1. History of the UIA
Founded 1 June 1907, Brussels, as Central Office of International Associations, by Henri La Fontaine (Nobel Peace Prize 1913) and Paul Otlet, Secretary-General of the then International Institute of Bibliography (read more about Paul Otlet), which subsequently became the International Federation for Information and Documentation (FID), and with which UIA activities were closely associated. Became a federation, under the present name, at the 1st World Congress of International Organizations (Brussels, 1910).
2. Current status and Constitution
The Statutes were modified in 1951 to give the UIA the character of an institute with a world focus, having individuals as full members. It is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit body which is apolitical in character. Its programmes are totally oriented toward the community of international associations whose actions they are designed to facilitate, whether through special studies or through new uses of information. The UIA is registered under the Belgian law of 25th October 1919 as an international association with scientific aims.
3. Aims and activities
4. General Assembly, Executive Council and administration
The General Assembly elects an Executive Council of 15 to 21 members for 4-year term every two years. Full Members are limited in number to 250 individuals and subject to election by General Assembly. Associate Members are admitted as observers at meetings. The programme, under the direction of the Secretary-General is carried out by the Secretariat in Brussels. Meetings are closed.
5. Working languages
The main working languages of the UIA are English and French, although information is received in many languages. Most publications are produced in English, with French versions where there is a demand. The Yearbook of International Organizations is indexed in all languages used by international organizations. The periodical Transnational Associations contains articles in both English and French.
6. Staff
18 permanent; extra staff are frequently engaged on short-term project-oriented contracts.
7. Finance
The UIA is more than 95 percent self-financed, through membership subscriptions, research and consultancy contracts, sale of publications and services. The balance is made up from donations and sponsorships from several governments (notably Belgium, France and Switzerland) and a number of official and private bodies. The annual budget is approximately US $ 800,000.
8. External relations
The UIA has consultative relations with UNESCO, UN / ECOSOC and ILO. It has collaborated with FAO, the Council of Europe, UNITAR, and the Commonwealth Science Council. It has acted as one of the research institutes in the network of the UN University. A special ECOSOC resolution establishes cooperation between the United Nations and the UIA for the preparation of the Yearbook of International Organizations. A French edition was produced with the assistance of the Agence pour la coopération culturelle et technique (ACCT) in 1980; a new version is being produced on CD-ROM in 1996. Contact is maintained with over 25,000 international non-governmental organizations eligible for inclusion in the Yearbook of International Organizations. Special links exist with UIA Corresponding Organizations, with the Federation of International Associations established in Belgium (FAIB), Union of International Nongovernmental Organizations established in France (UOIF), Federation of Semi-Official and Private International Institutions established in Geneva (FIIG) and the Conferences of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC and UNESCO. Work on the Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential was initially undertaken in collaboration with Mankind 2000; the web versions of the associated databases were updated with support of the European Commission in a project through the INFO2000 programme of the European Commission from 1997-2000.
9. Meetings and Events
General Assembly 24 up to 1973; Paris 1974, Geneva 1976, Brussels 1980, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998,2001. World Forum of Transnational Associations Brussels 1980. Congress of International Congress Organizers and Technicians 4 up to 1969; Barcelona 1970; Kyoto 1975. Symposium Turin (Italy) 1969, Milan 1972, Paris 1974, Geneva 1976, Brussels 1984, Brussels 2001.
10. Publications
More than 300 publications and publication series since 1910. Main publications available on CD-ROM.
11. President, Secretary-General, and Full Members President: Anne-Marie Boutin, 13 rue Cambon, F-75001 Paris, France. T. (33 1) 42 98 95 76. Fax 42 98 59 79. E-mail: amboutin@ccomptes.fr
Secretary-General: André Onkelinx, rue Washington 40, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium. Tel. (32 2) 640 18 08. Telex 65080 INAC B. Fax (32 2) 643.61.99. E-mail: secgen@uia.be.
Representatives to intergovernmental organizations:
Individuals, whose total number may not exceed 250, are elected by the UIA General Assembly which they constitute. Members are elected on the basis of their interest and activity in international organizations, usually demonstrated by an active role in such a body over an extended period of time. They include diplomats, international civil servants, association executives, professors of international relations and directors of foundations. Members do not pay annual dues, but as trustees it is expected that they will further the interests of the UIA in their particular sphere of activity.
Members are currently located in the following countries:
Corporate bodies or individuals interested in the aims and activities of the UIA and wishing to associate themselves with its work by payment of an annual membership fee. Members include a wide range of organizations, foundations, government agencies and commercial enterprises and are entitled to preferential use of UIA services. Membership is subject to approval by the UIA Executive Council.
13. Corresponding Organizations
The UIA is controlled by its individual members, although its work is almost entirely with the complete range of international organizations through publications and correspondence. For those international organizations who wish to be more closely associated with this work, without any commitment of "membership", a category of "Corresponding Organizations" is provided by the UIA Statutes. Such organizations are offered preferential access to UIA information facilities including free subscription to Transnational Associations. Their obligations are limited to payment of an annual fee, inclusion of UIA on any periodical mailing list, and transmission to UIA of a copy of their Statutes and their list of national member sections. Applications are subject to approval by the UIA Executive Council.
14. Contact information Union of International Associations (UIA) Rue Washingtonstraat 40 B-1050 Brussels, BELGIUM Tel +32 - (0)2 - 640 18 08 / Fax +32 - (0)2 - 643 61 99 E-mail: uia@uia.be Website: http://www.uia.org/