Dear Candidates,
Welcome to a comprehensive guide on International Organizations and their Headquarters along with their Establishment Year. This article is specially designed for aspirants of competitive exams like SSC, UPSC, Banking, RRB, and State-level exams. Understanding these organizations is crucial, as questions on this topic often appear in the General Awareness section.
Key Highlights of the Article
- List of Major International Organizations like WHO, UNESCO, IMF, etc., with their headquarters and year of establishment.
- Exclusive Table: International Organizations where India holds membership.
- Common Exam Questions:
- Where are the headquarters located?
- What is the establishment year of an organization?
- Identify headquarters not in a specific region.
- Organizations India is a member of or not.
By the end of this article, you will have a clear understanding of international organizations, their roles, and their relevance in competitive exams.
What are International Organizations?
International organizations are groups formed by different countries that come together to achieve common goals. These organizations play a crucial role in solving global problems and making the world a better place for everyone.
Key Roles of International Organizations
- Promoting Peace – They work to prevent conflicts and help resolve disputes between countries.
- Supporting Economic Growth – International organizations help boost economies, especially in developing nations.
- Protecting the Environment – These groups focus on tackling environmental issues like climate change, pollution, and conservation.
- Providing Humanitarian Aid – In times of crisis, like natural disasters or humanitarian emergencies, international organizations provide critical help.
Examples of International Organizations
- United Nations (UN) – The UN is one of the most well-known international organizations. It works to maintain peace, promote human rights, and ensure social and economic development globally.
- World Health Organization (WHO) – The WHO focuses on global health issues, ensuring people around the world have access to healthcare and fighting diseases.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) – The WTO helps regulate international trade, ensuring countries can trade fairly.
Why are International Organizations Important?
These organizations ensure that countries cooperate and collaborate to address global challenges. They act like referees on the world stage, making sure nations follow fair rules and work together for the greater good.
In today’s world, international organizations are essential in bringing nations together to create solutions for common challenges such as poverty, peace, and climate change.
Specific Goals and Activities of International Organizations
Here are some examples of the goals and actions of prominent international organizations that play a vital role in global development:
1. United Nations (UN)
- Founded: After World War II to promote peace and prevent future conflicts.
- Main Goals:
- Maintain international peace and security.
- Promote human rights and social progress.
- Support sustainable development and economic growth.
- Key Activities: The UN works in areas such as peacekeeping, conflict resolution, and humanitarian aid, ensuring that all countries have a voice in global matters.
2. The World Bank
- Type: International financial institution.
- Main Goals:
- Provide loans and financial assistance to developing nations.
- Reduce global poverty and improve living standards.
- Key Activities: The World Bank works on large-scale development projects that focus on education, healthcare, and infrastructure to improve the quality of life in low-income countries.
3. World Health Organization (WHO)
- Focus: Global health and well-being.
- Main Goals:
- Ensure universal health coverage for all people.
- Eradicate preventable diseases, like polio and malaria.
- Key Activities: The WHO works on public health initiatives, provides disease control expertise, and promotes healthy lifestyles to create a healthier world for everyone.
These organizations are instrumental in shaping global progress and addressing challenges that affect people everywhere. Their work has a profound impact on fostering peace, improving living conditions, and ensuring better health worldwide.
International Organizations and their Headquarters and Establishment Year
When preparing for government exams, you’ll often come across questions about international organizations and where they are located.
These questions may ask about their full names, founding years, or their headquarters. This article provides a complete list of important international organizations along with their headquarters.
We’ve also included organizations that India is a member of. Check out the “List of International Organizations, Their Headquarters, and Establishment Years” below.”
| Organization | Headquarters | Established |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
List of International Organizations of Which India Is a Member
In this section, we have compiled a list of international organizations that India is a part of.
Although India has been reclassified from a developing to a developed country by the United States, it still needs financial support to help its states and maintain its position as the world’s largest democracy.
