ASEAN officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a political and economic union of

10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and

facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration
between its members and other countries in Asia. The major goal of ASEAN was to speed
economic growth and, as a result, social and cultural development. The promotion of regional
peace and stability based on the rule of law and the principles of the United Nations charter
was a secondary goal. With some of the world's fastest-growing economies, ASEAN's goals have
expanded beyond the economic and social sectors. In 2003, ASEAN agreed to form an ASEAN
community with three pillars: the ASEAN security community, the ASEAN economic community,
and the ASEAN socio-cultural community, following the European Union's approach. The ten
rice stalks of the ASEAN flag and insignia symbolize the ten Southeast Asian countries united in
solidarity. Other countries from the Asia-Pacific area and beyond are regularly engaged by
ASEAN. ASEAN, a significant member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, maintains a
global network of alliances and discussion partners and is widely regarded as a global
powerhouse, the Asia-central Pacific's union for cooperation, and a powerful and influential
organization. It is involved in a variety of international issues and hosts diplomatic missions all
around the globe.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member

economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Following the success of ASEAN's post-ministerial conferences in the mid-1980s, APEC was
established in 1989 in response to Asia-Pacific economies' growing interdependence and the
emergence of regional trade blocs in other parts of the world; it aimed to establish new
markets for agricultural products and raw materials outside of Europe. APEC is one of the
highest-level multilateral blocs and oldest forums in the Asia-Pacific region, with a large
worldwide effect. It is headquartered in Singapore. The heads of government of all APEC
countries attend an annual APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, with the exception of Taiwan
(which is represented by a ministerial-level official under the name Chinese Taipei as economic
leader). The meeting's site alternates annually among the member economies, and a well-
known practice involves the participating leaders dressed in the host country's national
costume for most (but not all) summits. The Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Islands
Forum are all official observers at APEC. The APEC Host Economy of the Year is considered first
in line for geographical representation at G20 meetings, according to G20 criteria. The G20 or
Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European
Union (EU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as
international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), sometimes known as the Cooperation Council for Arab
States of the Gulf (CCAG), is a regional, intergovernmental political and economic union made
up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The council's
primary headquarters are in the Saudi Arabian city of Riyadh. On May 25, 1981, the GCC's
Charter was signed, thus forming the organization. All current member states are monarchies
(is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until
abdication), including Three constitutional monarchies (is a form of monarchy in which the
monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in
deciding) (Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain), two absolute monarchies [is a form of monarchy in
which the monarch rules in their own right. In this kind of monarchy, the king is sometimes
limited by a constitution (since modern times). However, in some Absolute monarchies, the
king is by no means limited and has absolute power] (Saudi Arabia and Oman), and one federal
monarchy (in the strict sense, is a federation of states with a single monarch as overall head of
the federation, but retaining different monarchs, or having a non-monarchical system of
government, in the various states joined to the federation) (the United Arab Emirates, which is
composed of seven member states, each of which is an absolute monarchy with its own emir).
(Saudi Arabia and Oman) are among the current member states. Jordan, Morocco, and Yemen
have all expressed interest in joining the organization in the future (Yemen being the only
country of the Arabian Peninsula not yet a member of the GCC). Saudi Arabia proposed
transforming the GCC into a "Gulf Union" with tighter economic, political, and military
coordination during the Arab Spring in 2011, which was seen as an effort to offset Iranian
influence in the area. Other countries have raised objections to the proposal. Bahrain's prime
minister, Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, stated in 2014 that current developments in the area
underscored the proposal's necessity. The GCC's military force, the Peninsula Shield Force, was
established in 1984.

The African Economic Community (AEC) is an organization of African Union member states that
aims to create a framework for mutual economic development among the continent's majority
of countries. The organization's stated goals include building an economic and monetary union
through the development of free trade zones, customs unions, a single market, a central bank,
and a shared currency. There are currently many regional blocs in Africa, commonly known as
Regional Economic Communities (RECs), with many of their memberships overlapping. The
RECs are essentially trade blocs [(is a type of intergovernmental agreement, often part of a
regional intergovernmental organization, where barriers to trade (tariffs and others) are
reduced or eliminated among the participating states] with some political and military
cooperation thrown in for good measure. The majority of these RECs are the "pillars" of the
AEC, and many of them overlap in some of its member states. Because of the high level of
overlap, it's conceivable that some states with several REC memberships may eventually drop
out of one or more of them.
How Do These Trade Agreements and Efforts Impact Business?
It’s often called a “spaghetti bowl” because the agreements aren't precisely aligned strands;
instead, they're a tangled mass of crisscrossing strands that bind countries and trading blocs in
mutually beneficial trading alliances, like a bowl of spaghetti. Businesses must keep track of and
understand these changing trade agreements to ensure that none of them harm their
operations in critical markets. This is one of the reasons why multinational corporations employ
teams of in-house experts to monitor the WTO and regional trade agreements. For example,
American companies doing business in one of the ASEAN countries often choose to become
members of the US–ASEAN Business Council, so that they can monitor and possibly influence
new trade regulations as well as advance their business interests with government entities.

