International Governmental Organizations

Did you know that you can link Napoleon Bonaparte to the creation of the United Nations? No, he wasn’t the one who established the United Nations. No, he wasn’t the one who suggested its creation. No, he wasn’t the first Secretary-General. Napoleon died in 1821 while the UN was founded much later in 1945. How is Napoleon related to the UN?

What are IGOs?

Before you start guessing why a military leader is connected to the UN, a very “diplomatic” international organization, you should know what IGOs are. IGOs or international governmental organizations are formed and developed by nations or national governments to have a neutral forum where they can discuss and consider issues important to more than one nation. The epitome of an IGO, of course, is the UN.

The UN

The United Nations (UN) is an organization of states formed to facilitate cooperation in international security, international law, social progress, economic development and human rights issues. It was founded in 1945 to provide a platform for debate and discussion and to stop wars between nations. With 192 member states, it is headquartered on an international territory in New York City.

Regional Organizations

However, aside from the UN, there are many other international governmental organizations. Many nations group themselves according to their geographic location and cultural similarities. Here are a few examples:

• European Union (EU) – The EU is a political and economic community with 27 member states. Established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1993, the EU is unique because it is governed by supranational institutions, which are able to make decisions that are binding upon member states.

• African Union (AU) – Another intergovernmental organization based on geographic location is the AU. Obviously, it is composed of African nations. Established in 2001, it is formed to help secure the democracy, human rights and economic sustainability in the continent. Like the EU, the AU aims to have the “afro,” a single currency like the euro.

• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – This geopolitical and economic community is composed of 10 Southeast Asian countries. The organization was formed to accelerate the economic growth, cultural development and social progress among its members.

What’s Napoleon gotta do with it?

Napoleon Bonaparte may have been a great ruler who led many violent revolutions but these events contributed to the formation of the concept of an international governmental organization.

IGOs developed primarily from the need of nations to have a venue for discussions and conflict resolutions. One of the first IGOs was the “Central Commission for Navigation of the Rhine,” an organization which was formed in the aftermath of the notorious Napoleonic Wars. Without these wars, there could’ve been no IGOs like the UN.