Introduction — what this topic is and why it matters
An international organization is a formal body whose members are sovereign states (or, in a few cases, other organizations) that cooperate on shared goals — peace, trade, health, development, human rights. This topic is one of the highest-yield areas in Bangladeshi competitive exams (BCS Preliminary and Written, Bank, and IT-officer posts). Almost every exam carries several direct questions on founding years, headquarters, number of members, principal organs, secretaries-general, and Bangladesh's membership. The facts are stable and memorizable, so a well-organized learner can convert this topic into near-guaranteed marks.
This lesson builds the topic from first principles: what an international organization is, how the United Nations (UN) is structured and governed, how the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) works, and the key facts about other major global and regional bodies (OIC, ASEAN, EU, NATO, Commonwealth, WHO, World Bank, IMF, WTO, BIMSTEC and more).
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson you should be able to:
- Define what an international organization is and classify the main types.
- State the founding date, headquarters, membership and purpose of the UN and recite its six principal organs and their functions.
- Explain the composition and voting rules of the UN Security Council, including the veto.
- Recall SAARC's origin, founding date, member states, headquarters and objectives.
- List the founding years, headquarters and membership of major global and regional organizations.
- Answer date/headquarters/membership questions quickly using summary tables and memory tricks.
- Recall Bangladesh-specific facts (UN and SAARC membership dates, hosted secretariats).