Members

• Promoting regional economic policy dialogue in Asia and the Pacific and providing policy advice;
• Supporting capacity building and institutional strengthening to help ADB member countries integrate both within the region and with the rest of the world;
• Conducting research and serving as a knowledge and information center on RCI;
• Acting as ADB’s focal point for regional infrastructure and financial sector development and developing partnerships with regional forums and international institutions.

Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 member nations, 48 from the region who have committed $167.1 billion in loans to the vision of a region free of poverty.

The African Development Bank Group is an international organisation and a regional multilateral development finance institution established in 1964 and supported by 77 nations (member countries) from Africa, North and South America, Europe and Asia and engaged in mobilising resources towards the economic and social progress of its Regional Member Countries (RMCs). 

The Bank's principal functions are: (i) to make loans and equity investments for the economic and social advancement of the RMCs; (ii) to provide technical assistance for the preparation and execution of development projects and programs; (iii) to promote investment of public and private capital for development purposes; and (iv) to respond to requests for assistance in coordinating development policies and plans of RMCs. In its operations, the Bank is also required to give special attention to national and multinational projects and programs which promote regional integration.

The Bank's operations cover the major sectors, with particular emphasis on agriculture, public utilities, transport, industry, the social sectors of health and education, and concerns cutting across sectors, such as poverty reduction, environmental management, gender mainstreaming, and population activities. Most Bank financing is designed to support specific projects. However, the Bank also provides program, sector, and policy-based loans to enhance national economic management. The Bank also finances non publicly guaranteed private sector operations. The Bank actively pursues co-financing activities with bilateral and multilateral institutions.

The Asociaciόn Latinoamericana de Integraciόn – ALADI is an international organization established in 1980 and the largest Latin-American group of integration. It has twelve member countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. It aims to promote the creation of an area of economic preferences in the region, a Latin-American common market.

APEC SME Innovation Center is an International Organisation, managed by the Small and Medium Business Corporation (SBC). Previously, the APEC SMEIC was managed by the Korea Technology Information Promotion Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises (TIPA).

Its mission is to undertake activities to enhance SME innovation capacity and take the lead in establishing collaborative SME innovation networks of APEC member economies.

The APEC SME Innovation Centre main objectives are: 

• to enhance innovative capacity and build an infrastructure at home and abroad in a bid to promote SME innovation in the APEC region and create an environment for the regional free trade and investment liberalization.
• to play a leading role in upgrading SME competitiveness, establishing collaborative networks and fostering SME innovation by undertaking cooperative programs with APEC member economies based on the "2005 Daegu Initiative".

The APEC SME Innovation Center was established in 2006 to play the role in promoting SME innovation in the APEC region so that developing member economies can achieve the Bogor Goal by the year of 2020. The Bogor Goal is for member economies to reach free trade and investment liberalization in APEC. The Korean government suggested establishment during the 2005 APEC SME Ministerial Meeting and member economies endorsed it.

The Mission of COMSATS entails bringing about sustainable socio-economic development in the South, through building capacities in, and making judicious use of, science and technology applications, by instituting South-South and
North-South collaborations and exchange. As extracted from the International Agreement of the Commission, the Mission of COMSATS has been translated into the following objectives:

• To sensitize the countries in the South to the centrality of science and technology in the development process, to the adequate allocation of resources for research and development, and to the integration of science and technology in the national and regional development plans;
• To support the establishment of a Network of International Science and Technology Centres for Sustainable Development in the South;
• To support other major initiatives, designed to promote indigenous capacity in science and technology for science-led sustainable development, and to help mobilize long-term financial support from international donor-agencies and from Governments / Institutions in the North and the South, to supplement the financing of international scientific projects in the South;
• To provide leadership and support for major North-South and South-South cooperative schemes in education, training and research, such as the proposal to set up programmes of scholarships for research at centres of excellence in the South;
• To support the relevant programmes and initiatives of major scientific organizations working for the development and promotion of science and technology in the South.

The foundation-conference of COMSATS that was held at Islamabad on 4th & 5th October, 1994, attracted representation from thirty-six countries. The participants included twenty-two Ministers, members of the diplomatic community of Islamabad and representatives of international organizations, like UNESCO, UNIDO, UNEP, and the World Bank. The conference decided that the Headquarters / Secretariat of the Commission would be based permanently at Islamabad, Pakistan, and the Head of State of Pakistan would act as the first Chairperson of the forum. It was agreed that the host-government, Pakistan, would provide for the operational and administrative expenses of the Secretariat, while the development programmes of the Commission would be supported and financed through Technical Assistance Fund, formed of membership-contributions, income from services, and international grants/project-funds.

The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions - G-NEXID is an International Organization established in 2006 with the aim to improve cooperation and assistance, and facilitate the exchange of experiences among specialized institutions involved in trade and project financing, particularly EXIM Banks and DFIs, at regional and global levels.

G-Nexid works under the auspices of UNCTAD, with International Trade Centre (ITC) and other U.N. Organisations.

