intergovernmental organisation

(IGO)

   An organisation that allows national states to cooperate on matters of specific concern to them, in a way that does not compromise their national sovereignty. They are usually established by treaty and operate by consent, their day-to-day running being conducted by a secretariat. Most of them lack any means of enforcing compliance with their agreed decisions and on occasion their wishes can be ignored or overridden, as with George Bush’s decision to press ahead with an invasion of Iraq without a second United Nations resolution. Powerful states tend to comply with IGO recommendations when they endorse what they are already doing or intend to do. Examples include the United Nations, the International Telecommunications Union and regional bodies such as the Council of Europe.

   Most established states belong to one or more of the many intergovernmental organisations which inhabit the international environment.

   See also: supranationalism