International organization membership of the Netherlands

As a relatively small country, the Netherlands generally pursues its foreign policy interests within the framework of multilateral organizations. Treaties are always signed, negotiated or acceded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, after which a depository declaration indicates validity for its European territory (the country the Netherlands except the Caribbean Netherlands), Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and/or the Caribbean Netherlands.

The Netherlands is an active participant in the United Nations system as well as other multilateral organizations such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization (WTO), and International Monetary Fund.

The Netherlands is one of the founding members of what today is the European Union. It was one of the first countries to start European integration, through the Benelux in 1944 and the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952. Being a small country with a history of neutrality it was the host country for the important Maastricht Treaty and Amsterdam Treaty and is the seat of the International Court of Justice.

The Netherlands is a member of:


 * African Development Bank Group (AfDB) (nonregional member)
 * Arctic Council (observer)
 * Asian Development Bank (ADB) (nonregional member)
 * Australia Group
 * Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
 * Benelux Economic Union (Benelux)
 * Council of Europe (CE)
 * Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) (observer)
 * Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)
 * Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC)
 * European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
 * European Investment Bank (EIB)
 * European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
 * European Space Agency (ESA)
 * European Union (EU)
 * Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
 * Group of Ten (G10)
 * Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
 * International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
 * International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
 * International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
 * International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
 * International Criminal Court (ICCt)
 * International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
 * International Development Association (IDA)
 * International Energy Agency (IEA)
 * International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS)
 * International Finance Corporation (IFC)
 * International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
 * International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
 * International Labour Organization (ILO)
 * International Maritime Organization (IMO)
 * International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO)
 * International Monetary Fund (IMF)
 * International Olympic Committee (IOC)
 * International Organization for Migration (IOM)
 * International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
 * International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IFRC)


 * International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
 * International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO)
 * International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
 * Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
 * Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
 * Nonaligned Movement (NAM) (guest)
 * North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
 * Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
 * Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
 * Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
 * Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
 * Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
 * Organization of American States (OAS) (observer)
 * Paris Club
 * Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
 * Schengen Convention
 * Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) (observer)
 * United Nations (UN)
 * United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
 * United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
 * United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
 * United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
 * United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS)
 * United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
 * United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO)
 * Universal Postal Union (UPU)
 * Western European Union (WEU)
 * World Confederation of Labour (WCL)
 * World Customs Organization (WCO)
 * World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)
 * World Health Organization (WHO)
 * World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
 * World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
 * World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
 * World Trade Organization (WTO)
 * Zangger Committee (ZC)