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PROGRESSIVE POLITICS for a fairer world

The Socialist International is the worldwide organisation of social democratic, socialist and labour parties. It currently brings together 170 political parties and organisations from all continents.

The Socialist International, whose origins go back to the early international organisations of the labour movement, has existed in its present form since 1951, when it was re-established at the Frankfurt Congress. Since then it has been increasingly active and grown considerably in membership, particularly in recent years doubling the number of its members during the 1990s. Labour, social democratic and socialist parties are now a major political force in democracies around the world. Numerous member parties of the International, in all continents, are currently leading governments or are the main opposition force.

The supreme decision-making bodies of the International are the Congress, which meets every three to four years, and the Council, which includes all member parties and organisations and which meets twice a year.

George A. Papandreou, President of PASOK, the organisation's member party in Greece, is President of the Socialist International, elected in January 2006. Luis Ayala (Chile) is the Secretary General, re-elected at the last Congress. The Vice-Presidents, who are also elected by the Congress, together with the President and the Secretary General, make up the Presidium of the International, the leadership of the organisation. Former Presidents and Secretaries General of the organisation

From 1976 to 1992 the late Willy Brandt, former Chancellor of Germany and winner of the 1971 Nobel Peace Prize, was President of the Socialist International. Pierre Mauroy, former Prime Minister of France, served as President from 1992 to 1999, and António Guterres, former Prime Minister of Portugal, from 1999 to 2005.

The secretariat of the Socialist International is located in London and coordinates the activities and initiatives of the International, convenes its meetings and conferences, issues statements and press releases and produces its publications.

The International established for the current inter-Congress period, in addition to the statutory Ethics Committee and Committee for Finance and Administration, committees on subjects or regions, as follows: the Economy, Social Cohesion and the Environment; Local Authorities; Migrations; Peace, Democracy and Human Rights; Africa; Asia and the Pacific; CIS and the Caucasus; Latin America and the Caribbean; the Mediterranean; the Middle East; South Eastern Europe and working groups within some of these committees on the Bretton Woods System; the Kurdish Question; and South Pacific Democracies.

These committees or working groups have specific programmes of activities and meet regularly.

The Socialist International also frequently sends missions or delegations to various countries or regions. In recent years these have visited on many occasions the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Central and Eastern Europe.

The Socialist International is financed by annual affiliation fees from its member parties and its fraternal and associated organisations. The International's budget is decided democratically by all members at its Council meetings. The 2008 Budget totals £1,155,000 (pounds sterling). During 2007 the International registered a total income of £1,094,500 with a total expenditure of £1,058,000, which broke down into £48,000 for communications; £126,000 for administration; £382,000 for the Secretariat; £68,000 for conferences and council meetings; £107,000 for delegations and missions; £123,000 for committees and other meetings, as well as £203,000 for Socialist International Women.

As a non-governmental organisation, the Socialist International has consultative status (Category I) with the United Nations, and works internationally with a large number of other organisations.