UN Headquarters UNDP UNFPA OHRLLS UNICEF UNESCO INSTRAW ECLAC MIGA IFC IDA IBRD IMF ICAO IMO ICJ UPU IAEA UNIDO FAO UNDCP IFAD WFP ESCWA UNRWA UNU ESCAP ECA UNCHS UNCTAD UNHCR WHO WIPO WMO UNEP WMO WMO











 

 

 

ESCWA promotes economic and social development through regional and subregional cooperation and integration and serves as the main general economic and social development forum within the United Nations system for the ESCWA region. It formulates and promotes development assistance activities and projects commensurate with the needs and priorities of the region and acts as an executing agency for relevant operational projects. ESCWA coordinates its activities with those of the major departments/offices of the United Nations at Headquarters and of specialized agencies and intergovernmental organizations, such as the League of Arab States, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, with a view to avoid duplication and ensure complementarity, synergy and exchange of information. Since its establishment, the Agency has delivered its services in times of relative calm in the Middle East, and in times of hostilities. It has fed, housed and clothed tens of thousands of fleeing refugees and at the same time educated and given health care to hundreds of thousands of young refugees. UNRWA is unique in terms of its long-standing commitment to one group of refugees and its contributions to the welfare and human development of four generations of Palestine refugees. Originally envisaged as a temporary organization, the Agency has gradually adjusted its programmes to meet the changing needs of the refugees. Today, UNRWA is the main provider of basic services - education, health, relief and social services - to over 4.1 million registered Palestine refugees in the Middle East. Four Key Roles: An international community of scholars; A bridge between the United Nations and the international academic community; A think-tank for the United Nations system; A builder of capacities, particularly in developing countries. Programme Areas: Peace and Governance, and Environment and Sustainable Development The regional arm of the United Nations Secretariat for the Asian and Pacific region is the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). The functions of UNESCAP have been defined by the Secretary- General as follows: Promoting economic and social development through regional and subregional cooperation and integration; Serving as the main economic and social development forum within the United Nations system for the UNESCAP region; Formulating and promoting development assistance activities and projects commensurate with the needs and priorities of the region while acting as an executing agency for relevant operational projects; Providing substantive and secretariat services and documentation for the Commission and its subsidiary bodies; Carrying out studies, research and other activities within the terms of reference of the Commission; Providing advisory services to governments at their request; Developing and executing programmes of technical cooperation; Coordinating UNESCAP activities with those of the major departments/offices of the United Nations at Headquarters and specialized agencies and intergovernmental organizations. Economic Commission for Africa. The Commission is organized around six substantive programme divisions: Development Policy and Management; Economic and Social Policy; Gender and Development; Information for Development; Sustainable Development; and Trade and Regional Integration. Five subregional offices contribute a subregional perspective to the work programme and support outreach. Drawing on this structure, ECA deploys several modalities and services to support its member States: policy analysis and advocacy; enhancing partnerships; technical assistance; communication and knowledge sharing; and supporting subregional activities. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. Its main elements are: Knowledge management and reporting, expanding the global understanding of urban development, shelter and poverty, and tracking progress in implementing the Habitat Agenda; Advocacy of norms for sustainable urbanization and urban poverty reduction, carried forward through two global campaigns and a number of global programmes; Technical cooperation in linking norms and campaign/programme goals to urban poverty reduction activities on the ground; Innovative financing for urbanization and specific shelter needs of the urban poor; Strategic partnerships to leverage resources and coordinate international programme activities that work toward similar ends. United Nations Environment Programme. To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UNEP work encompasses: Assessing global, regional and national environmental conditions and trends; Developing international and national environmental instruments; Strengthening institutions for the wise management of the environment; Facilitating the transfer of knowledge and technology for sustainable development; Encouraging new partnerships and mind-sets within civil society and the private sector. To ensure its global effectiveness UNEP supports six regional offices, plus a growing network of centres of excellence such as the Global Resource Information Database (GRID) centres and the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). UNEP also has major offices in Geneva and Paris, where its Division of Technology, Industry and Economics is situated. UN Economic Commission for Europe. UNECE strives to foster sustainable economic growth among its 55 member countries. To that end UNECE provides a forum for communication among States; brokers international legal instruments addressing trade, transport and the environment; and supplies statistics and economic and environmental analysis. It is the forum where the countries of western, central and eastern Europe, central Asia and North America – 55 countries in all – come together to forge the tools of their economic cooperation. That cooperation concerns such areas as economics, statistics, environment, transport, trade, industry and enterprise development, sustainable