International Organisations And Their Headquarters, List
International organisations and their headquarters are vital for global governance. Learn more about international organisations and their headquarters and their roles.
Bhavya Upadhyay17 Oct, 2024
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International Organisations And Their Headquarters: International organisations play an essential role in promoting global cooperation, peace, and development. While establishing international standards to address global challenges like climate change and health crises, these organisations have been recognised as the pillars of the modern world order. In this informative guidepost, we will explore International Organisations And Their Headquarters and briefly describe their roles and significance.
International Organisations and Their Headquarters
Many important international organisations and their headquarters operate as the backbone of global governance. These organisations work for various sectors, such as health, trade, finance, and human rights, which impact billions of people worldwide. Below is a list of international organisations, their headquarters, and their roles in promoting global cooperation and development.
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International Organisations and Their Headquarters |
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| United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | New York City, USA | 1965 |
| United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) | Nairobi, Kenya | 1972 |
| United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) | New York City, USA | 1969 |
| United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) | Nairobi, Kenya | 1978 |
| United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) | New York City, USA | 1946 |
| World Food Programme (WFP) | Rome, Italy | 1961 |
| Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) | Rome, Italy | 1945 |
| International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) | Montreal, Canada | 1947 |
| International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) | Rome, Italy | 1977 |
| International Labour Organization (ILO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1919 |
| International Monetary Fund (IMF) | Washington, DC, USA | 1944 |
| International Maritime Organization (IMO) | London, United Kingdom | 1948 |
| International Telecommunication Union (ITU) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1865 |
| United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) | Paris, France | 1945 |
| United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) | Vienna, Austria | 1966 |
| World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) | Madrid, Spain | 1974 |
| Universal Postal Union (UPU) | Bern, Switzerland | 1874 |
| World Health Organization (WHO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1948 |
| World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1967 |
| World Meteorological Organization (WMO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1950 |
| World Bank | Washington, DC, USA | 1944 |
| Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1994 |
| United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1950 |
| United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1980 |
| United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1963 |
| United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) | Copenhagen, Denmark | 1973 |
| United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) | Amman, Jordan | 1949 |
| United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) | Turin, Italy | 2002 |
| United Nations University (UNU) | Tokyo, Japan | 1973 |
| UN Women | New York City, USA | 2010 |
| International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) | Vienna, Austria | 1957 |
| International Organization for Migration (IOM) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1951 |
| Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) | The Hague, Netherlands | 1997 |
| United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) | Bonn, Germany | 1994 (Signed in 1993) |
| World Trade Organization (WTO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1995 |
| International Trade Centre (ITC) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1964 |
| African Development Bank Group | Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire | 1964 |
| African Union (AU) | Addis Abab, Ethiopia | 2002 |
| Amnesty International (AI) | London, United Kingdom | 1961 |
| Andean Community | Lima, Peru | 1969 |
| Arctic Council | Tromso, Norway | 1996 |
| Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) | Queenstown, Singapore | 1989 |
| Asian Development Bank (ADB) | Mandaluyong, Philippines | 1966 |
| Association of Caribbean States (ACS) | Port of Spain, Trinidad, Tobago | 1994 |
| Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) | Jakarta, Indonesia | 1967 |
| Bank for International Settlements (BIS) | Basel, Switzerland | 1930 |
| Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) | Istanbul, Turkey | 1992 |
| Caribbean Community (CARICOM) | Georgetown, Guyana | 1973 |
| Central American Bank for Economic Integration | Tegucigalpa, Honduras | 1960 |
| Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) | Lusaka, Zambia | 1994 |
| Commonwealth Secretariat | London, United Kingdom | 1965 |
| Council of Europe | Strasbourg, France | 1949 |
| Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1951 |
| Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) | Stockholm, Switzerland | 1992 |
| Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) | Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria | 1975 |
| European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) | London, United Kingdom | 1991 |
| European Central Bank (ECB) | Frankfurt, Germany | 1998 |
| European Free Trade Association (EFTA) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1960 |
| Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1984 |
| European Space Agency (ESA) | Paris, France | 1975 |
| European Union (EU) | Brussels, Belgium | 1993 |
