UN & International Organisations: Notes for UPSC, SSC & Railway Exams
The UN's organs and agencies, the IMF and World Bank Group, WTO, regional development banks and who publishes which report, organised for quick revision.
60-second revision
UN Charter signed 26 June 1945 at San Francisco; in force 24 October 1945 (UN Day); 193 member states; India a founding member.
Six principal organs: General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, Trusteeship Council (suspended 1994), ICJ (The Hague), Secretariat.
Security Council: 15 members, 5 permanent with veto, 10 non-permanent elected for 2-year terms.
IMF and World Bank: Bretton Woods Conference, July 1944; both headquartered in Washington DC.
World Bank Group: IBRD, IDA, IFC (private sector), MIGA (risk insurance), ICSID (disputes).
SDR basket: US dollar, euro, renminbi, yen, pound sterling.
WTO: 1 January 1995, Geneva; replaced GATT (1947); Marrakesh Agreement signed 15 April 1994.
NDB (BRICS) is in Shanghai; AIIB in Beijing; ADB in Manila (1966).
The United Nations
The UN replaced the League of Nations after the Second World War. Its Charter was signed at San Francisco on 26 June 1945 and came into force on 24 October 1945, now observed as UN Day. India, though not yet independent, was among the 51 original members. Membership stands at 193, the newest being South Sudan (2011). Headquarters: New York.
Principal organ
Key points
General Assembly
All 193 members, one vote each; budget, elections, recommendations
Security Council
15 members: 5 permanent (USA, UK, France, Russia, China) with veto, 10 non-permanent elected for 2 years
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Coordinates economic, social and environmental work; 54 members
Trusteeship Council
Supervised trust territories; suspended operations in 1994 after Palau became independent
International Court of Justice
Principal judicial organ; The Hague (the only principal organ outside New York); 15 judges with 9-year terms
Secretariat
Headed by the Secretary-General, appointed by the General Assembly on the Security Council's recommendation
Specialised agencies and their headquarters
Agency
Headquarters
Focus
ILO (1919)
Geneva
Labour standards; tripartite: governments, employers, workers
FAO
Rome
Food and agriculture
IFAD
Rome
Finance for rural poverty reduction
UNESCO
Paris
Education, science, culture; World Heritage Sites
WHO (1948)
Geneva
International health
UNIDO
Vienna
Industrial development
ITU (1865)
Geneva
Telecommunications
UPU
Bern
Postal services
ICAO
Montreal
Civil aviation
IMO
London
Shipping and maritime safety
WMO
Geneva
Weather and climate
WIPO
Geneva
Intellectual property
IMF and World Bank
Washington DC
Finance and development (specialised agencies with their own governance)
The Bretton Woods institutions
The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, in July 1944 created the IMF and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). By convention, the IMF is headed by a European and the World Bank by an American.
IMF: promotes monetary cooperation and exchange stability and lends to countries facing balance of payments problems. Votes and access to funds depend on each member's quota.
Special Drawing Rights (created 1969) are an international reserve asset; the basket has five currencies: US dollar, euro, Chinese renminbi (added 2016), Japanese yen and pound sterling.
IMF reports: World Economic Outlook, Global Financial Stability Report, Fiscal Monitor.
World Bank Group member
Role
IBRD (1944)
Loans to middle-income and creditworthy poorer countries
IDA (1960)
Interest-free or low-interest loans and grants to the poorest countries ('soft loan window')
IFC (1956)
Investment in and loans to the private sector
MIGA (1988)
Political-risk insurance for foreign investors
ICSID (1966)
Settles investment disputes between governments and foreign investors; India is not a member
World Trade Organization
The WTO came into being on 1 January 1995, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT, signed 1947, in force 1948). The Marrakesh Agreement establishing it was signed on 15 April 1994 at the end of the Uruguay Round. Headquarters: Geneva. The Ministerial Conference, its top body, meets usually every two years. India was a founding member of both GATT and the WTO.
Main agreements: GATT 1994 (goods), GATS (services), TRIPS (intellectual property), TRIMS (investment measures) and the Agreement on Agriculture.
Agriculture subsidies are classified into boxes: Amber (trade-distorting, capped), Blue (production-limiting), Green (minimally distorting, allowed).
Most Favoured Nation: a concession given to one member must be given to all. National treatment: imported goods must be treated like domestic goods once inside the market.
Other banks and groupings
Body
Headquarters
Note
Asian Development Bank (1966)
Manila
Regional development lender for Asia-Pacific
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (2016)
Beijing
China-led; India a founding member and major shareholder
New Development Bank (BRICS)
Shanghai
Agreed at Fortaleza (2014); first president K. V. Kamath
OECD (1961)
Paris
Club of mainly high-income economies; India is not a member
G20 (1999)
No permanent secretariat
Leaders' summits since 2008; India held the presidency in 2023
Who publishes which report
Report
Publisher
World Economic Outlook; Global Financial Stability Report
IMF
World Development Report
World Bank
Human Development Report (HDI)
UNDP
World Investment Report
UNCTAD
Global Gender Gap Report
World Economic Forum
State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World
FAO with IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO
Global Hunger Index
Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe (not a UN body)
