN documents by keywords, then narrow your search."

The full collection of all publications and research including: All Economic Review (WBER) and Research Observer (WBRO) since 1996. All Development Outreach issues. All Policy Research Working Papers since 1995. All content is made available immediately upon release.

"With 189 member countries, staff from more than 170 countries, and offices in over 130 locations, the World Bank Group is a unique global partnership: five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries."

"The primary World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially-recognized international sources. It presents the most current and accurate global development data available, and includes national, regional and global estimates."

"WHO works worldwide to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.

Our goal is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and well-being."

Simply put: the World Trade Organization (WTO) deals with the rules of trade between nations at a global or near-global level. But there is more to it than that.

This database provides access to the official documentation of the WTO, including the legal texts of the WTO agreements.

Information available on the WTO website, on issues handled by the WTO’s councils and committees and its trade agreements.