Union of International Associations

The Union of International Associations (UIA) is a research institute and documentation centre, based in Brussels. It was founded one hundred years ago, in 1907, by Henri La Fontaine (Nobel Peace Prize laureate of 1913), and Paul Otlet, a founding father of what is now called information science.

Non-profit, apolitical, independent, and non-governmental in nature, the UIA has been a pioneer in the research, monitoring and provision of information on international organizations, international associations and their global challenges since 1907.

Publicly the UIA is best known for the Yearbook of International Organizations; the Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential; the International Congress Calendar; and its former journal Transnational Associations. [Read more about our activities]

In its on-going efforts to facilitate understanding of the nature and complexities of the international community of organizations the UIA has become a cutting-edge technical centre with high standing in the academic, governmental, and business domains.

The UIA has consultative status with ECOSOC and with UNESCO.