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What Happens Now?
With few exceptions, Wales is represented at international organisations by the UK. As foreign policy is non-devolved, the UK decides what position to take when decisions are made.
The UK is currently a member of, or observer at, at least 70 separate international organisations. Perhaps the most important or well-known ones (in foreign policy and trade terms) are:
- United Nations (UN)
- World Bank
- International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- World Trade Organisation (WTO)
- World Health Organisation (WHO)
- Council of Europe
- Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD)
- Commonwealth of Nations
Many other organisations – such as specialised UN agencies – set international standards or guidelines. This includes the International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Maritime Organisation, Universal Postal Group and International Civil Aviation Organisation (amongst others)
The UK hosts some international organisations. Aside from the Commonwealth, these include trade bodies, sports governing bodies and major international charities/NGOs. Nearly all of these are based in London.
Does This Work for Wales?
Apart from one or two exceptions (like the British-Irish Council), Wales isn’t a member of any international organisations.
Therefore, in terms of Welsh interests being fully represented, the answer is “no”. The UK speaks on our behalf in all things foreign policy, even if we might disagree with it.
When the UK was a member of the European Union, the Welsh Government sometimes “sat in” or made representations on decisions that would affect devolved policy areas (i.e. farming). Still, we couldn’t take part in meetings or make any decisions for ourselves.
Membership of International Organisations: Pros & Cons
Wales would have a seat at most of the top tables and would have a voice in global affairs.
We would be able to take part in important decisions, including voting on UN resolutions. For “small countries”, this is vital.
The general principle that international organisations make it easier for governments to work together on common causes.
A Welsh representative could chair, or be elected to, major international forums like the UN Security Council.
There’s an opportunity for Wales to host more summits and conferences, playing a part in boosting our “soft power”.
Full membership of the Council of Europe would protect current human rights laws, which are currently under threat from those in the conservative British political and media establishment who wish to withdraw the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
It would be very odd for Wales not to join certain international organisations, so we don’t have much of a choice in this.
Most international organisations are funded by contributions from member states (more on this later). We would have to cover those costs ourselves.
Some international organisations are driven by the interests of more economically and politically powerful countries. The UK just about remains one of these, with Wales benefiting indirectly from that.
An independent Wales may not be a member of as many international organisations as the UK. Some we wouldn’t meet the membership requirements of (such as not trading in certain things); some might not be relevant.
No longer being part of the UK means Wales losing “our” permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
There’s a broader question on whether international organisations are effective. Some have a poor reputation as well.
What Do Other Countries Do?
I’m not trying to be funny, but countries are either members of international organisations or they’re not. There’s very little to compare other than how influential different countries are within those organisations or how closely they work with them.
What Options Does Wales Have?
Join them? There’s not much else to say, is there?
Different organisations will have different membership rules.
You would expect one of the first things the Senedd would do after independence would be to vote to join the United Nations. This would need UN Security Council and UN General Assembly approval.
At the very least, you would expect Wales to join the Council of Europe, OECD, World Bank, IMF, World Trade Organisation (WTO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) as well.
There are other important ones of note, such as Interpol.
The Commonwealth is another one, which will be looked at separately, as will potential Welsh membership of NATO. Welsh membership of the EU has already been looked at too.
What's at Stake?
How Would This Be Run?
Each international organisation has its own rules.
In some cases, it would mean Wales appointing an ambassador (i.e. to the UN) and a permanent mission. In other cases, it may mean the relevant Welsh Government minister taking part in meetings (i.e. the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers).
For parliamentary assemblies, Wales would be represented by several Members of the Senedd. If Wales rejoined the EU, we would directly elect Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
How Much Will This Cost?
Headline: For the seven international organisations mentioned at the top, around £27 million a year (combined); the IMF is more complicated. Others may cost more. This would come out of the budget for a foreign office.
Contributions to the UN are based on the size of a member state’s economy. In 20251, the UK contribution was $137 million (£101 million); a proportional Welsh share of this (5%) works out to around $6.9 million (£5.1 million) before staffing costs. With staffing costs, this would likely increase to around £6 million.
