International Astronautical Federation
The International Astronautical Federation is an international space advocacy organisation based in Paris, and founded in 1951 as a non-governmental organization. It has 246 members from 58 countries across the world. They are drawn from space agencies, industry, professional associations, government organizations and learned societies. It is linked with the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) with whom the IAF organises the annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC).[1]
Every year at the International Astronautical Congress, three awards are given out: the Allan D. Emil Memorial Award, the Franck J. Malina Astronautics Medal and the Luigi G. Napolitano Award. The 2014 meeting of the IAC is planned for Toronto, Canada with a theme of "The World Needs Space".[2]
Working in close cooperation with the United Nations, the IAF also organises the Space Workshop for Developing Nations. With the Committee on Space Research and the International Institute of Space Law, the IAF also conducts an annual survey of Highlights in Space for the United Nations.