Canadas International Organizations

Commonwealth of Nations:

A loose, voluntary association of 51 countries that five symbolic

allegiance to the British crown. Member countries exchange high
commissioners whose status is equivalent to that of ambassadors. The
commonwealth has no official policymaking body. The only formal political
consultations among the member governments are the periodic meetings of
their prime ministers to discuss common problems.
Group of Eight (G8):

Group of eight industrialized countries (United States, Russia, Japan,

Canada, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy). These countries hold yearly
summits (next one in Genoa, Italy on July 20-21, 2001) to discuss the following
issues:
o Economic Issues such as regional currency consolidation,
and the debt of poor nations
o Leadership in international governance
o Crisis Management
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):

Regional defence alliance created by NATO, that was originally signed

in 1949 by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Britain, Iceland, Italy,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United States. Other nations
have since been added. NATOs purpose is to enhance stability, well-being,
and freedom of its members by means of a system of collective security.
Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD):

International body, comprised of 25 countries participating in a

permanent co-operation co-ordinating the policies of the member nations. Its
principal goals are to promote economic growth while maintaining stability; to
contribute to sound economic expansion of nations in the process of
development; and to expand world trade in accordance with international
obligations. This form of cooperation began in 1948, when a group of 16
European countries founded the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OECC) to administer the Marshall Plan and to work together for
post-war recovery.
United Nations (UN):

International organization of nation-states based on the sovereign

equality of its members. Members are pledged to settle international disputes
by peaceful means; to refrain from the threat of use of force; to assist the UN
in actions ordered under the charter; to refrain from assisting any country
against which such UN action is being taken; and to act according to the

charters principles. UN membership is open to all peaceful states that accept

the obligations of the organization. As of 1995, the UN had 185 members.
The Security Council, which is in continuous session, is the UNs central
organization for maintaining peace. The council has 15 members, of which 5
(China, France, The United Kingdom, Russia, and the United States) have been
accorded permanent seats. Non-permanent members serve non-consecutive
2-year terms. The Security Council is responsible for matters of peace and
security.
World Health Organization:

Specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1948. The

agency may advise on the following matters:
o Aid in training medical personnel and in disseminating
information about diseases
o Maternal and child health
o Nutrition
o Population Planning
o Environmental Sanitation
The agency provides technical services for the following:
o Biological standardization and unification of
pharmacopoeias
o Collection and dissemination of epidemiological
information
o Special international research projects on parasitic and
viral diseases
o Publication of a series of technical and scientific works
World Trade Organization (WTO):

International body created in 1994 that promotes and enforces trade

laws and regulations the WTO has the authority to administer and police free
trade agreements, oversee world trade practices, and settle trade disputes
among member states.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA):

Comprised of Canada, the United States and Mexico, the agreements

objectives are to:
o Provide most-favoured nation status to all members of
the agreement
o Eliminate barriers to trade and facilitate the cross-border
movement of goods and services between the territories of the parties
o Promote conditions of fair competition in the free trade
area
o Substantially increase investment opportunities in the
territories of the Parties
o Provide adequate and effective protection and
enforcement of intellectual property rights in each partys territory

o Create effective procedures for the implementation and

application of this Agreement, for its joint admission, and for the
resolution of disputes
o Establish a framework for further trilateral, regional and
multilateral co-operation to expand and enhance the benefits of this
Agreement