General Knowledge & General Awareness Notes: International Organizations

UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION (UNO)

- The United Nations (UN) is an association of states which have pledged themselves to maintain international peace and security and cooperate in solving international political, economic, social cultural and humanitarian problems towards achieving this end.
- Trygve Lie of Norway (1946-52) was the first Secretary-General of the UN.
- Origin: UN Charter was signed by 50 members on June 26, 1945. Poland signed the charter later to become one of the original 51 member-states. It officially came into existence on October 24, 1945.
- UN Charter: The Charter is the Constitution of the UNO and contains its aims and objectives and rules and regulations for its functioning.
- Aims and Objectives: They are security, welfare and human rights.
- Headquarters: New York.
- Flag: The flag is light blue in colour, and emblazoned in white, in its centre is the UN symbol—a polar map of world embraced by twin olive branches open at the top.
- Official Languages: The official languages of the UN are: English, French, Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Spanish. However, working languages are English and French only.
- Present Membership: At present 193 countries are members of the UNO. South Sudan is the latest entrant to this world organisation.

- Main Organs of the UNO: There are six main organs:

1. General Assembly

2. Security Council

3. Economic and Social Council

4. Trusteeship Council

5. International Court of Justice, and
6. Secretariat.

1. General Assembly: It consists of representative of all members of the UN. Each member country has only one vote. It meets once a year and passes UN Budget.<br>I. is the main place for discussions and policy making in the UN.
2. Security Council: It is the Executive body of the UN and is mainly responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It has 15 members, 5 of which (USA, UK, France, Russia and China) are permanent members. The 10 non-permanent members are elected by General Assembly for two-year term and are not eligible for immediate re-election.
3. Economic and Social Council: It has 54 members elected by General Assembly.
4. Trusteeship Council: It looks after interest of the people in areas not yet independent and leads them towards self-government.
5. International Court of Justice: It has 15 judges, no two of whom may be nationals of the same state. They are elected by General Assembly and Security Council for a term of 9 years. The Court elects its President and Vice-President for a 3-year term.
6. Secretariat: It is the Secretariat of the UN and is headed by the Secretary General.

Some Important UN Agencies UN Agencies - Headquarters -Year of Establishment

- United Nations Organisations (U.N.O.) New York 1945
- International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.) Washington 1945
- World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) Geneva 1948
- Food & Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Rome 1943
- International Labour Organisation (ILO) Geneva 1919
- UNESCO Paris 1946
- Universal Postal Union (UPU) Berne 1874
- UNIDO Vienna 1967
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Vienna 1957
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) New York 1965
- UNICEF New York 1946
- International Maritime Organisation (IMO) London 1948
- World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Geneva 1951
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Geneva 1947
- World Trade Organisation (WTO) Geneva 1995
- International Development Association (IDA) Washington D.C. 1960
- World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Geneva 1967

Famous International Organisations
International Organisations -  Headquarters  - Year of Establishment

- International Court of Justice The Hague 1945
- International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Montreal 1947
- International Finance Corporation (IFC) Washington 1956
- Arab League Cairo 1945
- Commonwealth of Nations London 1931
- International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) Washington D.C. 1944
- Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) 1971
- European Economic Community (EEC) Geneva 1957
- Red Cross Geneva 1863
- Interpol Lyons 1923
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) Manila 1966
- North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Brussels 1949
- Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Jakarta 1967
- South Asian Association for Regional Kathmandu 1985 Cooperation (SAARC)
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Singapore 1989
- Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Paris 1961
- Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Vienna 1960
- Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Minsk 1991
- International Olympic Committee (IOC) Switzerland 1894
- European Union (EU) Brussels Changed form of EEC  Established in 1958
- Amnesty International (AI) London 1961
- Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Beijing 2001
- BRICS Development Bank Shanghai 2014