Institute of Cultural Affairs International

Last updated

The Institute of Cultural Affairs International (ICA International) is a global network of national ICA organizations that carry out human development programming in their respective nations. ICA International is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) that works to influence development policy. By putting culture at the center of development, it seeks to provide the people the power to shape their own destiny.

Contents

ICA International has a great mission to advocate for people and actualize the fundamental right of all people to define and shape their own future towards the goal of realizing sustainable solutions to human challenges.

Objectives

The strategic objectives of ICA International are:

To facilitate the sharing of our experiences, values, and lessons at the global level, in order to influence international development policy.

To develop and facilitate global partnerships.

To address human development challenges.

To coordinate programs and initiatives involving multiple member ICA organizations for global impact.

Finally, to support member ICAs through training and capacity building initiatives and facilitate regular networking and interchange among member ICAs.

Relationships

ICA International maintains relationships with key international bodies and other international organisations, including:

Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); Liaison status with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO); Working relation status with the World Health Organisation (WHO); Consultative Status with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); Service on the Non Governmental Organisation Consultative Group for the International Fund of Agriculture Development (IFAD); and Membership in CIVICUS, the World Alliance for Citizen Participation.

ICA International is a global network of national member organizations located in the following countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, South Africa, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. ICA Nepal hosted the 8th global conference on human development in Kahtmnandu, Nepal in late 2012. In this occasion a book entitled 'Changing lives changing society' was released. [1]

In the 1970s and 1980s the Institute of Cultural Affairs established several thousand model villages, around the world, to demonstrate what is possible when people work together. [2] [3]

The secretariat office is in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Economic and Social Council</span> One of six principal organs of the United Nations

The United Nations Economic and Social Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialised agencies, the eight functional commissions, and the five regional commissions under its jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union of International Associations</span> International organization

The Union of International Associations (UIA) is a non-profit non-governmental research institute and documentation center based in Brussels, Belgium, and operating under United Nations mandate. It was founded in 1907 under the name Central Office of International Associations by Henri La Fontaine, the 1913 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Paul Otlet, a founding father of what is now called information science.

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is an international network of organizations that was founded in 1990 to provide communication infrastructure, including Internet-based applications, to groups and individuals who work for peace, human rights, protection of the environment, and sustainability. Pioneering the use of ICTs for civil society, especially in developing countries, APC were often the first providers of Internet in their member countries.

The consultative status is a phrase that has been in use since the establishment of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council". Also some international organizations could grant Consultative Status to NGOs. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) could grant Consultative Status in the form of "Researcher-in-residence programme" : accredited representatives of national and international NGOs are granted access to all records and to numerous topical compilations related to OSCE field activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center for International Forestry Research</span>

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a non-profit scientific research organization that conducts research on the use and management of forests with a focus on tropical forests in developing countries. CIFOR, which merged with World Agroforestry on Jan. 1, 2019, is the forestry and agroforestry research center of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a network of 15 research centers around the world that focus on agricultural research for sustainable development, working closely with governments and other partners to help develop evidence-based solutions to problems related to sustainable agriculture and natural resource management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Federation of United Nations Associations</span>

The World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) was founded in 1946 as a Federation of national associations. Its objectives are to promote the values of the UN Charter, defend multilateralism, work towards a better United Nations Organisation and raise awareness on the main pillars of work of the United Nations—peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights.

The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) is a non-governmental cooperative organization founded in 1895 to unite, represent and serve cooperatives worldwide. The ICA is the custodian of the internationally recognised definition, values and principles of a cooperative in the ICA Statement on the Cooperative Identity. The ICA represents 315 co-operative federation and organisations in 107 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academic Council on the United Nations System</span>

The Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) is a professional association of scholars, practitioners, institutions, and individuals active in the work and study of the UN. ACUNS stimulates and supports dialogue and research about issues of global concern and international cooperation.

