Membership in international organizations

United Nations

On June 28, 2006, Montenegro became the 192nd member of the United Nations. By actively participating and contributing to the work of the UN and organizations within the system, as well as to its specialized and affiliated agencies, Montenegro supports the mission, goals and efforts of the United Nations, through offices in the three main UN centers - New York, Geneva and Vienna.

The United Nations is an international organization whose members are sovereign states. It is universal in terms of membership, competencies and goals, and its main task is to promote international cooperation in the field of resolving global issues of various nature, including, above all, preserving international peace and security, developing friendly relations between countries, protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, sustainable development, humanitarian and health assistance, the fight against climate change, among many other activities.

Due to that goal, a wide network of international organizations has been established, which have the status of specialized or agencies connected with the UN. The seat of the UN Secretariat is in New York, while certain parts of the system are located all over the world - Geneva, Vienna, Rome, Nairobi, The Hague, Athens, Tokyo and Copenhagen. Today, the United Nations brings together 193 member countries.

United Nations official site: https://www.un.org/

OSCE

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the most comprehensive regional security organization, with 57 participants covering whole Europe, Eurasia and the Euro-Atlantic region.

Montenegro became a member of the OSCE on 22 June 2006, and signed the Helsinki Final Act, the founding document of the Organization, on 1 September 2006. Montenegro's Permanent Mission to the OSCE, UN and other international organizations in Vienna opened on 17 October 2006.

Montenegro is committed to and continuously participates in activities from all three OSCE dimensions: political-military, economic-environmental and human, as well as in the work of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Also, the presence of the OSCE Mission in Podgorica is of multiple importance for the realization of Montenegro's strategic and national interests. Within the framework of cooperation with the OSCE, a broad political and security forum that crosses European borders, Montenegro continuously very actively and effectively promotes and protects its foreign policy and overall interests.

OSCE official site: https://www.osce.org

Council of Europe

The Council of Europe is the oldest pan-European political organization, established in 1949 in Strasbourg, France, with the aim of promoting democracy, protecting and promoting human rights and ensuring the rule of law in the member states.

All members of the Council of Europe are signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protects human rights and political freedoms. Montenegro signed the European Convention on Human Rights on June 6, 2006. It officially became the 47th member of the Council of Europe on May 11, 2007. The Permanent Mission of Montenegro to the Council of Europe was opened on October 1, 2007. The most visible segments of cooperation between the Council of Europe and Montenegro are realized through specialized bodies, which prepare reports on Montenegro.

The Venice Commission should certainly be highlighted as a body with which our country has continuous cooperation, and which is perceived as the most famous and most present body of the Council of Europe in our country. Regular communication with the CoE Office in Podgorica takes place with the aim of implementing numerous projects that place special focus on the rule of law, the fight against corruption, economic and organized crime, the promotion of anti-discrimination and the protection of the rights of vulnerable groups.

Council of Europe official site: https://www.coe.int

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NATO is the greatest military-political organization in the world, established on April 4^th 1949 in Washington. NATO’s political dimension is reflected in promotion of democratic values, consultations and cooperation of member-states in military and defence topics aiming at building trust and prevention of conflicts, while its military component is based on commitment to the peaceful dispute resolutions. If diplomatic efforts do not succeed, NATO has military power for undertaking operations in order to solve crisis situations.

Official relations between Montenegro and NATO started at the end of 2006, when Montenegro has been invited to join the Partnership for Peace, program of bilateral cooperation between partner countries and NATO. After negotiations talks and period of ratification of Accession Protocol by the allies, Montenegro has become 29^th member of NATO on June 5^th 2017, after delivering Instrument of Ratification of North – Atlantic Treaty to the State Department.

In the period from membership until today, Montenegro remained committed to implementation of national political priorities within NATO and concrete contribution to all key politics and areas of NATO activities.

NATO official site: https://www.nato.int/