World Organizations Fact Sheet Asia ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Est.

. 1967 o Purpose: accelerating economic growth, social progress, and cultural development among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully. o Current Leader: Thailand APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Est. 1989 o Purpose: promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies and the advent of regional trade blocs in other parts of the world o Members account for approximately 40% of the world's population, approximately 54% of the world's gross domestic product and about 44% of world trade. o Current Leader: United States Europe NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Est. 1949 o Purpose: counter the threat of post-war communism extending it's influence into Europe using the method of collective defence. This means an attack on one member of NATO would be looked upon as an attack on all members, and all members of NATO would react against the common enemy. o In the 50's the Soviet Union made up their own counter-alliance known as the Warsaw Pact. These were the 2 sides of the cold war up to 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed and with it the Warsaw Pact o Current Leader: Denmark EU (European Union) Est. 1952 o Purpose: A group of European countries that participates in the world economy as one economic unit and operates under one official currency, the euro. The EU's goal is to create a barrier-free trade zone and to enhance economic wealth by creating more efficiency within its marketplace. o Current Leader: Belgium Africa/Middle East African Union Est. 1963 o Purpose: to accelerate the political and socio-economic integration of the continent; to promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its peoples; to achieve peace and security in Africa; and to promote democratic institutions, good governance and human rights. o Current Leader: Benin Arab League Est. 1945 o Purpose: a voluntary association of independent countries whose peoples are mainly Arabic speaking. Its stated purposes are to strengthen ties among the member states,

coordinate their policies, and promote their common interests. Founded in 1945 in Cairo to lobby for greater independence for Arab British protectorates, and to prevent Jewish control of Palestine o Current Leader: Egypt, Lebanon Americas NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) Est. 1995 o Purpose: remove most barriers to trade and investment among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Under the NAFTA, all non-tariff barriers to agricultural trade between the United States and Mexico were eliminated. In addition, many tariffs were eliminated immediately, with others being phased out over periods of 5 to 15 years CAFTA-DR (Dominican RepublicCentral America Free Trade Agreement) o Purpose: a free trade agreement between United States and the Central American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Global UN (United Nations) o Purpose: is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace. The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue o Current Leader: South Korea WTO (World Trade Organization) Est. 1995 o Purpose: devised to open borders for capitalist trade and regulate and enforce trade agreements worldwide. There are 153 member nations. o Base: Geneva o Current Leader: Pascal Lamy IMF (International Monetary Fund) Est. 1945 o Purpose: to stabilize exchange rates and assist the reconstruction of the worlds international payment system post-World War II. Countries contribute money to a pool through a quota system from which countries with payment imbalances can borrow funds temporarily. o Base: Washington D.C. o Current Leader: Christine Lagarde (France) ICC (International Criminal Court) o Purpose: is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression (although it cannot, until at least 2017,[2] exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression) o Current Leader: Song Sang-Hyun (South Korea