Glossary

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Iain Macleod -  Iain Macleod (1913-1970). British politician, served as Secretary of State for the Colonies (1959-61).
Iain Sutherland -  Sir Iain Sutherland (1925-86) was a British diplomat who served as Ambassador to Greece (1978-82) and to the Soviet Union (1982-85). After postings in Belgrade, Havana and Washington in the 1950s and 60s, Sutherland was made Consul-general in Jakarta in 1967 and was head of the South Asia Department in the UK Foreign Office from 1969 to 1974.
Ian Brownlie -  Sir Ian Brownlie (1932-201) was a British lawyer who held the Chichele Professorship in Public International Law at the University of Oxford from 1980 to 1999. Brownlie had a long career with the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights. He was also a member of the United Nations International Law Commission (1997-2008) and represented Amnesty International in British courts.
Ian Gilmour -  Ian Gilmour, Lord Gilmour of Craigmillar (1926-2007). British Conservative politician, served as Lord Privy Seal in the government of Margaret Thatcher and spokesman on foreign affairs (1979-1981). He previously served as Secretary of State for Defence in 1974, under Edward Heath.
IBSA Dialogue Forum -  The IBSA Dialogue Forum is an international Tripartite grouping composed of India, Brazil and South Africa. Established in 2003 with the Brasilia Declaration, the Forum promotes international cooperation between the three countries, especially in terms of agriculture, trade, education, science and technology, and defence.
ICFTU -  International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. An international orgainisation that linked the trade unions of non-communist countries during the Cold War. It existed from 1949 to 2006.
- Synonyms: International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
ICU -  Intensive care unit, a department of some hospitals.
IDAF -  International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa. International anti-apartheid charity, originally founded in 1956 and active until 1990.
Idi Amin -  Idi Amin (c. 1925-2003). Became President of Uganda, 1971-79, after seizing power through a military coup.
Idris Waziri -  Idris Waziri was the Nigerian Minister of Commerce from 2003 until 2006. He was a founding member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999, and served as Nigerian Ambassador to Pakistan.
IGO -  Intergovernmental organisation. Organisations whose members are mostly sovereign states
IK Gujral -  IK Gujral (1919-2012). Indian politician, served as foreign Minister (1996-1998) and Prime Minister (1997-1998).
Ike Nwachukwu -  Ike Omar Sanda Nwachukwu (b.1940) is a Nigerian politician and military figure who served as Foreign Minister of Nigeria from 1987 to 1989 and again from 1990 to 1993. He joined the Nigerian Senate as Senator for Imo North in 1999, serving until 2003.
ILO -  International Labour Organisation. The United Nations agency for issues connected with labour rights, originally founded in 1919
- Synonyms: International Labour Organisation
IMF -  International Monetary Fund. Created in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference, the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF's original aim was to stabilise exchange rates and aid national reconstruction after the end of the Second World War.
- Synonyms: International Monetary Fund
Impeachment of the Chief Justice -  Shirani Bandaranayake, the Chief Justice of Sri Lankai, was impeached by Parliament in 2013 in a process that has been criticised.
Independent National Electoral Commission -  The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is an oversight body established in Nigeria in 1998 to survey and assess elections in the country. INEC is associated with the Nigerian Fourth Republic and the administration of General Abdulsalam Abubakar.
- Synonyms: INEC
India International Centre -  The India International Centre (IIC) is a prominent cultural and intellectual institution in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1960 to encourage dialogue between statesmen, diplomats, policymakers, scientists, writers, artists and others in India, and hosts a wide range of events open to the public.
India Office -  The British government department that administered India (1858-1947).
Indian Ocean Commission -  The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) was established in 1982 to facilitate political, economic, ecological and cultural cooperation between five African Indian Ocean territories: Comoros, Réunion, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. The IOC’s Secretariat is headquartered in Mauritius.
Indian Secretary-General -  The present Commonwealth Secretary-General (from 2008), Kamalesh Sharma.
Indira Gandhi -  Indira Gandhi (1917-1984). Indian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977 and from 1980 to 1984.
- Synonyms: Mrs. Gandhi
Indrajit Coomaraswamy -  Indrajit Coomaraswamy (b.1950) is a Sri Lankan economist who served the Commonwealth Secretariat from 1990 to 2008. He was Director of Economic Affairs and Deputy-Director, Secretary-General’s Office.
Inkatha Freedom Party -  The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) is a South African political party which was founded in 1975 by Mangosuthu Buthelezi. Though originally associated with the ANC in the anti-apartheid struggle, conflicts developed over Buthelezi’s loyalties to the Zulu tribe and his political and economic ties with the South African state. Relations between the IFP and the ANC were characterised by conflict and outbreaks of violence from the late 1980s to the 1994 elections. The feud continues in post-apartheid South Africa.
- Synonyms: IFP
Inoke Faletau -  ‘Inoke Faletau (1937-2005) was a Tongan diplomat. He worked at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, 1983-85 after which he became Director of the Commonwealth Foundation. He left the Commonwealth Foundation in 1993 to become Deputy Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office in Tonga.
Institute of Democratic Governance -  The Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) is a leading research and advocacy organisation established in Accra, Ghana, in 2010. Its primary focus is the question of sustainable development in Ghana and the rest of Africa, and the organisation supports research into good governance, civil society, human rights and strategic partnerships between state and non-state actors.
Institute of Economic Affairs -  The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) is a London-based think tank established in 1955 to promote the use and dissemination of free market policies in government, economy and society.
