How NATO Partners with Other Countries, International Organizations and NGO’s

NATO’s Strategic Concept, adopted at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010, identifies “cooperative security” as one of NATO’s three essential core tasks. It states that the promotion of Euro-Atlantic security is best assured through a wide network of partner relationships with countries and organizations around the globe. No one country or organization can deal with the complex and unpredictable challenges of the evolving security environment on its own.
Over the past two decades, the Alliance has developed a network of partnerships with countries from the Euro-Atlantic area, the Mediterranean and the Gulf region (MD/ICI).
NATO has also developed special partnerships with Russia, Ukraine and Georgia, as well as establishing a variety of bilateral “global partners.”
Each partnership is based on programmes of cooperation in the fields of crisis management, terrorism, border security, civil emergency planning and on combatting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
NATO has also fostered ties with other international organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union, and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and others.
The Alliance is also developing cooperation in specific areas with a number of non-governmental organizations including the International Committee of the Red Cross.
A wide network of partner relationships is seen as the best way to bolster Euro-Atlantic security. No one country or organization can deal with the complex and unpredictable challenges of the evolving security environment on its own: coordinated multilateral action is required.