Catherine "Cathy" Bertini is an American public servant. She is the 2003 World Food Prize Laureate. She was the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program from 1992 to 2002. She served as the UN Under-Secretary for Management from 2003 to 2005. Currently she is a distinguished fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Chair of the Board of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the Chair of the Executive Board of the Crop Trust.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), previously the United Nations Development Group (UNDG), is a consortium of 36 United Nations funds, programmes, specialized agencies, departments and offices that play a role in development. It was created by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in order to improve the effectiveness of United Nations development activities at the country level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs</span> Government organization in New York, United States

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs is part of the United Nations Secretariat and is responsible for the follow-up to major United Nations Summits and Conferences, as well as services to the United Nations Economic and Social Council and the Second and Third Committees of the United Nations General Assembly. UN DESA assists countries around the world in agenda-setting and decision-making with the goal of meeting their economic, social and environmental challenges. It supports international cooperation to promote sustainable development for all, having as a foundation the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as adopted by the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2015. In providing a broad range of analytical products, policy advice, and technical assistance, UN DESA effectively translates global commitments in the economic, social and environmental spheres into national policies and actions and continues to play a key role in monitoring progress towards internationally agreed-upon development goals. It is also a member of the United Nations Development Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Umpleby</span>

Stuart Anspach Umpleby is an American cybernetician and professor in the Department of Management and Director of the Research Program in Social and Organizational Learning in the School of Business at the George Washington University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Assembly of Youth</span> International organization

The World Assembly of Youth (WAY); French: Assemblée Mondiale de la Jeunesse, Spanish: Asamblea Mundial de la Juventud is the international coordinating body of national youth councils and national youth organisations. The full members of WAY are national youth councils. WAY currently has 140 member organisations from all continents. As the international coordinating body of national youth councils, WAY has special consultative status with the United Nations, the highest status possible for a non-governmental organization. WAY co-operates with the UN and many of its special agencies, particularly with UNAIDS, UNEP, ILO, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNCTAD and WHO.

This is a list of international organizations in which Canada has membership.

International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) is an international organization of left-wing and progressive jurists' associations with sections and members in 50 countries and territories. Along with facilitating contact and exchange of views between and among lawyers and lawyers' associations of all countries, the IADL works to conduct research on legal issues affecting human, political and economic rights, organizes international commissions of enquiry and conferences on legal and judicial concerns, and takes part in international legal observer missions. Through its activities the Association works as a recognized consultative organization with the United Nations through ECOSOC, UNESCO and UNICEF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development</span>

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) [previously known as Forum-Asia] is a membership-based regional human rights organisation with 85 member organisations in 23 countries across Asia. It is committed to the promotion and protection of all human rights including the right to development.

Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN) (Nepali: नेपाल ग्रामीण पुनर्निर्माण संस्था) is a non-government, not for profit, social development organisation in Nepal, initiated in 1989 in the form of a small organisation created by a group of creative graduates of the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science in Chitwan district with its initial name 'Grass Roots Institute for Training and Services-Nepal (GRITS-Nepal)'. By subscribing to the basic principles of the International Rural Reconstruction Movement, GRITS-Nepal was renamed and officially registered in 1993 as Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN). With the passage of time, RRN has been able to expand itself into one of the fast-growing NGOs in the country together with its diverse development programmes covering the vast geographical area and the population.

The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) is a state-led, informal and non-binding process, which helps shape the global debate on migration and development. It provides a flexible, multi-stakeholder space where governments can discuss the multi-dimensional aspects, opportunities and challenges related to migration, development, and the link between these two areas. The GFMD process allows governments - in partnership with civil society, the private sector, the UN system, and other relevant stakeholders – to analyze and discuss sensitive issues, create consensus, pose innovative solutions, and share policy and practices.

References

  1. ICA Nepal, 2012
  2. Methods For Community Development: The Work of the Institute Of Cultural Affairs, Stuart A. Umpleby, The George Washington University, August 7, 1989.
  3. A Global Strategy for Human Development: The Work of the Institute of Cultural Affairs, Stuart A. Umpleby and Alisa Oyler, in Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Vol. 24, No. 6, November–December 2007, pp. 645-653, May 8, 2007.