energy, timber and habitat. The Commission offers a regional framework for the elaboration and harmonization of conventions, norms and standards. The Commission's experts provide technical assistance to the countries of south-east Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). This assistance takes the form of advisory services, training seminars and workshops where countries in transition can share their experiences and receive support from other countries in the region. The International Labour Organization is the UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. The ILO formulates international labour standards in the form of Conventions and Recommendations setting minimum standards of basic labour rights: freedom of association, the right to organize, collective bargaining, abolition of forced labour, equality of opportunity and treatment, and other standards regulating conditions across the entire spectrum of work related issues. It provides technical assistance primarily in the fields of: vocational training and vocational rehabilitation; employment policy; labour administration; labour law and industrial relations; working conditions; management development; cooperatives; social security; labour statistics and occupational safety and health. It promotes the development of independent employers' and workers' organizations and provides training and advisory services to those organizations. Within the UN system, the ILO has a unique tripartite structure with workers and employers participating as equal partners with governments in the work of its governing organs. International Telecommunication Union. Every time someone, somewhere, picks up a telephone and dials a number, answers a call on a mobile phone, sends a fax or receives an e-mail, takes a plane or a ship, listens to the radio, watches a favourite television programme or helps a small child master the latest radio-controlled toy, they benefit from the work of the International Telecommunication Union. The Union was established last century as an impartial, international organization within which governments and the private sector could work together to coordinate the operation of telecommunication networks and services and advance the development of communications technology . The Union’s standardization activities, which have already helped foster the growth of new technologies such as mobile telephony and the Internet, are now being put to use in defining the building blocks of the emerging global information infrastructure, and designing advanced multimedia systems which deftly handle a mix of voice, data, audio and video signals. The mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is to protect and promote all human rights for all. OHCHR aims to ensure the practical implementation of universally recognized human rights norms. It is committed to strengthening the United Nations human rights programme and providing the United Nations treaty monitoring bodies and special mechanisms established by the Commission on Human Rights with the highest quality support. OHCHR bases itself on the principle that human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. All rights civil, cultural, economic, political and social - should be given equal emphasis, and promoted and protected without any discrimination. The realization and enjoyment of all rights for women and men must be ensured on a basis of equality. OHCHR seeks to play an active role in removing obstacles and meeting challenges to the full realization of all human rights and in preventing the occurrence or continuation of human rights abuses throughout the world. To achieve this OHCHR will work closely with governments, United Nations bodies, regional organizations, international and non-governmental organizations and civil society. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) aims at the development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy. UNCTAD is the focal point within the United Nations for the integrated treatment of trade and development and the interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development. UNCTAD is a forum for intergovernmental discussions and deliberations, supported by discussions with experts and exchanges of experience, aimed at consensus-building. UNCTAD undertakes research, policy analysis and data collection in order to provide substantive inputs for the discussions of experts and government representatives. UNCTAD, in co-operation with other organizations and donor countries, provides technical assistance tailored to the needs of the developing countries, with special attention being paid to the needs of the least developed countries, and countries with economy in transition. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. In more than five decades, the agency has helped an estimated 50 million people restart their lives. Today, a staff of more than 6,000 people in more than 116 countries continues to help some 17 million persons. The World Health Organization is the United Nations specialized agency for health. WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO's Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the use and protection of works of the human spirit. These works -- intellectual property -- are expanding the bounds of science and technology and enriching the world of the arts. Through its work, WIPO plays an important role in enhancing the quality and enjoyment of life, as well as creating real wealth for nations. With headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, WIPO is one of the 16 specialized agencies of the United Nations system of organizations. It administers 23 international treaties dealing with different aspects of intellectual property protection. The Organization counts 181 nations as member states. World Meteorological Organization. The specialized agency of the United Nations for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences. The vision of the WMO for the Sixth Long-term Plan (2004-2011) is to provide world leadership in expertise and international cooperation in weather, climate, hydrology and water resources, and