The African Union was established in March 2001, and in July 2002 was formally launched as the successor to the African Economic treaty and the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The objectives of the AU are to promote economic integration and social development, to prepare the way for political unification of the whole continent.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is the primary vehicle of the Pacific Rim for promoting open trade and practical economic cooperation. Its goal is to advance Asia-Pacific economic dynamism and sense of community.

The Commonwealth of independent states originally encompassed the countries that emerged from the former Soviet Union except the three Baltic countries. It consisted of 12 countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. However Ukraine never ratified the treaty, Turkmenistan discontinued permanent membership in 2005 becoming an associate member instead, and Georgia withdrew from the CIS in august 2008 after the war with Russia.

Based in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe is an intergovernmental organisation committed to the protection of human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law. Founded by ten nations in 1949, it now numbers forty-one member States, including sixteen from Central and Eastern Europe, thus giving the Organisation a pan-European character. Source: COE

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group founded in 1975 when sixteen West African countries signed the Treaty of Lagos (Mauritania has since withdrawn). Its mission is to promote economic, monetary, and political integration in the sub-region; it has also taken on a role in regional security, with the establishment of the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG).

This category contains links regarding European integration and the politics, policies, institutions, and law of the European Union. The European Union is a supranational organization with currently 15 Member-States*. Its main institutions are the Council, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the European Court of Justice. The European Union is in fact the umbrella of three legal entities sharing the same bodies: the European Community, the European Community for Coal and Steel, and EURATOM. *Members of the European Union are: Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Portugal and Spain, Austria, Finland and Sweden.

The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) is a regional organisation created in May 1981 by Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

The Schengen convention is an agreement among European countries to abolish border controls between participating countries, harmonize external border controls, and organize cross-border police co-operation. It also implements a common visa area, whereby temporary visitors only need a single visa which is valid for all countries. The convention was originally signed by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands in 1985, and has since expanded to include most European Union member states and several other countries.