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UN - Specialized Agencies - Part 2

16-05-2024

09:09 AM

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1 min read

Prelims:  Current events of national and international importance.

Mains:  Important International Institutions, agencies and fora - their Structure, Mandate.

 

What are the specialized agencies of the United Nations?

The organizational structure of the United Nations (UN) consists of principal organs, specialized agencies, funds and programmes, related organizations, and other entities and bodies. 

  • The UN specialized agencies are autonomous international organizations working with the United Nations. 
  • All specialized agencies were brought into a relationship with the UN through negotiated agreements. 
    • Some specialized agencies existed before the First World War and some were associated with the League of Nations. 
    • Others were created almost simultaneously with the UN. These specialized agencies were created by the UN to meet emerging needs.
  • There are currently 15 specialized agencies of the UN.
  • Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO)
  • United Nations Industrial Development Organization(UNIDO)
  • International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO)
  • World Tourism Organization(UNWTO)
  • International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD)
  • Universal Postal Union(UPU)
  • International Labour Organization(ILO)
  • World Health Organization(WHO)
  • International Monetary Fund(IMF)
  • World Intellectual Property Organization(WIPO)
  • International Maritime Organization(IMO)
  • World Meteorological Organization(WMO)
  • International Telecommunication Union(ITU)
  • World Bank
  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)

 

International Labour Organization

  • Objective: International Labour Organization (ILO) promotes international labour rights by formulating international standards on the freedom to associate, collective bargaining, the abolition of forced labour, and equality of opportunity and treatment. 
  • Foundation: Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and oldest specialized agency of the UN.
  • Received Nobel Peace Prize: In 1969, the ILO received the Nobel Peace Prize for improving fraternity and peace among nations, pursuing decent work and justice for workers, and providing technical assistance to other developing nations.
  • Tripartite agreement: Unlike other United Nations specialized agencies, the ILO has a tripartite governing structure that 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.
  • International Labour Conference: Once a year, the ILO organizes the International Labour Conference in Geneva to set the broad policies of the ILO, including conventions and recommendations.
  • Member of UNDG: ILO is also a member of the United Nations Development Group.
  • Important Reports: 
    • World Employment and Social Outlook
    • Care Work & Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work Report
    • World of Work Report 
    • Global Wage Report
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

 

World Health Organization

  • Foundation and objective: Established in 1948, World Health Organization(WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations system. 
  • World Health Assembly: It is the decision-making body of WHO. It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States.
  • Important Reports: 
    • The World health statistics report
    • The World Health Report (WHR)
    • World Malaria Report
    • Sustainability Index and Flourishing Index
    • State of Food Security and Nutrition Report
    • World Tuberculosis Report 
    • Global Nutrition Report 
    • World Vision Report 
    • Ambient Air Pollution Report
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

 

International Monetary Fund

  • Objective: International Monetary Fund(IMF) fosters economic growth and employment by providing temporary financial assistance to countries to help ease the balance of payments adjustment and technical assistance.
  • Foundation: Formed in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference with the goal of reconstructing the international monetary system.
  • Important Reports: 
    • World Economic Outlook
    • Global Financial Stability Report
  • Headquarters: Washington, DC, USA

 

World Intellectual Property Organization

  • Objective: World Intellectual Property Organization(WIPO) protects intellectual property throughout the world through international treaties. 
  • Foundation: Formed in 1967 to discuss and shape international IP rules and policies.
  • Conventions:
    • The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property was adopted in 1883 and was one of the first intellectual property treaties.
    • The Berne Convention was adopted in 1886. It deals with copyright, the protection of works and the rights of authors and rights holders.
    • In 1989, the Madrid agreement of trademarks was signed to facilitate the registration of trademarks in multiple jurisdictions around the world
  • Important Reports: 
    • The World Intellectual Property Report
    • Global Innovation Index
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

 

International Maritime Organization

  • Objective: International Maritime Organization (IMO) has created a comprehensive shipping regulatory framework, addressing safety and environmental concerns, legal matters, technical cooperation, security, and efficiency. 
  • Foundation: The IMO was established in 1948 following the agreement at a UN conference held in Geneva.
  • UNCLOS: The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was adopted in 1982. It lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world's oceans and seas, establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources.
  • International Seabed Authority (ISA): is the intergovernmental body of 167 member states and the European Union established under the 1982 UNCLOS and the 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the UNCLOS.
    • The headquarters is located in Kingston, Jamaica.
    • The Authority obtained its observer status in the United Nations in 1996.
    • India signed a 15-year contract for the exploration of Polymetallic Nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin with the International Seabed Authority in 2002.
    • The "Mining Code" is issued by ISA and refers to the set of rules to regulate the prospecting, exploration and exploitation of marine minerals in the international seabed area.
  • MARPOL convention: In 1973, The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) was the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.
  • SOLAS convention: In 1974, The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was signed as an international maritime treaty that sets minimum safety standards in the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships.
  • Cape Town Agreement: The IMO Cape Town Agreement is an international International Maritime Organization legal instrument established in 2012, that sets out minimum safety requirements for fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and over or equivalent in gross tons.
  • Headquarters: London, United Kingdom

 

