The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), was set up in 1949 and has 241 affiliated organizations in 156 countries and territories on all five continents, with a membership of 155 million, 40% of who are women. It has three major regional organizations, APRO for Asia and the Pacific, AFRO for Africa, and ORIT for the Americas. It also maintains close links with the European Trade Union Confederation.