Central Intelligence Agency. The World Fact Book, 2000.

The World Fact Book is produced by the CIA annually and is a comprehensive resource of facts and statistics for more than 250 countries. References to listings by country with all kinds of geographic comparisons (e.g., size relative to U.S. states, boundaries and land use, issues), population (number, birth and death rates, religions and languages), government, economy (including currency and exchange rates), communication (telephone, radio stations, Internet service providers), transportation, military (well, it is a CIA site), and transnational issues. Date is from Jan. 1, 2000. A great site. We're indebted to Leslie Sult for calling attention to it. Also, see Reference Maps for actual maps and CIA Maps & Publications for a listing of published maps (useful to search here before heading to Map Library to locate a paper map. Accessed 1/18/2001.

European Union .

A well-designed official site listing the member nations, current issues, and the five institutions that are part of the EU: the European Parliament (elected by the peoples of the Member States), the Council (representing the governments of the Member States), the Commission (the executive and the body having the right to initiate legislation), the Court of Justice (ensuring compliance with the law), the Court of Auditors (responsible for auditing the accounts). These institutions are supported by other bodies: the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions (advisory bodies which help to ensure that the positions of the EU's various economic and social categories and regions respectively are taken into account), the European Ombudsman (dealing with complaints from citizens concerning maladministration at European level), the European Investment Bank (EU financial institution) and the European Central Bank (responsible for monetary policy in the euro-area). Accessed 12/8/2000.

European Union .

A well-designed official site listing the member nations, current issues, and the five institutions that are part of the EU: the European Parliament (elected by the peoples of the Member States), the Council (representing the governments of the Member States), the Commission (the executive and the body having the right to initiate legislation), the Court of Justice (ensuring compliance with the law), the Court of Auditors (responsible for auditing the accounts). These institutions are supported by other bodies: the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions (advisory bodies which help to ensure that the positions of the EU's various economic and social categories and regions respectively are taken into account), the European Ombudsman (dealing with complaints from citizens concerning maladministration at European level), the European Investment Bank (EU financial institution) and the European Central Bank (responsible for monetary policy in the euro-area). Accessed 12/8/2000.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations .

FAO is the largest autonomous agency within the United Nations system. It work "to alleviate poverty and hunger by promoting agricultural development, improved nutrition and the pursuit of food security - the access of all people at all times to the food they need for an active and healthy life. .. [It] is active in land and water development, plant and animal production, forestry, fisheries, economic and social policy, investment, nutrition, food standards and commodities and trade. ... A specific priority of the Organization is encouraging sustainable agriculture and rural development. Accessed 12/8/2000.

Intergovernmental On-Line Information Kiosk - Nations of the World - International Organizations.

An index compiled by the Canadian Government's online team for the InterGov service organized by broad topic: economy, education, health, law, nations, peace, safety, security, society and welfare. Date listed is Oct. 20, 1998 so some of the links may not work but it's a substantial compiilation.

International Business Resources on the Internet.

Sites listed were chosen for relevance to folks doing research in international business or management. Authorship of listed annotated sites is either governmental, non-profit, academic, or in a few cases, commerical. Organized by global, regional, national, journals, and practitioner. "The presence of free and authoritative information was the primary criterion for inclusion." Compiled by librarian Greg Perciak for the James G. Gee Library, Texas A & M University. Last update March 2000.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

"IFLA (The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession." Latest revision: Dec. 5, 2000.

International Telecommunication Union

The ITU is "the leading publisher of telecommunications technology, regulatory and standards information." It's headquartered in Switzerland. n.d. accessed 12/8/2000.

Language Dictionaries and Translators

This site is a departure from all the international organizations listed but I put it in its alphabetical place anyhow. It's a "labor of love" site so it may disappear or not be updated frequently enough but it does provide a useful compilation of hard to find online dictionaries and translation services. Some of the entries are fun. Check the koshernosh Yiddish site. Copyright 1996-2001. Accessed 1/28/2001.

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

"OECD groups 29 member countries (including the US) in an organization to "discuss, develop and perfect economic and social policy." Sample topics for papers, meetings, etc., include aging, agriculture, biotechnology, competition, economics, education, ecommerce, environment, finance and investment, food safety, future studies, govenance, growth, health, information society, international development, migration, science and innovation, social issues, statistics, sustainable development, taxation, trade, transport. Last updated 11/22, 2000.

Organization of American States (OAS)

The OAS proclaims 6 purposes: "To strengthen the peace and security of the continent; To promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of nonintervention; To prevent possible causes of difficulties and to ensure the pacific settlement of disputes that may arise among the Member States; To provide for common action on the part of those States in the event of aggression; To seek the solution of political, juridical, and economic problems that may arise among them; To promote, by cooperative action, their economic, social, and cultural development; To eradicate extreme poverty...; To achieve an effective limitation of conventional weapons." Last updated 11/22, 2000.

