Observe · Regulate · Protect — since 2007. 19th OIMAP General Assembly: Singapore, 10–12 June 2026. Programme
Member States

By date of accession

OIMAP's growth year after year: founders in 2007, then two or three accessions a year until 2024.

Updated : October 28, 2026· 3 min read

An expanding organization

The Dance at the Court of Herod, Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1500)
The Dance at the Court of Herod, Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1500)

OIMAP was founded in 2007 with 23 founding States. Every year since 2008, two or three States have joined, up to the 2024 accessions. The list by date of accession makes it possible to follow this growth and to understand the Organization's current composition.

Accessions are decided by the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority. They take effect at the end of a probationary period, indicatively twelve months.

For another ranking, see the list in alphabetical order.

  • Membership
  • Timeline
  • History

By date of accession in figures

23Founders in 2007
44Accessions from 2008 to 2024
2 to 3Accessions per year
17Years of enlargement

Source: Member States Relations Directorate.

Distribution

2007 (founders)23
2008–201213 States
2013–201814 States
2019–202417 States

Number of States per period (indicative for the groupings).

The founders of 2007

The founding States are: in Europe, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Greece and Austria; in the Americas, Canada, the United States, Mexico and Brazil; in Asia-Pacific, Japan and Australia; in Africa, Kenya, Senegal, Morocco and Egypt; in the Middle East, Jordan.

The detailed list for each region appears in the corresponding "member countries" pages, which are authoritative for the count by region.

View of Venice, Jacopo de' Barbari (1500)
View of Venice, Jacopo de' Barbari (1500)
Power figure (nkisi) (late 1800s-early 1900s)
Power figure (nkisi) (late 1800s-early 1900s)
Nuova pianta di Roma data in luce da Giambattista Nolli l’anno MDCCXLVII, known as La Pianta Grande di Roma, Giovanni Battista Nolli (1748)
Nuova pianta di Roma data in luce da Giambattista Nolli l’anno MDCCXLVII, known as La Pianta Grande di Roma, Giovanni Battista Nolli (1748)

The first wave: 2008 to 2012

Accessions in this period were mainly European. In 2008, Ireland, Denmark and Norway; in 2009, Finland, Poland and Czechia; in 2010, Hungary and Romania; in 2011, Bulgaria, Croatia and Luxembourg; in 2012, Slovakia and Slovenia.

This phase consolidated the Organization's European base and made it possible to establish the Headquarters and the Geneva office on a solid network of partners.

Opening to the Americas and Asia: 2013 to 2018

From 2013, the Organization expanded to the Americas: Argentina, Chile and Colombia (2013), Peru, Uruguay and Ecuador (2014), Cuba and Panama (2015), Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic (2016). Asia followed: South Korea in 2016, China and Singapore in 2017, India, Thailand and Vietnam in 2018.

The opening of the New York office, then of the Singapore office, accompanied these developments.

Recent accessions: 2019 to 2024

Since 2019, Asia-Pacific has been strengthened with Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines (2019), then New Zealand and Kazakhstan (2020). Africa is expanding: Tunisia, South Africa and Ghana (2021), Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria (2022), Ethiopia and Cameroon (2023).

In the Middle East, Lebanon joined the Organization in 2023, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in 2024.

Accessions by year

A few landmark years.
YearNew StatesRegions concerned
20083Europe
20093Europe
20133Americas
20172Asia-Pacific
20213Africa
20242Middle East

Milestones

  1. Foundation

    Twenty-three founding States.

  2. End of the European wave

    Twenty-five States in Europe.

  3. Americas complete

    Fourteen States.

  4. Latest accessions

    Sixty-seven States in total.

About the dates

Floral-shaped Cup and Saucer with Inlaid Chrysanthemum Design (1100s-1200s)
Floral-shaped Cup and Saucer with Inlaid Chrysanthemum Design (1100s-1200s)
Dune Scene with Peasant Figures, Willem van de Velde (mid-1650s)
Dune Scene with Peasant Figures, Willem van de Velde (mid-1650s)
Bowl with Costumed Being (100 BCE–700 CE)
Bowl with Costumed Being (100 BCE–700 CE)

Founders and acceding States

Nuova pianta di Roma data in luce da Giambattista Nolli l’anno MDCCXLVII, known as La Pianta Grande di Roma, Giovanni Battista Nolli (1748)

Founders

2007 signatories
  • Twenty-three States
  • Drafting of the constituent act
  • Same voting right

Seniority without privilege.

Peonies (early 1900s)

Acceding States

Admitted since 2008
  • Forty-four States
  • Two-thirds vote
  • Probationary period

A structured procedure.

Following an accession

  1. Request

    Official letter from the State.

  2. Review

    Technical assessment.

  3. Vote

    General Assembly.

  4. Probation

    About twelve months.

  5. Integration

    Designation of the focal point.

For a historical study

A historian of the institution

Arrival of the "Southern Barbarians" (c. 1600)
« The chronology of accessions sheds light on the geography of cooperation: you can see the offices following the States. »
Étienne Roussel, historian (example)

Vocabulary of accession

Probation
Trial period of accession.
Two-thirds majority
Voting threshold to admit a State.
Wave of accessions
Group of States admitted over a few years.
Constituent act
Founding text of 2007.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the most recent accession?

In 2024, with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

How many States per year?

Two or three.

How do I join?
Do founding States still have a special status?

No, all States have the same rights.

Useful Documents

Contacts

Pair of Drawings: Sketch of the Labyrinth of the Villa Pisani  and Piazza San Marco with Doges' Palace, Francesco Guardi (1773–1778(?))
Pair of Drawings: Sketch of the Labyrinth of the Villa Pisani and Piazza San Marco with Doges' Palace, Francesco Guardi (1773–1778(?))
Member States Relations DirectorateParis — Headquarters+33 1 00 00 08 00membres@oimap.exampleMonday to Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Join OIMAP

Male figure (probably 1800s)

Discover the accession procedure.

Membership procedure
Image credits (19)
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