- Synonyms: IEA
Institute of Strategic and International Studies -  The Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia was established in 1983 as an autonomous, not-for-profit research organisation and has become one of Malaysia’s most influential think tanks, especially respected on issues of diplomacy and foreign affairs.
- Synonyms: ISIS
Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre -  The Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre is a Canadian security initiative that facilitates sharing and analysis between law enforcement and intelligence bodies in the country, including the Border Services Agency, the Security Intelligence Service, the Department of National Defence, and so on. It was established as part of the government’s National Security Policy in 2004.
- Synonyms: ITAC
Inter-American Development Bank -  The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is an international finance institution headquartered in Washington, DC, which funds development work in Latin America and the Caribbean. Established in 1959, it includes some 48 countries in its membership.
Inter-Parliamentary Union -  The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is a global organisation for the parliaments of sovereign states, serving as a forum for multilateral political negotiations. Established in 1889 in Geneva, it was originally intended to help arbitrate conflicts; the IPU now fulfils a range of functions to facilitate dialogue between its 163 member states.
- Synonyms: IPU
Internal Security Act -  The Internal Security Act is a piece of legislation passed in Malaysia in 1960, allowing for detention without trial. This preventive detention law originated as a means to deter communist activity in the country. It was repealed in 2011 by Prime Minister Najib Razak and has been replaced by two new laws.
International Alert -  International Alert is a London-based non-governmental organisation that was established in 1986. Active in over 20 countries – from the Great Lakes region of Africa to the Caucasus to the Andean Region of South America – it focuses specifically on the prevention and ending of violent conflict, particularly as it occurs within states.
International Crisis Group -  The International Crisis Group (ICG) is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization which focuses on the study, prevention, mitigation and resolution of violent conflict. It was established in 1995 in the context of the Bosnian War, and is currently headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
International Development Agency -  The International Development Association (IDA) was established in 1960 as a member of the World Bank Group, headquartered in Washington, DC. As an international financial institution, it offers loans and grants to developing countries in line with its mission to reduce world poverty and provide affordable development financing.
- Synonyms: International Development Association
International Development Research Centre -  The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is a Canadian government organisation that promotes research into developing countries with the aim of supporting growth in scientific and technical knowledge, as well as economic and social advancement. The IDRC was established by the Canadian Parliament in 1970, and reports to the government through the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
- Synonyms: IDRC
International Donors’ Conference -  A 1994 conference, held in Cape Town, jointly organised by the Commonwealth and the United Nations to generate international aid for post-apartheid South Africa.
International Foundation for Electoral Systems -  The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is an international non-profit organisation based in Washington, DC. Founded in 1987, IFES supports the development and practice of elections in new and emerging democracies, overseeing technical assistance and research programs across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
- Synonyms: IFES
International IDEA -  The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1995 to support the development and practice of democratic institutions across the world. Based in Stockholm, it devotes its activities to technical assistance, research, and the promotion of accountability and transparency in election management.
International Solidarity Movement -  Governments and associations outside of South Africa that campaigned for the end of apartheid.
International Union for Conservation of Nature -  The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organisation based in Switzerland which seeks to protect the integrity and diversity of nature across the world, encouraging ecological sustainability in politics, society and business. Founded in 1948, its membership includes over 1200 government and non-governmental organisations.
- Synonyms: IUCN
Irene Fernandez -  Irene Fernandez (1946-2014) was a Malaysian political figure and human rights activist who founded the NGO Tenaganita for the rights of migrant workers and refugees in Malaysia. In 2005 she won the Right Livelihood Award for campaigning against violence against women and the abuse of migrants and poor workers.
Irene Jai Narayan -  Irene Jai Narayan, b. 1932 in India, came to Fiji in 1959 and had a long career as an educator and politician in the Melanesian Republic. She was Minister of Indian Affairs from 1987 to 1992.
Isi Foighel -  Isi Foighel (1927-2007) was a Danish jurist and political figure who served as Judge on the European Court of Human Rights from 1988 to 1998. From 1982 to 1987 he was the Danish Tax Minister in the government of Prime Minister Poul Schluter.
Isikeli Mataitoga -  Isikeli Mataitoga is a Fijian diplomat. He was appointed Fiji’s first Ambassador to Russia in 2010, having previously served as a judge of the High Court of Fiji. He serves simultaneously in this position as Ambassador to Japan and to the Philippines.
Ismail Ayob -  Ismail Mohammad Ayob, b.1942, is a South African lawyer who spent much of his career working on anti-apartheid cases, defending and representing political prisoners. One of his most high profile clients was Winnie Mandela. In the 2000s, Ayob was accused by Nelson Mandela of exploiting the latter’s name for commercial profit, leading to a highly-publicised court case.
Ivan Head -  Ivan Head (1930-2004). Canadian lawyer and civil servant. Adviser on foreign affairs to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau of Canada.
Ivor Richard -  Ivor Richard, Baron Richard, (b.1932) is a British political figure who served as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords (1992-97) and - following Labour's success in the 1997 UK elections - Leader of the House of Lords from 1997 to 1998. Richard was previously European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs (1981-85) and British Ambassador to the United Nations (1974-79).
Iwokrama -  The Iwokrama Forest is a tropical forest in central Guyana, located at the juncture of Amazonian and Guianan flora and fauna. Along with the Congo, New Guinea and Amazonia, it is one of the last four pristine tropical forests in the world. The territory is overseen by the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development.