International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

ICAO flag.

Main article: International Civil Aviation Organization

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was founded in 1947. It codifies the principles
and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of
international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. Its headquarters are located in
the Quartier international de Montral of Montreal, Canada.
The ICAO Council adopts standards and recommended practices concerning air navigation,
prevention of unlawful interference, and facilitation of border-crossing procedures for
international civil aviation. In addition, ICAO defines the protocols for air accident investigation
followed by transport safety authorities in countries signatory to the Convention on International Civil
Aviation, commonly known as the Chicago Convention

International Labour Organization (ILO)[edit]

ILO flag.

Main article: International Labour Organization

The International Labour Organization (ILO) deals with labour issues. Its headquarters are
in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1919, it was formed through the negotiations of the Treaty of
Versailles, and was initially an agency of the League of Nations. It became a member of the UN
system after the demise of the League and the formation of the UN at the end of World War II.
Its Constitution, as amended to date, includes the Declaration of Philadelphia on the aims and
purposes of the Organization. Its secretariat is known as the International Labour Office.

International Maritime Organization (IMO)[edit]

IMO flag.

Main article: International Maritime Organization

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime
Consultative Organization (IMCO), was established in 1948 through the United Nations to coordinate
international maritime safety and related practices. However the IMO did not enter into full force until
1958.
Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, the IMO promotes cooperation among governments and
the shipping industry to improve maritime safety and to prevent marine pollution. IMO is governed by
an Assembly of members and is financially administered by a Council of members elected from the
Assembly. The work of IMO is conducted through five committees and these are supported by
technical sub-committees. Member organizations of the UN organizational family may observe the
proceedings of the IMO. Observer status may be granted to qualified non-governmental
organizations.
The IMO is supported by a permanent secretariat of employees who are representative of its
members. The secretariat is composed of a Secretary-General who is periodically elected by the
Assembly, and various divisions including, inter alia, marine safety, environmental protection, and a
conference section.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO)[edit]

UNESCO flag.

Main article: UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized
agency of the United Nations established in 1946 with its headquarters in Paris, France. Its stated
purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through
education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and
the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the UN Charter.

Universal Postal Union (UPU)[edit]

UPU flag.

Main article: Universal Postal Union

The Universal Postal Union (UPU), headquartered in Berne, Switzerland, coordinates postal policies
between member nations, and hence the worldwide postal system. Each member country agrees to
the same set of terms for conducting international postal duties.

World Health Organization (WHO)[edit]

WHO flag.

Main article: World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) acts as a coordinating authority on international public health
and deals with health and sanitation and diseases and sends medical teams to help combat
epidemics. Established on 7 April 1948, and headquartered in Geneva,Switzerland, the agency
inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health Organization, which had been an
agency of the League of Nations.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)[edit]

WMO flag.

Main article: World Meteorological Organization

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) originated from the International Meteorological
Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873. Established in 1950, WMO became the specialized
agency of the United Nations for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and
related geophysical sciences. It has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)[edit]

IAEA flag.

Main article: International Atomic Energy AgencyThe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is
an intergovernmental organization for scientific and technical cooperation in the field
ofnuclear technology. It seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use
for military purposes. The IAEA was set up as an autonomous organization in 29 July 1957. Prior to
this, in 1953, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower envisioned the creation of this international body
to control and develop the use of atomic energy, in his "Atoms for Peace" speech before the UN
General Assembly.[13] The organization and its former Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, were
jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prizeannounced on 7 October 2005. As of March 2015, the IAEA's
membership is 164 countries.[14]
Due to historical reasons and the political nature of its work, the IAEA is not a specialized agency.
Instead, its relationship to the United Nations is governed by a special agreement as well as by its

statute
that
report annually to
Assembly
and,
the
Security

commits the IAEA to

the
General
when appropriate, to
Council.[15]

WORLD

BANK

GROUP

The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged
loans to developing countries. It is the largest and most famous development bank in the world and
is an observer at the United Nations Development Group.[2] The bank is based in Washington,
D.C. and provided around $30 billion in loans and assistance to "developing" and transition countries
in 2012.[3] The bank's stated mission is to achieve the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and
building shared prosperity.[3] Its five organizations are the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance
Corporation (IFC), theMultilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Centre
for Settlement of Investment Disputes(ICSID).

The World Bank's (the IBRD and IDA's) activities are focused on developing countries, in fields such
as human development (e.g. education, health), agriculture and rural development (e.g. irrigation
and rural services), environmental protection (e.g. pollution reduction, establishing and enforcing
regulations), infrastructure (e.g. roads, urban regeneration, and electricity), large industrial
construction projects, and governance (e.g. anti-corruption, legal institutions development). The
IBRD and IDA provide loans at preferential rates to member countries, as well as grants to the
poorest countries. Loans or grants for specific projects are often linked to wider policy changes in the
sector or the country's economy as a whole. For example, a loan to improve coastal environmental
management may be linked to development of new environmental institutions at national and local
levels and the implementation of new regulations to limit pollution, or not, such as in the World Bank
financed constructions of paper mills along the Rio Uruguay in 2006.[4]

WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION

"WTO" redirects here. For other uses, see WTO (disambiguation).

The World
Trade
Organization (WTO)
is
an intergovernmental
organization which
regulates international trade. The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under
the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994, replacing the General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948.[5] The WTO deals with regulation of trade
between participating countries by providing a framework for negotiating trade agreements and a
dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants' adherence to WTO agreements, which
are signed by representatives of member governments [6]:fol.910 and ratified by their parliaments.[7] Most
of the issues that the WTO focuses on derive from previous trade negotiations, especially from
the Uruguay Round (19861994).
The WTO is attempting to complete negotiations on the Doha Development Round, which was
launched in 2001 with an explicit focus on developing countries. As of June 2012, the future of the
Doha Round remained uncertain: the work programme lists 21 subjects in which the original
deadline of 1 January 2005 was missed, and the round is still incomplete. [8] The conflict between free
trade on industrial goods and services but retention of protectionism on farm subsidies to
domestic agricultural sector (requested by developed countries) and the substantiation of fair
trade on agricultural products (requested by developing countries) remain the major obstacles. This

impasse has made it impossible to launch new WTO negotiations beyond the Doha Development
Round. As a result, there have been an increasing number of bilateral free trade
agreements between governments.[9] As of July 2012, there were various negotiation groups in the
WTO system for the current agricultural trade negotiation which is in the condition of stalemate. [10]
The WTO's current Director-General is Roberto Azevdo,[11][12] who leads a staff of over 600 people
in Geneva,Switzerland.[13] A trade facilitation agreement known as the Bali Package was reached by
all members on 7 December 2013, the first comprehensive agreement in the organization's history. [14]
[15]