The International Association of Visual Artists (IAVA) has been affiliated to UNESCO as a non-governmental organization (NGO) since 2017 and is recognized as the international professional association in the field of visual arts. The members are national artists' associations in the fields of painting, sculpture, printmaking and other forms of creative work in the visual arts.

The IAVA card is recognized and accepted by museums and art institutions around the world and is an important tool for the artists in their professional artistic research. These institutions recognize the benefit they gain from enabling the artists (in the same way as art critics and art journalists) to visit exhibitions, art events and collections of art, to carry on research and to gain inspiration.