UN Specialized Agencies: What Do They Do? Quiz

Answer: postal systems

Founded in 1874 as General Postal Union, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) is one of the oldest intergovernmental organizations still in existence. Headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, it became part of the UN system in 1948. Before its establishment, countries had to negotiate postal treaties with each other in order for mail to be exchanged directly, without a third country acting as an intermediary. One of the major effects of the Treaty of Bern, which established the General Postal Union, was something that is now regarded as a given: all stamps from member nations are accepted when a mailpiece travels through another country.

The UPU's mission involves coordinating the worldwide postal system: to that effect, each member country agrees to the same terms regarding international postal duties. Its most important body is the Postal Union Congress, which generally meets every four years to discuss issues that affect international postal services. In conjunction with the World Association for the Development of Philately (WADP), the agency also developed a numbering system for stamps that was launched at the beginning of 2002. The UPU also sponsors the top-level Internet domain .post, meant to be used exclusively by the postal sector.

The International Telecommunication Organization (ITU) is even older than the UPU, having been originally founded in 1865 to connect telegraphic networks. Headquartered in Geneva, it became a specialized agency of the UN in 1947.

Answer: labour issues

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is one of the oldest UN agencies, as it was founded in 1919 under the League of Nations. The agency's mandate is to set international labour standards in order to promote social and economic justice. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and also maintains about 40 field offices. ILO has a unique structure, consisting of three main bodies; the representatives of governments, employers and workers are directly involved in the discussion and approval of all the organization's policies and initiatives. For its role in advancing justice for workers, and thus promoting international peace and fraternity, ILO was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969.

Once a year, the International Labour Conference is organized in Geneva to make decisions about the organization's activity and general policies; heads of state and prime ministers of member states are also invited to attend. ILO has adopted almost 200 conventions since its beginnings - including the 1998 Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. In recent times, ILO has prioritized the fight against child labour and forced labour (including forced sex work). The organization is also a major provider of labour statistics.

Answer: global lender of last resort

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was established in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference in order to rebuild the international monetary system after WWII; however, it was formally born at the end of 1945. The original functions of the IMF were to oversee fixed exchange rates, prevent the spread of global economic crises through short-term loans to countries, and to foster economic growth and stability after the dual shock of the Great Depression and the war. In more recent times, the organization has assumed the role of overseer of the global monetary and financial system.

Headquartered in Washington DC, a few blocks from the White House, the IMF operates through two major sources of funds, quotas and loans. Quotas determine the amount of funds contributed by each member nation to a pool from which countries can borrow in case of balance of payments issues: the more important and prosperous a country, the higher the quota. In the aftermath of the global 2007-2008 crisis (but also on earlier occasions, such as the 2001 economic crisis in Argentina), the IMF has come under fire for its policies towards countries seeking assistance, which require governments to implement strict (and unpopular) reforms in order to be granted the funds. In short, even if the organization was created with the best of intentions at a very difficult time for most of the world, it has become one of the world's most harshly criticized institutions.

Also headquartered in Washington DC, the World Bank Group (which comprises five separated but affiliated institutions) was also established as a result of the Bretton Woods agreements. It provides loans and assistance to developing and transition countries.

Answer: education, culture and science

The United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) was established in 1945 in order to promote peace, human rights and sustainable development through cooperation in the fields mentioned in its name. Headquartered in Paris, France, the organization has 53 regional field offices; a network of 199 National Commissions act as links with the governments of member states.

UNESCO's huge range of activities covers many areas, including such diverse fields as linguistic diversity, water resources management, and the promotion of freedom of expression. A number of specialized institutes and centres, located in various parts of the world, support the different aspects of the organization's activity. UNESCO has official relations with over 320 non-governmental organizations; it also awards 26 prizes in education, social, human and natural sciences, culture, communication and information, and world peace.

Probably the best-known of all UNESCO's programmes is the World Heritage List of protected landmarks and areas, which was created in 1972. The Memory of the World Programme was created in 1997 to safeguard the world's documentary heritage, while the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (2001) recognizes and protects non-material cultural expressions.

Answer: food and agriculture

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was founded in 1945 in Québec City, Canada. Its headquarters, originally in Washington DC, were moved to Rome, Italy, in 1951; the organization also maintains five regional offices and a number of field offices. FAO's main goal is to lead global efforts to improve nutrition and food security, helping governments and other agencies to coordinate their actions to develop and improve all sectors involved in food production.

