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The World of International Organizations

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International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies. The organization includes all of the U.N.'s 193 member nations and more than 1,000 companies, universities and international and regional organizations. Headquartered in Geneva and with regional offices on every continent, ITU is the oldest in the U.N. system, connecting the world since the telegraph era in 1865.

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Ad for 5G technology on a rail car in the Washington, D.C. Metro

SciTech Diplomacy

Behind the scenes at U.N. telecoms agency, 5G edges closer to reality

4 min read

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Before telecoms can revolutionize their equipment, ITU must develop new technical standards for putting it all to use.

North Korean U.N. Ambassador So Se Pyong speaks to reporters at a news conference in 2014 at his country’s mission in Geneva.

Nuclear Security & WMD

'Low profile' multilateralism: North Korea's hidden avenues to the world

15 min read

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A summit with the U.S. could expand North Korea's little-known involvement with international organizations.

Rows of flags outside the U.N. headquarters at the Palais des Nations in Geneva

Security & Geopolitics

International cooperation is shaped by a history of waterways and wars

5 min read

Paid

The first international organization dates to an 1804 Rhine River treaty. In the 20th century, organizations proliferated.