UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. Currently made up

of 193 Member States, the UN and its work are guided by the purposes and principles
contained in its founding Charter.

The UN has evolved over the years to keep pace with a rapidly changing world.

But one thing has stayed the same: it remains the one place on Earth where all the
world’s nations can gather together, discuss common problems, and find shared
solutions that benefit all of humanity.

The UN’s Membership has grown from the original 51 Member States in 1945 to
the current 193 Member States.

All UN Member States are members of the General Assembly.  States are admitted
to membership by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of
the Security Council.

The United Nations launched its sustainable development agenda in 2015, reflecting the
growing understanding by Member States that a development model that is sustainable
for this and future generations offers the best path forward for reducing poverty and
improving the lives of people everywhere. At the same time, climate change began
making a profound impact on the consciousness of humanity. With the polar ice caps
melting, global sea levels rising and cataclysmic weather events increasing in ferocity, no
country in the world is safe from the effects of climate change.

Building a more sustainable global economy will help reduce the greenhouse gas

emissions that cause climate change. It is, therefore, critically important that the
international community meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals – and also the
targets for reducing emissions set in the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015.

Sustainable development and climate action are linked – and both are vital to the present
and future well-being of humanity.

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, abbreviated

as UNESCO, is a specialised United Nations agency. Its mission is to promote international co-
operation among its Member States and Associate Members in the fields of education, science,
culture and communication. UNESCO was founded on 16 November 1945, and has 193 Member
States and 11 Associate Members (as of February 2019).

UNESCO uses education, science, culture, communication and information

to foster mutual understanding and respect for our planet. We work to
strengthen the intellectual and moral solidarity of humankind. We bring
people together around the conviction of our shared humanity. 

WHO

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health
Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal
chance to live a healthy life. 

Founded in 1948, WHO is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and
people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone,
everywhere can attain the highest level of health. 

WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage. We direct and coordinate the
world’s response to health emergencies. And we promote healthier lives – from pregnancy
care through old age. Our Triple Billion targets outline an ambitious plan for the world to
achieve good health for all using science-based policies and programmes. 

Working with 194 Member States across 6 regions and on the ground in 150+ locations, the
WHO team works to improve everyone’s ability to enjoy good health and well-being.     

WHO’s work remains firmly rooted in the basic principles of the right to health and well-being
for all people, as outlined in our 1948 Constitution. The World Health Assembly is the
decision-making body of WHO and is attended by delegations from all Member States.

ILO

International Labor Organization

The only tripartite U.N. agency, since 1919 the ILO brings together governments,
employers and workers of 187 Member States , to set labour standards, develop
policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men. 

Underlying the ILO’s work is the importance of cooperation between governments

and employers’ and workers’ organizations in fostering social and economic
progress.

The ILO aims to ensure that it serves the needs of working women and men by
bringing together governments, employers and workers to set labour standards,
develop policies and devise programmes. The very structure of the ILO, where
workers and employers together have an equal voice with governments in its
deliberations, shows social dialogue in action. It ensures that the views of the social
partners are closely reflected in ILO labour standards, policies and programmes.

The ILO encourages this tripartism within its constituents

- employers , workers  and member States , by promoting a social dialogue
between trade unions and employers in formulating, and where appropriate,
implementing national policy on social, economic, and many other issues.

ICJ – INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN).
It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April
1946.
The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). Of the six principal
organs of the United Nations, it is the only one not located in New York (United States of
America).
The Court’s role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by
States and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United
Nations organs and specialized agencies.
The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the
United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. It is assisted by a Registry, its
administrative organ. Its official languages are English and French.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global

environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the
coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable
development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative
advocate for the global environment.

The United National Environment Programme was founded in June of 1972

after the UN Conference on the Human Environment. It is responsible for a
number of environmental issues concerning various UN agencies. Some of
these responsibilities include: developing international environmental
agreements, encouraging environmental science, and
creating development policies with national governments. Experts of the
UNEP have contributed to guidelines of treaties and policies in terms of
potential contaminants.

UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN's
global development network, advocating for change and connecting
countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people
build a better life.

We are on the ground in some 170 countries and territories,

supporting their own solutions to development challenges and
developing national and local capacities that will help them
achieve human development and the Sustainable Development
Goals. Our work is concentrated on three main focus areas:

 Sustainable development
 Democratic governance and peacebuilding
 Climate and disaster resilience

UNDP helps countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our
activities, we promote gender equality and the protection of human
rights.

WMO – WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

As weather, climate and the water cycle know no national

boundaries, international cooperation at a global scale is essential
to implement an Earth system approach for the development of
meteorology, climatology, operational hydrology and related
environmental services as well as to reap the benefits from their
application. WMO provides the framework for such international
cooperation.
As a specialized agency of the United Nations, WMO is dedicated to international cooperation and
coordination on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the land and
oceans, the weather and climate it produces, and the resulting distribution of water resources.  
Through its Technical Commissions, Programmes, Projects and Regional Offices, as well as
its synergistic and public-private partnerships, WMO facilitates and coordinates an Earth system
approach to the gathering and free exchange of observations, promotion and integration of research
and the development and delivery of services in the areas of weather, climate and water.
Within its mandate in the areas of weather, climate and water, WMO focuses on many different
aspects and issues from observations, information exchange and research to weather forecasts
and early warnings, from capacity development and monitoring of greenhouse gases to application
services and much, much more.

IMO – International Maritime Organization

The International Maritime Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations

which is responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international
shipping and to prevent pollution from ships. It is also involved in legal matters,
including liability and compensation issues and the facilitation of international maritime
traffic. It was established by means of a Convention adopted under the auspices of the
United Nations in Geneva on 17 March 1948 and met for the first time in January 1959.

It currently has 175 Member States. IMO's governing body is the Assembly which is
made up of all the Member States and meets normally once every two years. It adopts
the budget for the next biennium together with technical resolutions and
recommendations prepared by subsidiary bodies during the previous two years. The
Council, of 40 Member States elected by the Assembly, acts as governing body in
between Assembly sessions. It prepares the budget and work programme for the
Assembly. The main technical work is carried out by the Maritime Safety, Marine
Environment Protection, Legal, Technical Co-operation and Facilitation Committees and
a number of sub-committees.

UNESCAP - United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the most
inclusive intergovernmental platform in the Asia-Pacific region. The Commission
promotes cooperation among its 53 member States and 9 associate members in
pursuit of solutions to sustainable development challenges. ESCAP is one of the five
regional commissions of the United Nations.

The ESCAP secretariat supports inclusive, resilient and sustainable development in

the region by generating action-oriented knowledge, and by providing technical
assistance and capacity-building services in support of national development
objectives, regional agreements and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development. ESCAP also provides support to partners at the national
level. ESCAP’s national offer is rooted in and linked with the implementation of
global and regional intergovernmental frameworks, agreements, and other
instruments.

IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency

The International Atomic Energy Agency is the world's central

intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the
nuclear field. It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear
science and technology, contributing to international peace and
security and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and
expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear
technology. The Agency’s genesis was U.S. President Eisenhower’s
“Atoms for Peace” address to the General Assembly of the United
Nations on 8 December 1953.

The Statute of the IAEA was approved on 23 October 1956 by the

Conference on the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency,
which was held at the Headquarters of the United Nations. It came into
force on 29 July 1957.

The Statute has been amended three times by application of the procedure laid
down in paragraphs A and C of Article XVIII. On 31 January 1963, some
amendments to the first sentence of the then paragraph A.3 of Article Vl came
into force; the Statute as thus amended was further amended on 1 June 1973 by
the coming into force of a number of amendments to paragraphs A to D of the
same Article (involving a renumbering of sub-paragraphs in paragraph A); and
on 28 December 1989 an amendment in the introductory part of paragraph A.l
came into force. All these amendments have been incorporated in the text of the
Statute, which consequently supersedes all earlier editions.