International Organizations
International Organizations – Railway Exams GK Capsule
1. United Nations System (UN)
- Founded: 24 Oct 1945 (Charter signed 26 Jun 1945, San Francisco)
- Headquarters: New York City, USA
- Members: 193 (last: South Sudan 2011; Holy See & Palestine are observer states)
- Official Languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
- Principal Organs:
- General Assembly
- Security Council (15 members – 5 permanent)
- Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC)
- Trusteeship Council (suspended since 1994)
- International Court of Justice (ICJ) – The Hague
- Secretariat – Secretary-General (5-year renewable term)
UN Secretaries-General
| No. | Name | Country | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trygve Lie | Norway | 1946-53 |
| 9 | António Guterres | Portugal | 2017-present |
UN Specialized Agencies (part of UN system but autonomous)
| Agency | HQ | Established | India Member Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAO | Rome | 1945 | 1945 |
| ICAO | Montréal | 1947 | 1947 |
| IFAD | Rome | 1977 | 1977 |
| ILO | Geneva | 1919 | 1919 |
| IMF | Washington DC | 1945 | 1945 |
| ITU | Geneva | 1865 | 1865 |
| UNESCO | Paris | 1946 | 1946 |
| UNIDO | Vienna | 1966 | 1985 |
| UPU | Bern | 1874 | 1876 |
| WHO | Geneva | 1948 | 1948 |
| WIPO | Geneva | 1967 | 1975 |
| WMO | Geneva | 1950 | 1949 |
| World Bank Group | Washington DC | 1944 | 1944 |
UN Days – Top 10
| Date | Day |
|---|---|
| 20 Mar | International Day of Happiness |
| 21 Sep | International Day of Peace |
| 24 Oct | United Nations Day |
| 1 Dec | World AIDS Day |
| 8 Mar | International Women’s Day |
| 5 Jun | World Environment Day |
| 1 Jul | UN Charter Day (entry into force) |
| 27 Jan | International Holocaust Remembrance Day |
2. Bretton Woods Twins
| Body | HQ | Founded | Main Aim | India’s Quota (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMF | Washington DC | 27 Dec 1945 | Monetary cooperation, stabilize exchange rates | 2.75 % (8th largest) |
| World Bank (IBRD) | Washington DC | 27 Dec 1945 | Reconstruction & development loans | 3.22 % (7th largest) |
- IMF – 190 member countries; SDR basket: USD, EUR, CNY, JPY, GBP
- World Bank Group – 5 arms: IBRD, IDA, IFC, MIGA, ICSID
3. World Trade Organization (WTO)
- Established: 1 Jan 1995 ( Marrakesh Agreement, 15 Apr 1994)
- HQ: Geneva
- Members: 164 (last: Afghanistan 2016; Iran still not member)
- Ministerial Conference – supreme body, meets biennially
- India – founding member; Commerce & Industry Minister leads delegation
4. Regional & Political Groupings
| Name | Founded | HQ | Members | India Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth of Nations | 1931 | London | 56 | Member |
| SAARC | 8 Dec 1985 | Kathmandu | 8 | Founder |
| ASEAN | 8 Aug 1967 | Jakarta | 10 | Sectoral Partner |
| BRICS | 2009 | Rotating | 5 (expanding) | Founder |
| G-20 | 1999 | Rotating | 20 | Member |
| OPEC | 1960 | Vienna | 13 | Not member |
| OIC | 1969 | Jeddah | 57 | Observer (since 2019) |
SAARC Summits – India
- 1st Summit: Dhaka 1985
- 19th Summit: Islamabad 2016 (last held) – 20th postponed since 2017
5. Security & Defence Alliances
| Organization | Founded | HQ | Full Form | India Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NATO | 4 Apr 1949 | Brussels | North Atlantic Treaty Organisation | Partner (not member) |
| SCO | 15 Jun 2001 | Beijing | Shanghai Cooperation Organisation | Full member (2017) |
| APEC | 1989 | Singapore | Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation | Not member |
6. Quick Reference Tables
Table-1: Chief of Organizations (2024)
| Org. | Chief | Country | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| UN | António Guterres | Portugal | 2017-26 |
| IMF | Kristalina Georgieva | Bulgaria | 2019-24 |
| World Bank | Ajay Banga | USA | 2023-28 |
| WTO | Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala | Nigeria | 2021-25 |
| WHO | Dr. Tedros Adhanom | Ethiopia | 2017-27 |
| UNESCO | Audrey Azoulay | France | 2017-25 |
Table-2: Nobel Peace Prize to UN & Agencies
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2001 | UN & Kofi Annan |
| 2020 | World Food Programme |
| 1969 | ILO |
| 2005 | IAEA & Mohamed El-Baradei |
7. One-Liner Revision Facts
- UN flag: white emblem (azimuthal equidistant projection) on light blue.