FAO comprises eight departments, each of them dealing with different aspects of food production and management of resources. In its efforts to fight hunger and food insecurity - both in developed and developing countries - the organization has identified various priorities, which guide its activity. Among its notable initiatives, there have been fund-raising campaigns, food security campaigns, and the collection of internationally recognized standards and practices relating to food known as Codex Alimentarius.

Also headquartered in Rome is the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), founded in 1977. Its primary goal is fighting poverty, hunger and food insecurity in rural areas of developing countries.

Answer: civil aviation

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was established in 1947 by the Convention on International Civil Aviation (also known as Chicago Convention), replacing a series of organizations that had been in existence since 1903. Headquartered in Montréal, Canada, the agency also has seven regional offices and one regional sub-office.

ICAO's primary goal is to coordinate international air navigation through the adoption of standards and recommended practices (SARP) relating to all aspects of civil aviation. SARP are developed under the direction of the Air Navigation Commission (ANC), the technical body within ICAO; they are published as Annexes to the Chicago Convention. The organization's recommendations encompass a wide range of standards and practices, from the adoption of a unified system of units of measurement to emission limits for aircraft engines; it also has its own airport and airline codes, which differ from those used by IATA.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), founded in 1948 and headquartered in London, is the UN specialized agency responsible for regulating maritime transport.

Answer: atmospheric science and climatology

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has its origins in the International Meteorological Organization, which was founded in 1873 as a means to exchange weather data and research. The World Meteorological Convention of 1947 saw the establishment of WMO, which became operative as a UN specialized agency in 1951. The organization is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and is governed by the World Meteorological Congress.

WMO's primary mission is to facilitate the exchange of information and research regarding climate, weather and hydrology between the institutions of its member countries. Every year it publishes the WMO Statement on the Status of the World Climate, a report that provides valuable data regarding temperatures and extreme weather events, as well as information on long-term climate change indicators. In 1988, WMO and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) set up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which in 2007 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts on behalf of the fight against climate change.

Answer: public health

Though it has been in existence since 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) has become more widely known for its role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic that began in early 2020. Upon its creation, WHO absorbed a number of preexisting health organizations; its activity began in earnest in 1951. The agency is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with six regional offices and 150 regional offices. Its mission is to promote health, safety and the general well-being of the global population, with particular emphasis on its more vulnerable members.

WHO is engaged in the fight against communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, as well as non-communicable ones such as cancer and diabetes. The organization also advocates for universal access to healthcare and the monitoring of public health risks and emergencies. In spite of the criticism received by the agency in recent times, WHO has played a major role in a number of important public health achievements, such as the eradication of smallpox, the near-eradication of polio, and the development of a vaccine against the Ebola virus.

Answer: industrial development

Founded in 1966, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has its headquarters at the UN Office in Vienna (UNOV), where a number of UN agencies are also located. UNIDO was established with the primary purpose of promoting the industrialization of developing countries, most of them former colonies, thus accelerating their economic growth. In 1979, it became one of the 15 specialized agencies of the UN.

With the 2013 Lima Declaration, UNIDO included the promotion of sustainable industrial development in its mission. The protection of the environment has become one of the organization's top priorities, along with the creation of shared prosperity, the advancement of economic competitiveness, and the strengthening of knowledge and institutions. UNIDO member states are divided into four lists, grouped on the basis of geographical location and level of development: the largest of them, List A, comprises 100 mainly developing countries in Asia and Africa.

UN Tourism, or UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) was founded in 1975 to promote responsible and sustainable tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain.

Answer: intellectual property

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was created as a direct successor of the United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property (BIRPI), which came into existence in 1893. Headquartered in Geneva, the organization was established by a convention (known as WIPO Convention) signed in 1967, and became operative on 26 April 1970 - a date that has been celebrated as World Intellectual Property Day since 2000. WIPO became a specialized agency of the UN in 1974.

WIPO's mission is the worldwide promotion and protection of intellectual property, achieved through cooperation with countries and international organizations. Its activities involve discussing and shaping international rules and policies regarding IP, providing uniform standards and infrastructure for IP systems, and producing reports, statistics and other publications on IP-related matters. WIPO also administers 26 international treaties (including the WIPO Convention) on various aspects of intellectual property protection and classification.