Key International Organizations and Treaties: Definitions

Key International Organizations and Treaties

World Health Organization (WHO)

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency linked to the UN, established in 1948. It is responsible for managing policies of prevention, coordination, promotion, and health intervention worldwide to achieve the highest possible levels of health for all peoples.

United Nations (UN)

The United Nations (UN) is an international institution created in 1945 to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a political and military supranational body founded in 1949 to establish a regional defense alliance. By mid-2008, it had 26 member states and 24 partner states. Its headquarters are located in Brussels.

European Parliament

The European Parliament is the House of Representatives of the Member States of the European Union. It consists of 785 Members of Parliament (MPs), elected by direct universal suffrage, distributed according to the demographic size of each country. Its main functions are to:

• Examine the proposals of the Commission, together with Council regulations.
• Control and invest the European Commission.
• Share budget power with the Council, voting on the annual budget and monitoring its implementation.
• Appoint an Ombudsman.
• Create temporary committees of inquiry into the actions of both Community institutions and Member States in implementing Community policies.

Treaty of Paris

The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1951 between France, West Germany, Italy, and the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) to create the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).

Treaty of Accession

Treaties of Accession are signed by candidate countries to join the European Union after a long negotiation process and fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria (Democracy, rule of law, human rights, etc.).

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the UN, created in 1946 to promote world peace through culture, communication, education, natural sciences, and social sciences. Its headquarters are in Paris, and in 2007, it had 193 member states and six partners.

LEADER

LEADER is a European project initiated in 1991 for rural areas affected by the conversion generated by the CAP. It provides grants to create innovative solutions in targeted areas that can serve as a model for other areas (e.g., rural tourism).

Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the EU's agricultural policy established to place its products in international markets, moving from a situation of large supply surplus.

Maastricht Treaty

The Maastricht Treaty is an EU Treaty that entered into force in 1993. It changed the name of the European Community to the European Union and established its three pillars: Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and the EU's international policy, including cooperation in the fields of justice and home affairs.

Treaty of Rome

The Treaty of Rome was signed by Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, France, Italy, and West Germany, creating the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). It allows for the free movement of persons and goods, promotes research and development of the peaceful nuclear industry, and creates a common market for nuclear fuel.

European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) is a European market created by the Treaty of Paris to commercialize coal and steel among members of the European Union.

G7 (Group of Seven)

The G7 (Group of Seven) comprises the heads of state or government of the seven largest economies in the world: the USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Its purpose is to exchange viewpoints on economic and political issues and to harmonize their economic policies.