- Veto Power: China, France, Russia, UK, USA.
- UN day 24 Oct marks entry into force of Charter in 1945.
- IMF’s highest decision body: Board of Governors (1 governor/country).
- World Bank’s soft-loan window: IDA (International Development Association).
- WTO replaced GATT on 1 Jan 1995; GATT existed 1948-94.
- India’s permanent representative to UN: Ruchira Kamboj (since 2022).
- SAARC has 8 members; Afghanistan joined 2007.
- BRICS 2024 Summit: Russia (Kazan) – 1st expanded BRICS+ summit.
- G-20 2023 Summit: New Delhi – adopted “New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration”.
- ILO is the only UN agency created by Treaty of Versailles (1919).
- UN peacekeeping started 1948 (UNTSO in Middle-East).
- India is largest cumulative troop contributor to UNPKF (>2,75,000).
- International Youth Day: 12 Aug (UN).
- UNFCCC secretariat: Bonn, Germany.
Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)
Click to expand 15 MCQs with answers
In which year was the United Nations officially established?
A) 1944 B) 1945 C) 1946 D) 1947
Ans: BThe headquarters of the International Court of Justice is located at
A) Geneva B) New York C) The Hague D) Vienna
Ans: CWhich of the following is NOT a permanent member of the UN Security Council?
A) Germany B) China C) France D) Russia
Ans: AThe present Secretary-General of the United Nations (2024) belongs to
A) Spain B) Portugal C) Sweden D) Brazil
Ans: BThe World Trade Organization was established as a result of the
A) Geneva Convention B) Bretton Woods Agreement C) Marrakesh Agreement D) Kyoto Protocol
Ans: CIndia’s quota share in the IMF is approximately
A) 1.5 % B) 2.75 % C) 5.0 % D) 6.5 %
Ans: BWhich UN agency is concerned with civil aviation standards?
A) IMO B) ICAO C) ILO D) ITU
Ans: BThe first Secretary-General of the United Nations was
A) Dag Hammarskjöld B) U Thant C) Trygve Lie D) Kurt Waldheim
Ans: CThe currency of IMF’s Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket does NOT include
A) Indian Rupee B) Chinese Yuan C) Japanese Yen D) British Pound
Ans: AWhich summit is held biennially and is the highest decision-making body of the WTO?
A) General Council B) Ministerial Conference C) Dispute Settlement Body D) Secretariat Meeting
Ans: BThe 2023 G-20 Summit was presided by
A) Indonesia B) India C) Brazil D) Italy
Ans: BWhich of the following countries is NOT a member of SAARC?
A) Myanmar B) Maldives C) Bhutan D) Nepal
Ans: AThe Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was founded in
A) 1996 B) 2001 C) 2008 D) 2014
Ans: BWho is the current President of the World Bank Group (as of 2024)?
A) David Malpass B) Kristalina Georgieva C) Ajay Banga D) Jim Yong Kim
Ans: CUnited Nations Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles; which one is NOT among them?
A) Consent of parties B) Use of force only in self-defence C) Impartiality D) Compulsory arbitration
Ans: D
Last-minute tip: Remember “3-4-5” – 3 Bretton Woods (IMF, World Bank, GATT→WTO), 4 UN specialized HQs in Geneva (ILO, WHO, WIPO, WMO), 5 permanent UNSC members. Good luck!
BETA