related environmental issues, and thereby to contribute to the safety and well being of people throughout the world and to the economic benefit of all nations. The secretariat of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), It was founded for the purposes of contributing to the economic development of Latin America, coordinating actions directed towards this end, and reinforcing economic relationships among the countries and with the other nations of the world.: (a) Provides substantive secretariat services and documentation for the Commission and its subsidiary bodies; (b) Undertakes studies, research and other support activities within the terms of reference of the Commission; (c) Promotes economic and social development through regional and subregional cooperation and integration; (d) Gathers, organizes, interprets and disseminates information and data relating to the economic and social development of the region; (e) Provides advisory services to Governments at their request and plans, organizes and executes programmes of technical cooperation; (f) Formulates and promotes development cooperation activities and projects of regional and subregional scope commensurate with the needs and priorities of the region and acts as an executing agency for such projects; (g) Organizes conferences and intergovernmental and expert group meetings and sponsors training workshops, symposia and seminars; (h) Assists in bringing a regional perspective to global problems and forums and introduces global concerns at the regional and subregional levels; (i) Coordinates ECLAC activities with those of the major departments and offices at United Nations Headquarters, specialized agencies and intergovernmental organizations with a view to avoiding duplication and ensuring complementarity in the exchange of information. MIGA’s mission is to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries, in order to support economic growth, reduce poverty and improve people’s lives. MIGA — a global insurer to private investors and adviser to countries on foreign investment — is committed to promoting projects with the greatest development impact, that are economically, environmentally and socially sustainable. We seek to excel in what we do by continually improving our client services, working in partnership with others, building capacity, and sharing and learning from our experiences. MIGA provides non-commercial guarantees (insurance) for investments made in developing countries. MIGA’s guarantees protect investors against the risks of transfer restriction (including inconvertibility), expropriation, war and civil disturbance, and breach of contract. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries as a way to reduce poverty and improve people's lives. IFC is a member of the World Bank Group. IFC is the largest multilateral source of loan and equity financing for private sector projects in the developing world. It promotes sustainable private sector development primarily by: Financing private sector projects located in the developing world; Helping private companies in the developing world mobilize financing in international financial markets; Providing advice and technical assistance to businesses and governments. IFC has 177 member countries , which collectively determine its policies and approve investments. To join IFC, a country must first be a member of the IBRD. The International Development Association (IDA) is the part of the World Bank that helps the earth’s poorest countries reduce poverty by providing interest-free loans and some grants for programs aimed at boosting economic growth and improving living conditions. IDA’s long-term, no-interest loans pay for programs that build the policies, institutions, infrastructure and human capital needed for equitable and environmentally sustainable development. IDA’s grants go to poor countries already vulnerable to debt or confronting the ravages of HIV/AIDS or natural disasters. IDA is now the single largest source of donor funds for basic social services in the poorest countries. The largest source of IDA resources is new contributions from donor countries. This accounts for about $13 billion of approximately $23 billion in resources which will be made available to IDA borrowers during the three year period of IDA13. The second largest source is internal resources, which include repayments from graduated and current IDA borrowers, investment income, and other resources including foreign exchange gains/losses and residual resources from past replenishments. The bulk of internal resources are repayments, which amount to approximately $9 billion in IDA13. An additional source of funds is transfers from IBRD net income, which will total about $900 million in IDA13. The World Bank Group’s mission is to fight poverty and improve the living standards of people in the developing world. It is a development Bank which provides loans, policy advice, technical assistance and knowledge sharing services to low and middle income countries to reduce poverty. The Bank promotes growth to create jobs and to empower poor people to take advantage of these opportunities. The World Bank is not a “bank” in the common sense. It is one of the United Nations’ specialized agencies, and is made up of 184 member countries. These countries are jointly responsible for how the institution is financed and how its money is spent. The World Bank Group consists of five closely associated institutions, all owned by member countries. Each institution plays a distinct role in the mission to fight poverty and improve living standards. The "World Bank" is the name that has come to be used for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). Together these organizations provide low-interest loans, interest-free credit, and grants to developing countries. We live in a world so rich that global income is more than $31 trillion a year. In this world, the average person in some countries earns more than $40,000 a year. But in this same world, 2.8 billion people—more than half the people in developing countries—live on less than $700 a year. Of these, 1.2 billion earn less than $1 a day. The World