The Global Network shall perform the following functions:

• To promote and develop cooperation and common understanding of the various issues related to trade and project financing among its Members;
• To facilitate the flow of information among its Members, through the strengthening of information network at the national, regional and international levels, as well as through the organization of regular meetings;
• To disseminate relevant specialist knowledge made available by UNCTAD and other international organizations;
• To share country and regional experiences and best practices in trade and project finance, including those related to services and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs);
• To assist its Members in benefiting from technical assistance through the Global Network's sponsored research work on various policy issues, new trends and opportunities, innovative financing mechanisms, and common problems and challenges facing its Members; as well as SMEs development and competitiveness;
• To help its Members benefit from capacity building and training services through the Global Network's sponsored events, study tours, internships, workshops, publications or by way of referrals to relevant international or multilateral agencies;
• To assist Members in exploring various cooperative agreements, such as co-financings and joint operations;
• To assist and advise, on request, members in the structuring and implementation of export or import financing transactions;
• To raise the necessary funds for the above activities;
• Any other relevant functions as decided by the G-NEXID General Assembly.

The aims and purposes of the Global Network shall be accomplished through meetings and seminars, technical cooperation, capacity- and institution-building, research, publications and special reports, and such other means as its General Assembly may determine.

The purpose of the Corporation, established in 1986, is to promote the economic development of its regional developing member countries by encouraging the establishment, expansion, and modernization of private enterprises, preferably those that are small and medium-scale, in such a way as to supplement the activities of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).

In order to accomplish its purpose, the Corporation shall undertake the following functions in support of the enterprises:

• Assist, alone or in association with other lenders or investors, in the financing of the establishment, expansion and modernization of enterprises, utilizing such instruments and/or mechanisms as the Corporation deems appropriate in each instance;
• Facilitate their access to private and public capital, domestic and foreign, and to technical and managerial know-how;
• Stimulate the development of investment opportunities conducive to the flow of private and public capital, domestic and foreign, into investments in the member countries;
• Take in each case the proper and necessary measures for their financing, bearing in mind their needs and principles based on prudent administration of the resources of the Corporation; and
• Provide technical cooperation for the preparation, financing and execution of projects, including the transfer of appropriate technology.

The IIC is owned by 43 countries: Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Belgium, Bolivia Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela.

IOR-ARC RCSTT is an intergovernmental international organization. The principal objective of the Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group (IORAG) is to act as a facilitator and coordinator of research on the nature and impact of the human uses of the Indian Ocean, with the overall objective of realizing peace, co-operation and ecologically sustainable development in the Indian Ocean region. The Group will also: encourage research networking, including distance education, among institutions of higher learning, facilitate dialogue between cultures and civilizations in the region, act as a resource base of data and information on the region, provide consultancy services to interested government agencies and business groups and help facilitate intra-regional investment and trade.

OSCE is an International Organisation. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the largest regional security organisation in the world with 55 participating States from Europe, Central Asia and North America. It is active in early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict. OSCE takes a comprehensive approach to security by working in the politico/military, economic/environmental and human dimensions.
In the economic and environmental dimension, the OSCE focuses on issues such as trafficking in human beings, money laundering, environmental degradation, good governance and SME development with the aim to address potential threats to security and enhance national and regional stability.

The OSCE was created in the early 1970s under the structure of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) to serve as a multilateral forum for dialogue and negotiation between East and West. The 1994 Budapest Summit, recognized that the CSCE was no longer a simple Conference, and changed its name to the OSCE. This gave the Organization a new political impetus and was also a reflection of its institutional development since the end of the Cold War.

The Latin American Economic System (SELA), is a regional intergovernmental organization established in 1975 that groups 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries. It aims to provide the Latin American and Caribbean region with a system of consultation and coordination for the adoption of common positions and strategies on economic issues in international bodies and forums and before third countries and groups of countries and to foster cooperation and integration among the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
SELA offers a wide range of services and implements numerous projects:
Extra-regional relations
Seal business and cooperation proposals for Latin America and the Caribbean;
Conduct systematic analyses of the impact of global economic decisions and processes on the economies of the region;
Assess processes linked to international business, commercial, economic and financial negotiations and the implications of such processes for regional development and integration;
Support Member States, whenever necessary, with respect to their participation in the relevant deliberations and negotiations.
Intra-regional relations:
Support the development, coordination and convergence of the sub-regional processes of Latin America Latin and the Caribbean.
Maintain a systematic analysis of the relevant factors with a view to ensuring the harmonious development of integration between the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Promote strategies to identify operational efforts that will help further the coordination and convergence of economic integration throughout the region.
Consider and develop proposals aimed at creating an institutional framework of integration that will encourage coordination and convergence in sub-regional processes.
Economic and Technical Cooperation:
Promote the flow of multilateral and bilateral cooperation from international agencies and donor countries towards the region and serve as a regional focal point for economic and technical cooperation between developing countries.
Encourage the exchange of experiences and information on national policies, particularly those of greatest relevance to macroeconomic coordination, the struggle against poverty, social inclusion and international cooperation.