PoliSci.com Web Directory -- International Organizations

PoliSci.com bills itself as "the most comprehensive political science reference source on the internet." Most of its information and links are to U.S. specific agencies and issues. The page above links to a number of international organizations, some of which I've included here but several additional ones may be of interest to you. Copyright 1998,1999,2000,2001. Accessed 2/3/2001.

USAID - The U.S. Agency for International Development

"USAID is an independent federal government agency that conducts foreign assistance and humanitarian aid to advance the political and economic interests of the U.S." A comprehensive site last updated Dec. 7, 2000.

USAID Data Base 1996 - Latin America and the Caribbean Selected Economic and social Data.

The database provides "information essential for evaluating positive democratic developments and continuing social inequities in the region. Includes indicators for economic, social, health, educational, environmental, democracy, and investment, plus trade, country economic data and foreign assistance. Developed for the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bureau for Latin America and the Carribbean. n.d. accessed 12/8/2000.

United Nations (Headquarters) (UN)

The UN, established in 1945, current has a membership of 189 countries and operates through more than 30 affiliated organizations, a few of whom appear below. It is not a world government but operates through a General Assembly, a Security Council, an Economic and Social Council, a Trusteeship Council, a Secretariat, and an International Court of Justice. Its primary mission is to maintain international peace and security. Copyright 2000. Accessed 12/8/2000.

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF's mission is to advocate for children's rights, to help them meet their basic needs, and to reach their full potential. It mobilizes resources for the most disadvantaged children -- victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation. n.d. accessed 12/8/2000.

United Nations Depository Libraries .

There are 385 UN depository libraries in 163 countries that provide for the distribution of UN publications. Davis Library is one of these depositories. ren's rights, to help them meet their basic needs, and to reach their full potential. It mobilizes resources for the most disadvantaged children -- victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation. n.d. accessed 12/8/2000.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

UNDP's s mission is "to help countries in their efforts to achieve sustainable human development by assisting them to build their capacity to design and carry out development programmes in poverty eradication, employment creation and sustainable livelihoods, the empowerment of women and the protection and regeneration of the environment, giving first priority to poverty eradication." Major programs include HIV/AIDS, energy and environment, human development, "pro-poor policies", information and communication technology and democratic government. n.d. accessed 12/8/2000.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

"The main objective of UNESCO is to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science, culture and communication in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations." n.d. accessed 12/8/2000.

United Nations Information Centres .

UNICs are located in 78 countries around the world. Many of the UNICs have reference libraries. Thirty-five has their own websites in local languages. Last updated 12/8/2000.

United Nations International Computing Centre

The UN ICC provides information technology services on a cost recovery basis, "assists in exploiting networking and computing technology ... gives advice and disseminations information on questions related to information management." n.d. accessed 12/8/2000.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) .

The UNFPA helps developing countries find solutions to their populations programs. It works through three programs Reproductive Health (including Family Planning and Sexual Health), Population and Development Strategies, and Advocacy. See the Population Issues: Briefing Kit 2000 and The State of World Population, 2000 are two of many information reports the UNFPA prepares. Last updated Dec. 9, 2000.

The WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources

This set of pages is from The Virtual Library (VL), originated by Tim Berners-Lee, which the compilers say is the "oldest catalog of the web." Each topic in the VL is maintained and updated by a volunteer who follows certain guidelines in the compilation of the pages for which he/she is responsible. The work of the VL is coordinated by a council. There are bylaws and opportunities to join if you are interested. The International Affairs section is divided into six topics. Among them are sustainable development, migration and ethnic relations. The site claims links to over 2000 sites. Items of interest include maps, media sources (newspapers and journals, etc.) from around the world, organizations and research institutes, cross-cultural and global perspectives, lots of regions and country information (with focused search engines), plus about 12 issue topics and links to language sites. The site is maintained by Wayne A.Selcher, Professor of0 International Studies, Department of Political Science, Elizabethtown College, PA. Last updated 1/21/2001. Accessed 2/3/2001.

World Bank .

"The World Bank is the world's largest source of development assistance, providing nearly $16 billion in loans annually to its client countries. It uses its financial resources, highly trained staff, and extensive knowledge base to help each developing country onto a path of stable, sustainable, and equitable growth in the fight against poverty." The Knowledge Bank outlines its vision and strategy. Multiple research papers are available here as well. Last updated Dec. 8, 2000.

World Health Organization (WHO) .

WHO defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of sickness or infirmity." WHO has four policies for world action: 1) Integrating health and human development into public policies, 2) Ensuring equitable access to health services, 3) Promoting and protecting health, 4) Preventing and controlling specific health problems. Last updated Oct. 26, 2000.

World Trade Organization (WTO) .

The WTO is "the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations." Agreements involve customs tariffs, agriculture, textiles, services, intellectual property, anti-dumping, subsidies, emergency safeguards. The organization studies regionalism, the environment, competition, trade faciilitiation. Includes a case study on dophin-tuna with questions about environmental regulations. n.d. Accessed Dec. 8, 2000.

Revised 1/18/2001.
If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Evelyn Daniel