Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)
Bernard Koteen Office of Public Interest Advising
4039 Wasserstein Hall (WCC)1585 Massachusetts
AvenueCambridge, MA02138Phone: 617-4953108Email: opia@law.harvard.eduHours: 8:00am - 6:00pm EST
https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/opia/what-is-public-interest-law/public-service-practice-settings/public-internationallaw/intergovernmental-organizations-igos/
The term intergovernmental organization (IGO) refers to an entity created by treaty, involving
two or more nations, to work in good faith, on issues of common interest. In the absence of a treaty
an IGO does not exist in the legal sense. For example, the G8 is a group of eight nations that have
annual economic and political summits. IGOs that are formed by treaties are more advantageous than
a mere grouping of nations because they are subject to international law and have the ability to enter
into enforceable agreements among themselves or with states.
The main purposes of IGOs were to create a mechanism for the world’s inhabitants to work more
successfully together in the areas of peace and security, and also to deal with economic and social
questions. In this current era of increasing globalization and interdependence of nations, IGOs have
come to play a very significant role in international political systems and global governance.
IGOs cover multiple issues and involve governments from every region of the world, including
offices in the U.S. Among the oldest IGOs are the United Nations, which replaced the League of
Nations, the Universal Postal Union, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The
Universal Postal Union, founded in 1874, is currently a specialized agency of the UN. Other wellknown IGOs are the European Union (EU), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC), the African Development Bank (ADB) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Since the creation of the UN and NATO, IGOs have become essential actors in the international
community. Additionally, as many IGOs, such as the UN and the EU, have the ability to make rules
and exercise power within their member countries, their global impact continues to increase.
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Types of IGOs
https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/opia/what-is-public-interest-law/public-service-practice-settings/public-internationallaw/types-of-igos/
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IGOs are typically organized by their membership and by their purpose. For
example, the UN is called a global organization because all countries are allowed
membership. There are currently 192 member states in the UN. Some IGOs are
regional and limit their membership to states within the designated regions. Other
IGOs are referred to as selective organizations because they base their
membership on criteria other than geography. The Organization of the Islamic
Conference, for example, bases its membership on religious affiliation. OPEC, on
the other hand, is comprised only of countries that produce oil. Specialized IGOs,
such as NATO, limit their activities to a particular field. General IGOs have
expertise on a wide variety of topics, such as the UN.
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IGOs are distinguishable from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in that
NGOs are formed by two or more individuals rather than by nations. NGOs are
therefore typically independent of governments, are usually non-profit
organizations, and receive at least a portion of their funding from private sources.
IGOs have the financial and political support of its members.