| Group of Eight (G8) | New York, USA | 1975 |
| G-15 Summit | Geneva, Switzerland | 1990 |
| Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) | Washington, DC, USA | 1959 |
| Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) | Djibouti, Djibouti | 1986 |
| International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) | Vienna, Austria | 1957 |
| International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) | Montreal, Canada | 1947 |
| International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) | Paris, France | 1919 |
| International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1863 |
| International Court of Justice (ICJ) | The Hague, Netherlands | 1945 |
| International Development Association (IDA) | Washington, DC, USA | 1960 |
| International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1919 |
| International Finance Corporation (IFC) | Washington, DC, USA | 1956 |
| International Labour Organization (ILO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1919 |
| International Olympic Committee (IOC) | Lausanne, Switzerland | 1894 |
| International Organization for Standardization (ISO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1947 |
| International Peace Bureau (IPB) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1891 |
| International Seabed Authority (ISA) | Kingston, Jamaica | 1994 |
| International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1984 |
| Inter-Parliamentary Union | Geneva, Switzerland | 1889 |
| League of Arab States | Cairo, Egypt | 1945 |
| Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) | Washington, DC, USA | 1988 |
| The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) | Central Jakarta, Indonesia | 1961 |
| Nordic Council of Ministers | Copenhagen, Denmark | 1971 |
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) | Washington, DC, USA | 1949 |
| Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) | Paris, France | 1961 |
| Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) | Vienna, Austria | 1975 |
| Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) | Kuwait, Middle East | 1968 |
| Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | 1969 |
| Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) | Vienna, Austria | 1960 |
| Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) | Noumea, New Caledonia | 1947 |
| South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) | Kathmandu, Nepal | 1985 |
| Unión Latina | Paris, France | 1954 |
| United Cities & Local Governments (UCLG) | Barcelona, Spain | 2004 |
| United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) | Bangkok, Thailand | 1947 |
| United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) | Beirut, Lebanon | 1973 |
| United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) | Nairobi, Kenya | 1972 |
| United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) | Rome, Italy | 1945 |
| United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) | Geneva, Switzerland and New York City, USA | 1993 |
| United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) | Vienna, Austria | 1997 |
| United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | 1975 |
| United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) | Geneva, Switzerland and New York City, USA | 1991 |
| United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) | Amman, Jordan | 1949 |
| Western European Union (WEU) | Paris, France | 1954 |
| World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) | Geneva, Switzerland and New York City, USA | 1946 |
| World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1985 |
| World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) | Gland, Switzerland | 1961 |
| International Solar Alliance (ISA) | Haryana, India | 2015 |
| Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) | New Delhi, India | 2019 |
Global Organizations India Is Affiliated With
India is a key player on the global stage and is a member of many prominent international organisations and their headquarters . India along with these International Organisations plays a key role in shaping global cooperation and diplomacy and is responsible for addressing global issues like peace, security, trade, and public health. Some of the International Organisations of which India Is a member:
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Global Organizations India Is Affiliated With |
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| International Organization | Headquarters | Year of Foundation |
| AALCO - Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization | New Delhi | 1956 |
| ADB - Asian Development Bank | Manila, Philippines | 1956 |
| AfDB - African Development Bank (non-regional members) | Tunis, Tunisia | 1964 |
| AG - Australia Group | Brussels, Belgium | 1985 |
| ASEAN Regional Forum - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations | Jakarta, Indonesia | 1967 |
| BIMSTEC - Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation | Dhaka, Bangladesh | 1997 |
| BIS - Bank for International Settlements | Basel, Switzerland | 1930 |
| BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa | Shanghai, China | 2006 |
| CoN - Commonwealth of Nations | London, UK | 1931 |
| CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research | Geneva, Switzerland | 1954 |
| CP - Colombo Plan | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 1950 |
| EAS - East Asia Summit | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 1950 |
| FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Rome, Italy | 1945 |
| G-15 - Group of 15 | Geneva, Switzerland | 1989 |
| G-20 - Group of 20 | Cancun, Mexico | 1999 |
| G-77 - Group of 77 | New York | 1964 |
| IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency | Vienna, Austria | 1957 |
| IBRD - International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) | Washington DC, US | 1944 |
| ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organization | Montreal, Canada | 1944 |
| ICC - International Chamber of Commerce | Paris, France | 1919 |
| IDA - International Development Association | Washington DC | 1950 |