Funding contributions to UN agencies, like UNESCO, are made up of member state contributions and voluntary donations. A proportional Welsh share of UK funding to UNESCO as of the start of 20252 would work out to around £1.4 million.
Voluntary contributions to UN programmes and taking part in UN peacekeeping missions count as part of a country’s foreign aid spending.
The World Trade Organisation is funded by member state contributions based on their share of international trade. To get a ballpark figure, countries with a similar value of exports as Wales in 20243 ($21 billion) – such as Latvia4 – contributed around 200,000 CHF (£185,000). This figure will be higher once international trade with the rest of the UK is included.
World Bank members have a different number of votes based on their contributions to the bank’s capital funds. This is built up over time and changes year-to-year5. You would expect a country of Wales’ size to invest around $10-15 million (£7-11 million) a year, which would count towards Welsh foreign aid spending.
The IMF is more complicated. They set a quota based on the size of a member state’s economy and international reserves. This quota determines the amount of money they pay as a subscription to the IMF, the amount they can borrow (if they need to) and their voting power. Quotas are issued in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). As of July 2025, 1 SDR is worth $0.736. You would expect an economy of Wales’ size to have around 800million SDR, which works out at around $584million (£430million).
There’s an annual member state fee, plus voluntary contributions. Wales is already a member of the Regions for Health Network (which is a WHO committee for self-governing regions and federal states). The UK’s assessed contribution to the WHO is set to be $27.5 million (£20.1 million) for 2026-27 ( paid half in dollars, half in Swiss francs)7. Proportionally, a Welsh fee to be in the region of $1.4 million (£1 million) with possibly up to £1 million in voluntary donations. So, a ballpark figure of £2 million per year.
The Council of Europe is funded by voluntary contributions. The UK’s contribution in 2024 was €45.5 million (£33.3 million)8. A proportional Welsh contribution would be €2.3 million (£2 million).
OECD contributions are based on the size of member state economies. You would expect Wales to pay around 1% of the OECD’s budget, based on the table of contributions from other countries9. In 2025, this would works out to €3.6 million (£3.1 million).
The Commonwealth Secretariat’s budget in 2023-24 was £46million10. Most of this funding comes from the UK, Australia and Canada.
The combined contribution from the UK to the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth Youth Programme and Commonwealth Technical Support Fund in 2023-24 was £10.3 million11. You would therefore expect a Welsh contribution to be similar to New Zealand’s, which was just over £1 million.
Would any new taxes need to be introduced?
No, though the decisions of certain international organisations may set trade terms (I.e WTO rules) that affect prices.
Who will pay for this?
General taxation (all taxpayers).
How Long Would This Take?
It’ll take a different amount of time for each organisation.
The four most recent member states of the UN:
- Switzerland (6 months, following a referendum in March 2002).
- Timor Leste (4 months, though it was a UN protectorate between 1999-2002).
- Montenegro (around 3 weeks).
- South Sudan (5 days).
People & Work
Mainly politicians, charities/NGOs and policy experts. Businesses would be impacted by World Trade Organisation rules, while the NHS would be the relevant authority when it comes to the World Health Organisation.
There would be some posts created at permanent missions to international organisations, though these would count as part of the diplomatic service.
You Might Also Like....
- United Nations, Committee on Contributions, “Honor Roll (2025)”.
- UNESCO (Q1 2025). “Sources of Funding, United Kingdom“. 5% share of the UK’s $28.9 million contribution, converted to pounds sterling.
- Welsh Government. “International goods trade: interactive dashboard (2024)”
- World Trade Organisation, WTO Stats Dashboard. “Total trade in merchandise, 2024”.
- World Bank (March 2022). “Contributions to the 20th Replenishment”.
- International Monetary Fund (July 2025). “SDRs per Currency Unit“
- World Health Organisation (9th May 2024). “Notice of Assessment for 2026-27, UK”.
- Council of Europe. “Programme and Budget 2024-2027”, Table 2 (pdf link).
- OECD. “Member countries’ budget contributions 2025”
- Commonwealth of Nations. “Annual Results Report 2023-24” (p6-8).
Financial Statements for the Commonwealth of Nations (2023-24)
No AI tools were used to draft this post.