Bank works to bridge this divide and turn rich country resources into poor country growth. One of the world’s largest sources of development assistance, the World Bank supports the efforts of developing country governments to build schools and health centers, provide water and electricity, fight disease, and protect the environment. International Monetary Fund. The IMF is an international organization of 184 member countries. It was established to promote international monetary cooperation, exchange stability, and orderly exchange arrangements; to foster economic growth and high levels of employment; and to provide temporary financial assistance to countries to help ease balance of payments adjustment. Since the IMF was established its purposes have remained unchanged but its operations -- which involve surveillance, financial assistance, and technical assistance -- have developed to meet the changing needs of its member countries in an evolving world economy. IMF’s main responsibilities: promoting international monetary cooperation; facilitating the expansion and balanced growth of international trade; promoting exchange stability; assisting in the establishment of a multilateral system of payments; and making its resources available (under adequate safeguards) to members experiencing balance of payments difficulties. More generally, the IMF is responsible for ensuring the stability of the international monetary and financial system—the system of international payments and exchange rates among national currencies that enables trade to take place between countries. The Fund seeks to promote economic stability and prevent crises; to help resolve crises when they do occur; and to promote growth and alleviate poverty. It employs three main functions—surveillance, technical assistance, and lending—to meet these objectives. The IMF is accountable to the governments of its member countries. At the apex of its organizational structure is its Board of Governors, which consists of one Governor from each of the IMF’s 184 member countries. The IMF’s resources are provided by its member countries, primarily through payment of quotas, which broadly reflect each country’s economic size. The total amount of quotas is the most important factor determining the IMF’s lending capacity. The annual expenses of running the Fund are met mainly by the difference between interest receipts (on outstanding loans) and interest payments (on quota “deposits”). We are the leading advocate for children’s rights, active in 158 countries and territories around the world. Our priorities: child protection; girls' education; early childhood; immunization plus; hiv/aids UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is the world's largest international source of funding for population and reproductive health programmes. We support programmes that help women, men and young people: plan their families and avoid unwanted pregnancies; undergo pregnancy and childbirth safely; avoid sexually transmitted infections(STIs) - including HIV/AIDS; combat violence against women. The Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and the Small Island Developing States UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. World leaders have pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015. UNDP’s network links and coordinates global and national efforts to reach these Goals. Our focus is helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of: Democratic Governance; Poverty Reduction; Crisis Prevention and Recovery; Energy and Environment; HIV/AIDS. UNDP helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women. (OHRLLS). The key functions of the Office of the High Representative in accordance with the Secretary-General’s report A/56/645 are as follows: (a) To assist the Secretary-General in ensuring the full mobilization and coordination of all parts of the United Nations system, with a view to facilitating the coordinated implementation of and coherence in the follow-up and monitoring of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries at the country, regional and global levels; (b) To provide coordinated support to the Economic and Social Council as well as the General Assembly in assessing progress and in conducting the annual review of the implementation of the Programme of Action; (c) To support, as appropriate, the coordinated follow-up of the implementation of the Global Framework This Global Framework has now been replaced by the Almaty Declaration and Programme of Action, 2003 for Transit Transport Cooperation between Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and the Donor Community and the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States; (d) To undertake appropriate advocacy work in favour of the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States in partnership with the relevant parts of the United Nations as well as with the civil society, media, academia and foundations; (e) To assist in mobilizing international support and resources for the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries and other programmes and initiatives for landlocked developing countries and small island developing States; (f) To provide appropriate support to group consultations of Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States. the UN has four purposes: to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations; to cooperate in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights; and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations set up the permanent International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as a means to secure international co-operation an highest possible degree of uniformity in regulations and standards, procedures and organisation regarding civil aviation matters. The purposes of the Organization, as summarized by Article 1(a) of the Convention, are "to provide machinery for cooperation among Governments in the field of governmental regulation and practices relating to technical matters of all kinds affecting shipping engaged in international trade; to encourage and facilitate the general adoption of the highest practicable