International Progress Organization

i-p-o.org

Human Rights Organizations Austria

Description

The International Progress Organization is a Vienna based non-governmental organization and think tank working on world affairs.

It holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is associated with the UN Department of Public Information. It is non-partisan and not aligned with any government or political party. It was founded in 1972 in Innsbruck, Austria, by students from Austria, India and Egypt concerned with relations between cultures and the North-South divide. It now has members in more than 70 countries.

The organization sponsors international conferences and research seminars on democracy, human rights, dialogue among civilizations, conflict resolution, international law and economic development. It monitors elections and human rights situations in various countries and cooperates with academic institutions and international NGOs worldwide. It publishes the series Studies in International Relations. It has sent international observers to legal proceedings on behalf of the United Nations, including the Lockerbie trial in the Netherlands.

The organization is led by an Executive Board with a President, three Vice-Presidents and other members elected or appointed for four year terms.