Baha'i International Community

What Baha'i International Community does

The Baha'i International Community (BIC) is a non-governmental organization founded on April 18, 1948, when nine National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha'is of the world were collectively recognized as an International NGO under the title "Baha'i International Community" for the purpose of maintaining a relationship with the United Nations. BIC serves as the sole representative body of the worldwide Baha'i community at the UN system and at major regional intergovernmental organizations. Its core activities consist of policy advocacy, contributions to international policy discourse, and collaborative engagement with diplomats, UN officials, and civil society representatives across multiple multilateral fora.

BIC's service offering is built around three product categories: (1) policy statements and reports submitted to UN bodies on gender equality, human rights, sustainable development, youth participation, and religious freedom; (2) a comprehensive digital archive documenting persecution of Baha'is in Iran; and (3) thematic resources across six focus areas (Equality of Women and Men, Human Rights, Development, Youth, Religion in Society, and the Situation of Baha'is in Iran). The organization holds consultative status with ECOSOC (since 1970) and UNICEF (since 1976), accreditation with UNEP and UN DGC, and was designated a UN Peace Messenger in 1987. It maintains permanent representative offices in New York (UN HQ), Geneva (UN), Addis Ababa (African Union), Brussels (EU, Council of Europe, OSCE), Jakarta (ASEAN), and Cairo (Arab region).

The organization is funded entirely through voluntary contributions from the worldwide Baha'i community and like-minded supporters — it has no commercial revenue model, does not sell products or services, and does not publish financial revenue figures. BIC is governed by National Spiritual Assemblies from various countries rather than through a conventional corporate ownership structure; there is no parent company, equity backing, or subsidiaries. Its go-to-market is exclusively event- and diplomacy-driven: active participation in UN sessions, regional organization meetings, and co-organized convenings with member states and other NGOs, supported by an owned media presence across bic.org, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and an RSS feed.

Name

Baha'i International Community

Legal name

Bahá'í International Community

Website

https://bic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Baha'i International Community is a non-governmental organization founded in 1948 that represents the worldwide Baha'i community to the United Nations and major regional intergovernmental bodies through policy advocacy, statements, and representative offices in New York, Geneva, Addis Ababa, Brussels, Jakarta, and Cairo.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Advocacy and Policy Engagement

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK), Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• International advocacy
• Human rights policy
• UN consultative status
• Faith-based NGO
• Intergovernmental engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Voluntary Contributions: As a non-governmental organization representing the worldwide Baha'i community, the organization is funded through voluntary contributions and support from the Baha'i community and like-minded organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Baha'i International Community prepares and submits policy statements, reports, and advocacy materials to United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, and regional intergovernmental organizations. It maintains a comprehensive digital archive documenting the persecution of Baha'is in Iran and organizes its advocacy across six interconnected focus areas: Equality of Women and Men, Human Rights, Development, Youth, Religion in Society, and the Situation of Baha'is in Iran. Its work is funded entirely through voluntary contributions and is delivered through permanent representative offices in New York, Geneva, Addis Ababa, Brussels, Jakarta, and Cairo.

Product overview

The Baha'i International Community operates as a non-governmental organization with a unified advocacy platform rather than a traditional product-based company. Its core offerings consist of policy statements and reports submitted to United Nations bodies, a comprehensive digital archive documenting the persecution of Baha'is in Iran, and thematic resources organized across six focus areas. These publications and informational resources serve as the primary mechanisms through which the organization contributes to international discourse on human rights, gender equality, sustainable development, and religious freedom.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy Statements and Reports Policy statements and reports addressing global challenges including human rights, gender equality, sustainable development, youth participation, and religious freedom, submitted to UN bodies and distributed to member states, NGOs, and the public.
• Archives of Baha'i Persecution in Iran Comprehensive digital repository hosting thousands of official documents, reports, testimonials, and audio-visual material documenting decades of persecution and oppression of Baha'is in Iran.
• Focus Area Resources Six interconnected focus areas covering Equality of Women and Men, Human Rights, Development and Community Building, Youth as Protagonists, Religion in Society, and Situation of Baha'is in Iran, each with statements, news, perspectives, and resources for advocacy and discourse.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70 years of continuous UN engagement since 1948
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• United NationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1948The Baha'i International Community maintains formal relationships with the United Nations system, having registered as an NGO in 1948. They hold consultative status with ECOSOC and UNICEF, and accreditation with UNEP and UN DGC. They collaborate with the UN and its specialized agencies on social development, gender equality, human rights, and UN reform.
• African UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Addis Ababa office maintains a relationship with the African Union and its institutions and agencies. Work focuses on themes related to the progress of the African continent including gender equality, food systems and agriculture, peace and security, youth, and the AU-EU Partnership.
• European UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Brussels office represents the BIC to the European Union, the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Active in EU policy discussions and parliamentary engagement.
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Jakarta office maintains a relationship with ASEAN and various governmental agencies, civil society organizations and research institutes in the region. Active in regional fora and spaces discussing challenges faced by Southeast Asian communities.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with UNDP on the Seven-Year Plan for Generational Change initiative launched at Windsor Castle in 2009, relating to environmental stewardship and development.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHas consultative status with UNICEF. Active in NGO Committee on UNICEF and its Working Group on Girls. Sponsors consultations for the Commission on the Status of Women.
• World Health Organization (WHO)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive member of the NGO Primary Health Care Group, attending WHO and World Health Assembly annual sessions and participating in Assembly Technical Discussions since 1986.
• Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with UNDP and ARC on the Seven-Year Plan for Generational Change launched at Windsor Castle, articulating faith-based commitments to environmental stewardship.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Christian Solidarity International: Faith-based human rights NGO focused on religious freedom and persecution, with UN engagement. Comparable in linking a religious constituency to international advocacy and reporting on persecuted communities.
• Open Doors: Faith-based NGO advocating for persecuted Christians worldwide, with UN consultative status. Comparable in mobilizing a religious community for international advocacy on persecution.
• Amnesty International: Global human rights NGO with ECOSOC consultative status that conducts research and advocacy at the UN and regional bodies. Highly comparable to BIC in operating model, UN engagement, and policy advocacy focus on human rights.
• International Religious Freedom Roundtable: Coalition convening civil society and government actors on religious freedom policy, including at the UN. Comparable in convening advocacy around religious-freedom issues at intergovernmental bodies.
• Human Rights Watch: International NGO that investigates and reports on human rights, with deep UN engagement and consultative status. Comparable in producing policy reports, UN submissions, and country-specific advocacy.
• Article 18 (human rights organization): NGO focused specifically on religious freedom and the rights of religious minorities, with engagement at the UN. Directly comparable to BIC's religious-freedom and minority-rights advocacy focus.

Others

• NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief: UN-based NGO committee where BIC has had leadership presence. Functions as an enabling coalition for religious-freedom advocacy at the UN, making it a comparable operating environment if not a direct competitor.
• Bahá'í Community of the United Kingdom: National-level affiliate of the Baha'i community that participates in UK public affairs. Comparable as a peer entity of the same faith community doing civic engagement, though at national rather than international level.

Broad incumbents

• American Jewish Committee (AJC): Jewish advocacy organization with permanent UN and EU representation that pursues religious freedom and minority rights. Comparable as a faith-community-backed NGO with diplomatic-level presence in New York, Geneva, Brussels, and other capitals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BahaiBIC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvup9gbofCFBWhSFQfr-rhQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Bahai.international.community
• Instagraminstagram.com/bic_unitednations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Baha'i International Community