It does so by carrying out the following activities: The IGF is an apolitical and non-religious organization, and strives to promote fair play amongst all players.

Many of the top Go players from around the world and representatives from the major National Go Associations attended the event.

On April 7, 2006, the IGF became a member of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).

[4][5][6][7] As of December 2017[update] the IGF has 77 member nations: 39 in Europe, 18 in Asia, 15 in the Americas, 3 in Africa and 2 in Oceania.

It also has five Association Members, which cover multiple countries: the World Pair Go Association, the Federación Iberoamericana de Go, the European Go Federation, the Ing Changk Wei-Chi Education Foundation and the Asian Go Federation.