standards in matters concerning maritime safety, efficiency of navigation and prevention and control of marine pollution from ships". The Organization is also empowered to deal with administrative and legal matters related to these purposes. The International Court of Justice. The Court has a dual role: to settle in accordance with international law the legal disputes submitted to it by States, and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized international organs and agencies. The Court is composed of 15 judges elected to nine-year terms of office by the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council sitting independently of each other. It may not include more than one judge of any nationality. Elections are held every three years for one-third of the seats, and retiring judges may be re-elected. The Members of the Court do not represent their governments but are independent magistrates. The Court decides in accordance with international treaties and conventions in force, international custom, the general principles of law and, as subsidiary means, judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists. Universal access to communication through the worldwide postal network. The postal service forms part of the daily life of people all over the world. Even in the digital age, the Post remains, for millions of people, the most accessible means of communication and message delivery available. The mission of the Universal Postal Union is to foster the sustainable development of quality universal, efficient accessible postal services in order to facilitate communication among the people of the world by: Guaranteeing the free circulation of postal items through an interconnected single postal territory; Promoting the adoption of fair and common standards and the application of technology; Cooperation and interaction among stakeholders; Facilitating the effective provision of technical cooperation; Ensuring that the changing needs of customers are addressed. The IAEA is the world's center of cooperation in the nuclear field. Three main pillars - or areas of work - underpin the IAEA's mission: Safety and Security; Science and Technology; and Safeguards and Verification. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) helps developing countries and countries with economies in transition in their fight against marginalization in today's globalized world. It mobilizes knowledge, skills, information and technology to promote productive employment, a competitive economy and a sound environment. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. UNODC works to educate the world about the dangers of drug abuse and to strengthen international action against drug production, trafficking and drug-related crime through alternative development projects, illicit crop monitoring and anti-money laundering programmes. UNODC also provides accurate statistics through the Global Assessment Programme (GAP) and helps to draft legislation and train judicial officials as part of its Legal Advisory Programme. UNODC was also tasked with the responsibility for crime prevention, criminal justice and criminal law reform. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information. We help developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) was created to mobilize resources on concessional terms for programmes that alleviate rural poverty and improve nutrition. Unlike other international financial institutions, which have a broad range of objectives, the Fund has a very specific mandate: to combat hunger and rural poverty in developing countries. The Fund’s target groups, therefore, are the poorest of the world’s people: small farmers, the rural landless, nomadic pastoralists, artisanal fisherfolk, indigenous people and rural poor women. In line with the Fund’s special focus on the alleviation of rural poverty in developing countries, the bulk of its resources are made available to low-income countries on highly concessional terms, repayable over 40 years, including a grace period of ten years and a 0.75% service charge per annum. Loans may also be provided on intermediate and ordinary terms, which are less concessional. WFP is the United Nations frontline agency in the fight against global hunger. In its fight against hunger, WFP has emergency and development projects in 81 countries world-wide. As the food aid arm of the UN, WFP uses its food to: meet emergency needs, and support economic & social development. The Agency also provides the logistics support necessary to get food aid to the right people at the right time and in the right place. WFP works to put hunger at the centre of the international agenda, promoting policies, strategies and operations that directly benefit the poor and hungry. Research, Training and Information for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality. As a major catalyst in gender initiatives, INSTRAW promotes applied research on gender, facilitates information sharing, and supports capacity building through networking mechanisms such as GAINS and multi-stakeholder partnerships with UN agencies, governments, academia and civil society. Through its Gender Awareness Information and Networking System (GAINS), INSTRAW: produces strategic research; creates synergies for the production and dissemination of knowledge; builds capacity in organizations working towards gender equality; showcases best practices and lessons learned on gender issues. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse – for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge – while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields. In short, UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 190* Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. UNESCO is working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture. This role is critical, particularly in the face of terrorism, which constitutes an attack against humanity. The world urgently requires global visions of sustainable development based upon observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which lie at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and activities.