These international organizations play a key role in providing aid and assistance to India. Understanding which organizations India is a member of is important, as they help in various areas like development, security, and economic growth.
| International Organization | Headquarters | Year of Foundation |
|---|---|---|
| Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) | New Delhi | 1956 |
| Asian Development Bank (ADB) | Manila, Philippines | 1956 |
| African Development Bank (AfDB) (non-regional members) | Tunis, Tunisia | 1964 |
| Australia Group (AG) | Brussels, Belgium | 1985 |
| World Health Organization (WHO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1948 |
| Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) | Dhaka, Bangladesh | 1997 |
| Bank for International Settlements (BIS) | Basel, Switzerland | 1930 |
| Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) | Shanghai, China | 2006 |
| Commonwealth of Nations (CoN) | London, UK | 1931 |
| European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1954 |
| Colombo Plan (CP) | Colombo, Srilanka | 1950 |
| East Asia Summit (EAS) | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 1950 |
| Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) | Rome, Itlay | 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 |
| International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) | Vienna, Austria | 1957 |
| International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, World Bank) | Washington DC, US | 1944 |
| International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) | Montreal, Canada | 1944 |
| International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) | Paris, France | 1919 |
| International Development Association (IDA) | Washington DC | 1950 |
| International Energy Agency (IEA) | Paris, France | 1974 |
| International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) | Rome, Italy | 1977 |
| International Finance Corporation (IFC) | Washington DC, US | 1956 |
| International Labour Organization (ILO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1919 |
| International Monetary Fund (IMF) | Washington DC, US | 1945 |
| International Maritime Organization (IMO) | London, UK | 1948 |
| International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) | London, UK | 1999 |
| International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) | Lyon, France | 1923 |
| International Olympic Committee (IOC) | Lausanne, Switzerland | 1894 |
| International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC) | Paris, France | 2009 |
| International Organization for Standardization (ISO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1947 |
| International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) | Washington DC | 1964 |
| International Telecommunication Union (ITU) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1864 |
| ITUC – International Trade Union Confederation (the successor to ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) and the WCL (World Confederation of Labour)) | Brussels, Belgium | 2006 |
| Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) | Japan | 1987 |
| Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) | Jakarta, Indonesia | 1961 |
| Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) | Hague, Netherland | 1997 |
| Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) | Hague, Netherland | 1899 |
| Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) (Dialogue partners) | Suva, Fiji | 1971 |
| South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC ) | Kathmandu, Nepal | 1985 |
| South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) | Colombo, Sri Lanka | 1982 |
| Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) | Beijing, China | 1996 |
| United Nations (UN) | New York | 1945 |
| United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) | New York | 1994 |
| United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO ) | London, Uk | 1946 |
International Organizations and Their Headquarters Tricks
Remembering the names of organizations and their headquarters can be challenging, but here are a few tips to make it easier:
| Headquarters | Organizations |
|---|---|
| Geneva- Starting with the world and ending with organization | World Health Organisation |
| World Meteorological Organization | |
| World Intellectual Property Organization | |
| Washington DC – Organization associated with money | International Monetary Fund (IMF) |
| World Bank | |
| Vienna – Organization related to Industrial development, Petroleum, atomic research | United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) |
| International Atomic Energy Agency | |
| Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) | |
| Geneva- Starting with the world and ending with the organization | International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) |
| United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) | |
| Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) |
Conclusion
The list of international organizations, along with their headquarters and establishment years, is an important general knowledge topic for government exams. This topic is frequently covered in the general awareness section of exams like State PCS, UPSC, Railway, Banking, and SSC. Candidates should make sure to study this list thoroughly, as questions related to these organizations can appear in any one-day exam. Being familiar with these organizations will help you score well in the general knowledge section.
FAQs
Q1. What is the full form of UNESCO?
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Q2. Where is the headquarters of the United Nations Development Programme?
New York City, United States
Q3. Where is the headquarters of the UNEP?
Nairobi, Kenya
Q4. Where is the headquarters of the United Nations Children’s Fund?
New York City, United States
Q5. The United Nations Development Programme’ was founded by?
The General Assembly of the United Nations
