International Organisations:

Following the serious economic conditions encountered worldwide during the Great Depression of 1930s, political leaders in both developed and less developed countries recognised that "no country is free from poverty until every country is free from poverty".

Therefore, the desire to promote economic well-being of their people coupled with the realization that trade and economic cooperation can be an important stimulus to rapid economic growth, has led to the establishment of a number of international and regional organizations immediately after the second World War (1939 - 1945).

In this chapter we examine the main features and objectives of some of the organizations and , especially their relevance to the development aspirations of their developing member-countries.