Why Does Peace Impact Business

The EU.It’s clear that conflict between countries significantly reduces international trade and
seriously damages national and global economic welfare.

As a result, for a variety of reasons, most global organizations find that operating in stable
conditions results in the best company operations:

Staffing. When the in-country conditions are stable and largely risk-free, it is easier to recruit
skilled personnel. Consider the difficulties businesses face in attracting non-military employees
to work in Iraq's and Afghanistan's fledgling commercial sectors. Even development groups
have struggled to find qualified personnel to develop banking, finance, and service sector
initiatives. Historically, development personnel have only been sent into a country after military
power has established stability. Companies are required to pay even larger amounts of hardship
and risk compensation, and they may still be unable to attract the best staff.

Operations. Companies are afraid of losing or damaging their property and investments in
uncertain circumstances. Goods in transit, for example, can be readily stolen, and factories or
warehouses can be harmed.

Regulations. Firms find it difficult to prepare for the long term when business regulations are
unclear and continually changing.

Currency convertibility and free-flowing capital. When a country is in conflict, it is common for
it to institute capital controls (i.e., restrictions on money entering and leaving the country) and
for its currency to devalue or become illiquid. Global business management relies heavily on
financial management.
The United Nations
At the end of World War II, the United Nations (UN) was established to replace the League of
Nations, which had been established in 1919. Its basic objectives are still the same today: to
maintain international peace and security, to encourage good relations between states, and to
promote international collaboration in the resolution of economic, social, humanitarian, and
cultural problems. Human rights and equality are the underlying principle. Almost all of the
world's countries are members (now 192), with the exception of a few tiny regions and Taiwan,
which was awarded observer status rather than membership out of deference to China. The
United Nations is supported by assessments and contributions from member countries.

The United Nations' work has an impact all around the world. The UN and its agencies work
around the world to help refugees, clear landmines, improve food production, and fight AIDS.
They also aid in environmental protection, disease prevention, poverty reduction, and the
pursuit of higher living standards and respect for human rights. Although the United Nations is
best recognized for peacekeeping, peace building, conflict prevention, and humanitarian aid, it
also works on a wide range of fundamental social, economic, environmental, and health issues.

UN consists of six main bodies

General Assembly. This is the UN's deliberative body, and it is made up of all of the UN's
member countries, who convene on a regular basis throughout the year. In the General
Assembly, all members have equal voting rights.

Security Council. This body is in charge of dealing with concerns of peace and security. It
comprises fifteen members, with the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and
France serving as permanent country representatives. The General Assembly elects the
remaining 10 every two years. As one might assume, there is a lot of political squabbling among
countries to get a seat on the Security Council, which is regarded as having enormous authority.
The Security Council's decisions are supposed to be binding on the rest of the UN's member
nations.

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This group is in charge of economic, human rights, and
social issues. The work of this council is carried out through several smaller commissions and
specialized entities.

Secretariat. The Secretary-General is technically in charge of the Secretariat, which administers

UN activities.

International Court of Justice. This body hears international disputes and is based in The
Hague(is a city on the North Sea coast of the western Netherlands). The General Assembly and
the Security Council elect fifteen judges to the court. The court hears cases involving, among
other things, war crimes, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and illegal meddling in another country's
affairs.

UN Trusteeship Council. This body is currently inactive, despite the fact that it is an established
section of the UN Charter charged with managing all trustee areas under UN custody.

UN as a Business Partner
On a global scale, the UN has a very obvious diplomatic mission. It's also vital to note that it
collaborates closely with the private sector, which is responsible for the vast majority of
services and initiatives worldwide. Global corporations sell to the United Nations in the same
way they market to their own governments and public-sector organizations. Each UN agency
has its own procurement office. The UN Procurement Division works with suppliers from all
around the world and is aggressively pursuing new sources of supply from developing and
transitional economies.