UNCTAD was established in 1964. The mission and objectives of UNCTAD are:

• Forging the links among international trade opportunities and development;
• Enhancing coherence between national development strategies and global economic processes towards economic growth and development, particularly of developing countries;
• Assisting developing countries to design and implement active policies for building productive capacity and international competitiveness and to support their efforts to attract and benefit more from FDI.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is the United Nations’ global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people building a better life. They are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity they draw on the people of UNDP and their wide range of partners. UNDP México has worked in the development of the private sector, as a tool towards poverty reduction, since 1997.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) as a multilateral platform facilitates greater integration and cooperation among its fifty-six Member States and promotes sustainable development and economic prosperity through policy dialogue, negotiation of international legal instruments, development of regulations and norms, exchanges and application of best practices as well as economic and technical expertise, and technical cooperation for countries with economies in transition.

The UNECE provides a platform for exchange of experiences and good practices for its member States, with the participation of the private sector and other stakeholders. Using the outcomes of this process of knowledge-sharing, it carries out capacity-building activities on the basis of the demand of their members. UNECE is committed in the following activities:

• Organization of conferences, seminars and training events;
• Compilations of good practices;
• Preparation of guidebooks and other practically oriented material.

The UNESCO was founded on 16 November 1945. The main objective of UNESCO is to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting collaboration amongst nations through education, science, culture and communication. The purpose of the Science System Management Unit is twofold: capacity-building and policy advice in science and technology; promote university-industry-science partnership.

The regular budget of UNESCO is constituted by the mandatory contributions from its Member States. The Organisation can also receive voluntary contributions from Member States or donor bodies for the implementation of its regular programme as approved by the General Conference or for the implementation of operational projects in the fields of competence of the Organization.
UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 190 Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. UNESCO has field offices in each region of the world: 18 in Africa, 6 in the Arab States, 14 in Asia, and 13 in Latin America.

UNESCO is the largest multi-disciplinary UN agency having about two thousand staff working in the fields of education, science (natural, social and human), culture and communication. There are programmes within the organisation on technical and vocational education, poverty reduction, cultural industries, science, technology and innovation policy which are of relevance to INSME programme to support micro, small and medium enterprises. The Science Systems Management Unit of the Division of Science Analysis and Policies is the hub through which UNESCO can collaborate with INSME. The Unit assists Member States to formulate and evaluate national science, technology and innovation policies and enhancing capacity building. In addition, the Unit runs UNISPAR, the partnership between university, research institutes and private companies (which are largely SMEs). The current thrust of the programme is to improve the policy competences of SMEs associations and build capacities for technological entrepreneurship in higher educational institutions and research institutes.

UNIDO was set up in 1966 and became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1985. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) helps developing countries and countries with economies in transition in their fight against marginalization in today's globalized world. It mobilizes knowledge, skills, information and technology to promote productive employment, a competitive economy and a sound environment.

UNIDO has offices in Brussels, Geneva and New York that maintain on-the-spot contacts with Member States and the other United Nations organizations based there.
UNIDO is also represented in 35 developing countries. This representation and a number of specialised field offices, for investment and technology promotion and other specific aspects of its work, give UNIDO an active presence in the field.

UNIDO's assistance is delivered through two core functions: a normative function as a Global Forum, and an operational function, providing Technical Cooperation.
As a global forum, UNIDO generates and disseminates knowledge relating to industrial matters and provides a platform for the various actors in the public and private sectors, civil society organizations and the policy- making community in general to enhance cooperation, establish dialogue and develop partnerships.
As a technical cooperation agency, UNIDO designs and implements programmes to support the industrial development efforts of its clients. It also offers tailor-made specialized support for programme development. The two core functions are both complementary and mutually supportive. On the one hand, experience gained in the technical cooperation work of UNIDO can be shared with policy makers; on the other, the Organization's analytical work shows where technical cooperation will have the greatest impact by helping to define priorities.

With headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, WIPO is one of the 16 specialised agencies of the United Nations system. Its mission is to promote the use and protection of works of the human spirit.

With a staff of 917 people drawn from around the world, WIPO carries out many tasks related to the protection of intellectual property rights, such as administering international treaties, assisting governments, organisations and the private sector, monitoring developments in the field, harmonising and simplifying relevant rules and practices. In all that it does, the key words are: relevance, efficiency, communication and international cooperation.

WIPO is largely self-financed – which is quite unusual among international organisations- as it generates more than 90% of its annual budget through its widely used international registration services, as well as through its publications, arbitration and mediation activities. The remainder comes from contribution by member states.

In the 2002-2003 biennium, about 85 % (approximately 455 million) of the budget expenditure came from earnings of the registration systems. The remaining 15 % will come mainly from contributions from member states and sales of WIPO publications. All this income finances WIPO's operating expenditures, slightly over 340 million Swiss francs per year.

The use of the registration systems has grown steadily over the last few years and that trend is expected to continue well into the new century. Long-term investments on office automation and headquarters premises are currently under way, financed by a special reserve fund. Contributions from member states are small. The five largest contributing countries each donate about one-half percent of the Organisation's budget each.

The number of member states belonging to WIPO now stands at 180 ( over 90 % of the world's countries).

Apart from its headquarters in Geneva, WIPO has offices in New York and Brussels.