The Union of International Associations (UIA) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

non-governmental A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

research institute and documentation center based in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, and operating under

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

mandate. It was founded in 1907 under the name Central Office of International Associations by

Henri La Fontaine Henri La Fontaine (; 22 April 1854 – 14 May 1943), was a Belgian international lawyer and president of the International Peace Bureau. He received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1913 because "he was the effective leader of the peace movement in ...

, the 1913

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...

laureate, and

Paul Otlet Paul Marie Ghislain Otlet (; ; 23 August 1868 – 10 December 1944) was a Belgian author, entrepreneur, lawyer and peace activist; predicting the arrival of the internet before World War II, he is among those considered to be the father of infor ...

, a founding father of what is now called

information science Information science (also known as information studies) is an academic field which is primarily concerned with analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval, movement, dissemination, and protection of informatio ...

. The UIA is an independent research institute and a repository for current and historical information on the work of global

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.international organizations An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states a ...

(both

INGOs An international non-governmental organization (INGO) is an organization which is independent of government involvement and extends the concept of a non-governmental organization (NGO) to an international scope. NGOs are independent of government ...

and IGOs), international meetings, and world problems. The UIA also supports and facilitates the work of international associations through training and networking opportunities. It has consultative status with

ECOSOC The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

and

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Aims

* Facilitate the development and efficiency of nongovernmental networks in every field of human activity – especially non-profit and voluntary associations – considered to be essential components of contemporary society * Collect, research and disseminate information on international bodies, both governmental and nongovernmental, their interrelationships, their meetings, and the problems and strategies with which they are concerned * Experiment with meaningful and action-oriented ways of presenting such information to enable these initiatives to develop and counterbalance each other creatively, and act as a catalyst for the emergence of new forms of associative activity and international co-operation * Promote research on the legal, administrative and other problems common to these international associations, especially in their contacts with governmental bodies * Contribute to a universal order based on principles of human dignity, solidarity of peoples and freedom of association and communication

History

The two founders started work setting up the Central Office of International Organisations and then conducting a survey of international organisations with headquarters in Belgium. Then with the help of the sociologist

Cyril van Overbergh Cyril (also Cyrillus or Cyryl) is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Greek name Κύριλλος (''Kýrillos''), meaning 'lordly, masterful', which in turn derives from Greek κυριος ('' kýrios'') 'lord'. There are various varia ...

they extend this research to organisations based elsewhere. After collaborating with

Alfred Fried Alfred Hermann Fried (; 11 November 1864 – 4 May 1921) was an Austrian Jewish pacifist, publicist, journalist, co-founder of the German peace movement, and winner (with Tobias Asser) of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1911. Fried was also a supporter ...

on the production of ''Annuaire de la Vie Internationale'' they produced their own edition without him.

Top International Meetings Countries and Cities in 2018

Top International Meetings Countries and Cities from 1999—2018

Publications

* 1923 ''Code des voeux internationaux, codification générale des voeux et résolutions des organismes internationaux'' preface by Henri La Fontaine

References

External links

* * Organizations established in 1907 International organisations based in Belgium {{int-org-stub