Specialized Agencies of The UN

Those agencies which are set up for a particular purpose or for a particular field are known as specialized agencies.The specialized agencies are working under the Economical and Social Council of the UN.

Some of the specialized agencies of the UN are:

International Labor Organization (ILO):

The ILO was established on 11th April 1919. It was initially the agency of the League of Nations but it became the member of UN after it was established. Its headquarter is in Geneva, Switzerland.

Functions:

i. It works for the welfare of labors.

ii. It provides economic and social security to the labors.

iii. It helps in the formation of laws regarding the welfare of international labors.iv. It makes plans and policies for the betterment of the labors and tries to control child labor.

Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)

It was established on 16th October 1945 and its headquarter is in Rome, Italy.

Functions:

i. It promotes food and agricultural products through effective measures.

ii. It helps in rural management to raise the living standard of people.

iii. It makes efforts to eliminate hunger throughout the world.

United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO):

It was established on 4th November 1946 AD. Its headquarters is in Paris, France.

Functions:

i.It works for the preservation of cultural and natural heritages of the world.

ii. It tries to strengthen international cooperation and contribute to global peace and security.

World Health Organization (WHO):

It was established on 7th April 1948 and its headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.

Functions:

i. It helps to improve the general health of the people around the world.

ii. It carries out researches regarding different diseases and in the field pf medical field.

iii. It provides vaccination to fight different epidemics and diseases in the world.

International Monetary Fund (IMF):

It is one of the specialized agencies of UN which was established on 27th December 1945 in Washington DC, USA.

Functions:

i. It helps to improve the world economy by providing financial supports.

ii. It provides a loan to the member nations to solve financial problems.

iii. It maintains a balance of payment in the world.

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD):

It is a part of World Bank Group and was established on 27th December 1945 A.D. and the headquarters is in Washington, US.

Functions:

i. It provides financial support to the members to raise their living standard.

ii. It tries to reduce poverty of member nations by providing a loan.

iii. It maintains financial stability in the world.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU):

It was established as the International Telegraph Union on May 17, 1856, in Paris. Its headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.

Function

i. It harmonizes telecommunication services throughout the world.

ii. It helps to expand telecommunication in rural areas.

iii. It makes an environment between countries regarding international phone calls,

Universal Postal Union (UPU):

It was established on 8th October 1874 but it became a specialized agency of UNO on July 1, 1948, and the headquarters is in Bern, Switzerland.

Functions:

i. It develops postal facilities worldwide.

ii. It fixes postal rate for its member nations.

iii. It helps to find out the postal problems and recommend effective solutions.

International Maritime Organization (IMO):

It was established on 17th March 1958 with headquarters in London, UK.

Functions:

i. It works for the protection of sailors of the member nations.

ii. It promotes cooperation to improve maritime safety.

iii. It coordinates with member nations to reduce maritime pollution.

iv. It maintains cooperation regarding the use of international water resources.

United Nations Development Program (UNDP):

It was founded on 22nd November 1965 and has been working in 166 countries with its head office in New York, USA.

Functions:

i. It helps its member nations for poverty reduction.

ii. It helps to raise the living standard of the people by carrying out different development works.

iii. It builds solution regarding the burning issues of the world like environment conservation, energy conservation, and HIV-AIDS.

iv. It helps the member countries recover from an internal crisis.

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO):

It was formed on 1st January 1967 and its headquarters is in Vienna, Austria.

Functions:

i. It provides technical support for the industrial development of its member nations.

ii. It helps to develop mutual cooperation among the countries for industrial growth.

iii. It helps to build a good environment for trade and reduce poverty through productive methods.

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO):

It was established on 26th April 1970 and its headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.

Functions:

i. It protects intellectual property throughout the world.

ii. It signs different treaties regarding intellectual property protection.

iii. It is the contact point where copyrights, license are filed in multiple countries.

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD):

It was established on 30th November 1977 A.D. Its headquarters is in Rome, Italy.

Functions:

i. It encourages the developing countries to invest in agriculture.

ii. It brings modernization in agriculture replacing the traditional methods.

iii. It provides employment to the farmers and a guaranteed market for their product.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO):

It was founded on 7th December 1944 A.D and was established on 4th April 1947 but it became the agency of the UN in December 1947 with headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

Functions

i. It sets the regulations for aviation safety and efficiency.

ii. It develops and saves international aviation.

iii. It provides obedience to international rules and cooperation in customs.

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF):

It was founded on 11th December 1946 A.D. in New York, USA.

Functions:

i. It protects child rights as well as takes care of women.

ii. It improves the health of children and develops their skills.

iii. It conducts various programs regarding nutrition, primary health care, and vaccination.

iv. It protects children from being tortured or exploited.