| IEA - International Energy Agency | Paris, France | 1974 |
| IFAD - International Fund for Agricultural Development | Rome, Italy | 1977 |
| IFC - International Finance Corporation | Washington DC, US | 1956 |
| ILO - International Labour Organization | Geneva, Switzerland | 1919 |
| IMF - International Monetary Fund | Washington DC, US | 1945 |
| IMO - International Maritime Organization | London, UK | 1948 |
| IMSO - International Mobile Satellite Organization | London, UK | 1999 |
| Interpol - International Criminal Police Organization | Lyon, France | 1923 |
| IOC - International Olympic Committee | Lausanne, Switzerland | 1894 |
| IPEEC - International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation | Paris, France | 2009 |
| ISO - International Organization for Standardization | Geneva, Switzerland | 1947 |
| ITSO - International Telecommunications Satellite Organization | Washington DC | 1964 |
| ITU - International Telecommunication Union | Geneva, Switzerland | 1864 |
| ITUC - International Trade Union Confederation (the successor to ICFTU and WCL) | Brussels, Belgium | 2006 |
| MTCR - Missile Technology Control Regime | Japan | 1987 |
| NAM - Non-Aligned Movement | Jakarta, Indonesia | 1961 |
| OPCW - Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons | Hague, Netherlands | 1997 |
| PCA - Permanent Court of Arbitration | Hague, Netherlands | 1899 |
| PIF - Pacific Islands Forum (partner) | Suva, Fiji | 1971 |
| SAARC - South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation | Kathmandu, Nepal | 1985 |
| SACEP - South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 1982 |
| SCO - Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (member) | Beijing, China | 1996 |
| UN - United Nations | New York | 1945 |
| UNAIDS - United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS | New York | 1994 |
| UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation | Paris, France | 1946 |
| WHO - World Health Organization | Geneva, Switzerland | 1948 |
UN Bodies and Their Headquarters
The United Nations is an expansive and huge organisation with specialized agencies that address various global challenges. These UN bodies and their headquarters are situated across different cities worldwide, and each of them focuses on specific areas like health, education, environment, and human rights. Understanding the international organisations and their headquarters within the UN system highlights the global scope of its mission.
Here are some of the key UN bodies and their headquarters :
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) : Headquarters in New York City, USA. UNDP focuses on poverty reduction, sustainability, and governance.
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) : Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. UNEP works on environmental issues and sustainable development.
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) : Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. UNHCR protects and supports refugees and displaced persons worldwide.
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) : Headquarters in Montreal, Canada. ICAO sets global aviation safety standards.
Tricks to Remember the Headquarters and Organisation Names
Remembering the name of the headquarters of international organisations can be a bit challenging for candidates, for which here are a few simple tricks:
- Geneva Hub : Many UN agencies and health-related organisations have their headquarters in Geneva and Switzerland. A simple mnemonic to remember this is "Geneva for Global Health" (WHO, WTO, ILO, WMO, etc.).
- New York – The Diplomatic Capital : The United Nations and its bodies are situated in New York, so associate New York with global diplomacy and peace.
- Washington for Finance : Both the IMF and the World Bank are headquartered in Washington, D.C., so associate it with global finance and economic stability.
By using such tricks, anyone can easily recognise and remember the list of international organisations and their headquarters and their global significance.
Conclusion
Understanding the International Organisations And Their Headquarters provides insight into how the global system of governance operates. These organisations, with their far-reaching declarations, have a significant impact on international law, trade, health, and human rights. As global challenges become more connected, the need for strong, collaborative international bodies will only grow.
By knowing the list of international organisations and their headquarters , we can gain a better appreciation of the central role these institutions play in shaping a more peaceful and cooperative world.
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International Organisations And Their Headquarters FAQs
Q1. What are international organisations and their headquarters?
Ans. International organisations are global bodies that address worldwide issues, and their headquarters are located in major diplomatic cities like Geneva and New York.
Q.2 Where is the headquarters of international organisations like the UN?
Ans. The United Nations' headquarters is in New York City, USA, serving as a hub for global diplomacy.
Q.3 What is the importance of knowing the list of international organisations and their headquarters?
Ans. Knowing the list of international organisations and their headquarters helps understand their influence and global roles in peace, health, and development.
Q.4 Which UN body has its headquarters in Geneva?
Ans. Several UN bodies, including WHO and ILO, have their headquarters in Geneva, a key center for global health and labour standards.
Q.5 How can I remember world organisations and their headquarters?
Ans. Use tricks like associating Geneva with health (WHO), New York with diplomacy (UN), and Washington, D.C., with finance (IMF, World Bank).
Q.6 Are all UN bodies based in the same headquarters?
Ans. No, UN bodies and their headquarters are spread globally, with major hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, each focusing on specific global issues.
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