World Meteorological Organization

  • Objective: World Meteorological Organization(WMO) facilitates the free international exchange of meteorological data and information and the furtherance of its use in aviation, shipping, security, and agriculture, among other things. 
  • Foundation: Formed in 1950 after the Convention of the World Meteorological Organization, signed in 1947.
  • WMO Statement on the status of the World Climate: It is published annually to provide details of global, regional and national temperatures and extreme weather events.
  • WMO Strategic Plan includes: 
    • Disaster risk reduction
    • The Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS)
    • The WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)
    • Aviation meteorological services
    • Polar and high mountain regions
  • Received Nobel Peace Prize: In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a joint creation of the WMO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about climate change.
  • World Meteorological Day: The World Meteorological Day is held annually on 23 March.
  • Important Reports: 
    • Greenhouse Gas Bulletin 
    • Global Seasonal Climate update
    • State of the Global Climate 2020 
    • United in Science Report 
    • State of Climate Services
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

 

International Telecommunication Union

  • Objective: International Telecommunication Union(ITU) is the UN agency for information and communication technologies. It is committed to connecting all the world's people – wherever they live and whatever their means.
  • Foundation: It was established in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union, making it the first international organization.
  • The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS): was convened by the ITU along with UNESCO, UNCTAD, and UNDP, with the aim of bridging the digital divide. It was held in the form of two conferences in 2003 and 2005 in Geneva and Tunis, respectively.
  • World Conference on International Telecommunications: In 2012, the ITU facilitated The World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012 in Dubai to address International Telecommunications Regulations, the international rules for telecommunications, including international tariffs.
  • Important Reports: 
    • World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators D​​atabase
    • Global Cybersecurity Index
    • ICT Development Index
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

 

World Bank

  • Objective: The World Bank focuses on poverty reduction and the improvement of living standards worldwide by providing low-interest loans, interest-free credit, and grants to developing countries. 
  • Foundation: It was established in 1944 along with the International Monetary Fund at the Bretton Woods Conference.
  • Important Reports: 
    • Global Economic Prospects
    • International Debt Statistics
    • World Development Report
    • Global Financial Development Report
    • Logistics Performance Index
    • Ease of Doing Business
    • Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020
  • Headquarters: Washington, DC, USA

 

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

  • Objective: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)  focuses on everything from teacher training to helping improve education worldwide to protecting important historical and cultural sites around the world. 
  • Foundation: UNESCO was established in 1945 as the successor to the League of Nations’ International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation.
  • Member of UNSDG: UNESCO is a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, a coalition of UN agencies and organizations aimed at fulfilling Sustainable Development Goals.
  • UNESCO’s activities include:
    • Translation and dissemination of world literature.
    • Helps establish and secure World Heritage Sites of cultural and natural importance.
    • Works to bridge the worldwide digital divide and creates inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication.
    • The goal of ‘Education For All’.
  • World Heritage Committee: It was established in 1976 and the first site inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978.
  • Man and the Biosphere Programme: In 1968, UNESCO organized the first intergovernmental conference with the creation of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme.
  • MacBride Commission: was set up in 1977 to study the imbalance in information and communication between developed and developing countries.
  • Important Reports: 
    • Global Education Monitoring Report
    • United Nations World Water Development Report
    • Gender Parity Index
    • State of the Education Report for India 2021
    • World Water Development Report
  • Headquarters: Paris, France

 

Previous Year Questions(PYQs)

Mains

 

Q)Too little cash, too much politics, leaves UNESCO fighting for life.’ Discuss the statement in the light of US’ withdrawal and its accusation of the cultural body as being ‘anti-Israel bias’. (2019)

 

Q) What are the aims and objectives of the McBride Commission of UNESCO? What is India’s position on these? (2016)

Prelims

 

Q) With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statementS (2022)

A coastal state has the right to establish

  1. the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention.
  2. Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
  3. The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

 

Q) With reference to the ‘New York Declaration on Forests’, which of the following statements are correct?(2021)

  1. It was first endorsed at the United Nations Climate Summit in 2014.
  2. It endorses a global timeline to end the loss of forests.
  3. It is a legally binding international declaration.
  4. It is endorsed by governments, big companies and indigenous communities.
  5. India was one of the signatories at its inception.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. 1, 2 and 4
  2. 1, 3 and 5
  3. 3 and 4
  4. 2 and 5

 

Q) Other than the fundamental rights , Which of the following parts of the Constitution of India reflect/reflects the principles and provisions of the Universal declaration of human rights(1948)?()2020

  1. Preamble
  2. Directive principles of state policy
  3. Fundamental duties

Select the correct answer using the given code below-

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

 

Q) International Labour Organization’s Conventions 138 and 182 are related to(2018)

  1. Child labour
  2. Adaptation of agriculture practices to global climate change
  3. Regulation of food prices and food security
  4. Gender parity at the workplace

 

Q) Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action’ often seen in the news, is(2015)

  1. a strategy to tackle regional terrorism, an outcome of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
  2. a plan of action for sustainable economic growth in the Asia-Pacific Region, an outcome of deliberations of the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum
  3.  an agenda for women’s empowerment, an outcome of a World Conference convened by the United Nations
  4.  a strategy to combat wildlife trafficking, a declaration of the East Asia Summit

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

 

Q) Which was the first specialized agency of the United Nations?

The International Labour Organization (ILO) was designated as the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946. Originally, The International Labour Organization (ILO) was constituted in 1919, forming a part of the Treaty of Versailles.

 

Q) What are Bretton Woods institutions?

The Bretton Woods Institutions are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They were set up at a meeting of 43 countries in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA in July 1944. Their aims were to help rebuild the shattered postwar economy and to promote international economic cooperation.

 

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