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International Relations-PSC 201

LESSON 29

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED)

Organization for Islamic Conferences

The OIC is a limited membership and general purpose IGO. The OIC is an inter-governmental

organization with a Permanent Delegation to the UN. OIC groups 57 mostly Islamic nations in Middle

East, North and West Africa, Central Asia, Southeast and South Asia.

The OIC is dedicated to serving the interests of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims. The OIC was set up in

Rabat, Morocco in 1969 in reaction to an arson attack against the Al-Aqsa Mosque earlier in the same year.

The primary goals of the OIC are:

To promote solidarity among all member states;

To consolidate cooperation among member states in economic, social, cultural, scientific,

and other fields of activity;

To endeavor to eliminate racial segregation and discrimination

To oppose colonialism in all its forms;

To support the Palestinian people in their struggle to regain their national rights and to

return to their homeland;

To support all Muslim people in their struggle to safeguard their dignity, independence

and national rights

European Union

EU is a limited membership and general purpose IGO. The European Union or EU is a supranational

organization of European countries, which currently has 25 members. The Union was established in 1992.

However, many aspects of the EU existed before that date through a series of predecessor organizations,

dating back to the 1950s.

The European Union's activities cover all policy areas, from health and economic policy to foreign affairs

and defense. A key activity of the EU is the establishment and administration of a common single market,

including a customs union and a single currency (adopted by 12 of the 25 member states), a common

agricultural and fisheries policy.

In 2004, European heads of state signed a treaty establishing the first constitution for the European Union,

which is currently awaiting ratification by its member states.

World Bank

World Bank is a general membership and limited purpose IGO. The International Bank for Reconstruction

and Development, better known as the World Bank, It came into existence on 1945 following international

ratification of the agreements reached at the Bretton Woods Conference.

World Bank is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of

nations devastated by WWII. World Bank operations are maintained through payments as regulated by

member states. The World Bank's activities are currently focused on developing countries, to which the

World Bank provides loans at preferential rates to finance development.

The Role of MNCs in IR

A multinational corporation (MNC) or transnational corporation (TNC) is one that spans multiple nations;

these corporations are often very large. Most MNCs have offices and/or factories in different countries.

They usually have a centralized head office where they coordinate global management.

Large multinationals have budgets that exceeding those of many countries. Multinationals often make use of

subcontractors to produce certain goods for them. They produce employment and bring in investment to

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International Relations-PSC 201

poor countries. They can also take away more wealth than they leave behind and influence global and local

politics to ensure their own interests.

Worldwide Fund for Nature

WWF is a private international NGO with operations in countries. The WWF is a global organization,

which acts locally through a network of country offices to halt the accelerating destruction of the natural

environment. It is funded by both bilateral and multilateral agencies.

Relevant Vocabulary

Ratification: endorsement

Halt: stop or prevent

Discrimination: unfair difference in behavior towards different people

Suggested Readings

Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various

principals highlighted in this hand-out:

Chapter 12 in `"A Study of International Relations" by Dr. Sultan Khan

Internet Resources

In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-pages for this lecture, which

provide useful and interesting information:

Official World Bank website

www.worldbank.org

Official WWF website

www.panda.org

Official OIC website