Global Guide

The National Council seeks to enhance American awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the Arab countries, the Mideast, and the Islamic world. Its means for doing so encompass but are not limited to programs for leadership development, people-to-people exchanges, lectures, publications, an annual Arab-U.S. policymakers conference, and the participation of American students and faculty in Arab world study experiences.

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a private, nonprofit organization created in 1983 to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts. The Endowment is governed by an independent, nonpartisan board of directors. With its annual congressional appropriation, it makes hundreds of grants each year to support prodemocracy groups in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union.

Founded in 1965 by legendary mountaineer Paul Petzoldt, NOLS--a not for profit educational institution--takes people of all ages on remote wilderness expeditions, teaching technical outdoor skills, leadership, and environmental ethics in some of the world’s wildest and most awe-inspiring classrooms. What NOLS teaches cannot be learned in a classroom or on a city street. It takes practice to learn outdoor skills and time to develop leadership. The wilderness provides the ideal setting for this unique education.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The mission of the Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of live on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. The Nature Conservancy works in all fifty states and over thirty countries.

For over twenty years The Nicaragua Network has been a leading organization in the United States committed to social and economic justice for the people of Nicaragua. The Network advocates for sound U.S. foreign policies toward Nicaragua and provides information and organizing tools to a network of 200 solidarity and peace and justice committees across the U.S. The Network organizes speaking tours of Nicaraguans in the U.S. and study tours to Nicaragua. Volunteer brigades help in the areas of health, construction or the environment.

No More Deaths is an organization that works on immigration issues in the southwestern United States. Their goal is to end death and suffering along the border through civil initiative. They fulfill this mission by working with the community to uphold fundamental human rights focusing on: direct aid that extends the right to provide humanitarian assistance, witnessing and responding, consciousness raising, global movement building, encouraging humane immigration policy. They have opportunities for volunteers.

NATO is an alliance of 28 countries from North America and Europe committed to fulfilling the security goals of the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in 1949

ReliefWeb is the world’s leading on-line gateway to information (documents and maps) on humanitarian emergencies and disasters. An independent vehicle of information, designed specifically to assist the international humanitarian community in effective delivery of emergency assistance, it provides timely, reliable and relevant information as events unfold, while emphasizing the coverage of "forgotten emergencies" at the same time. It also lists resources for the humanitarian professionals including job openings in relief agencies.

While Pitt’s Career Development Office focuses on helping students develop the tools they need to conduct an effective internship or job search—career planning, resume development, interviewing skills, etc.—the Office of Student Employment and Placement Assistance (SEPA) works diligently to connect businesses and organizations with Pitt students actively seeking jobs or internships. 

Open Society Institute works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. To achieve its mission, OSI seeks to shape public policies that assure greater fairness in political, legal, and economic systems and safeguard fundamental rights. On a local level, OSI implements a range of initiatives to advance justice, education, public health, and independent media. At the same time, OSI builds alliances across borders and continents on issues such as corruption and freedom of information.

OECD brings together the governments of countries committed to democracy and the market economy from around the world to: support sustainable economic growth; boost employment; raise living standards; maintain financial stability; assist other countries' economic development; contribute to growth in world trade. The organization provides a setting where governments compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and coordinate domestic and international policies.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is dedicated to promote membership of the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty which entered into force in 1997 and mandated the elimination of "the scourge of chemical weapons forever and to verify the destruction of the declared chemical weapons stockpiles within stipulated deadlines." It organizes inspection procedures to verify compliance with the treaty, and provides technical support to countries who have inherited a legacy of chemical weapons stockpiles from previoU.S. Governments.