📘 Day 1 Study Material: International Organizations – Part 1

1. United Nations (UN)

  • Formation: Founded on October 24, 1945, after World War II, to prevent future global conflicts and foster international cooperation. Its charter was signed in San Francisco on June 26, 1945.
  • Headquarters: New York City, USA. (With main offices in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna).
  • Aims and Objectives:
    • To maintain international peace and security.
    • To develop friendly relations among nations.
    • To achieve international cooperation in solving international problems2 of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character.
    • To be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common3 ends.
  • Main Organs:
    • General Assembly (UNGA): The main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. All 193 member states are represented here.
    • Security Council (UNSC): Responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It has 15 members: 5 permanent members (China, France, Russia, UK, USA) with veto power, and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
    • Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): Coordinates the economic and social work of the UN and its specialized agencies. It has 54 members elected by the General Assembly.
    • International Court of Justice (ICJ): The principal judicial organ, located in The Hague, Netherlands. It settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions.
    • Secretariat: Headed by the Secretary-General, it carries out the day-to-day work of the UN as mandated by the other organs.
    • Trusteeship Council: Established to supervise the administration of trust territories. It suspended operations in 1994 after the last trust territory gained independence.
  • Current Secretary-General: António Guterres (Portugal) – (As of May 2025, please verify for any recent changes if you are studying much later).
  • Key Functions: Peacekeeping operations, humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, upholding international law, protecting human rights.

2. World Health Organization (WHO)

  • Formation: April 7, 1948. April 7th is celebrated as World Health Day.
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Parent Organization: United Nations (a specialized agency).
  • Aims and Objectives:
    • The attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.
    • Combating diseases, especially key infectious diseases, and promoting general health worldwide.
    • Setting norms and standards for health, monitoring health trends, and providing technical support to countries.
    • Coordinating international health responses during emergencies.
  • Key Functions:
    • Providing leadership on global health matters.
    • Shaping the health research agenda.
    • Setting norms and standards.
    • Articulating evidence-based policy options.
    • Providing technical support to countries.
    • Monitoring and assessing health trends.4
    • Emergency response (e.g., pandemics like COVID-19).
  • Current Director-General: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Ethiopia) – (As of May 2025, please verify for any recent changes).

3. International Monetary Fund (IMF)

  • Formation: Founded at the Bretton Woods Conference in July 1944, commenced operations on December 27, 1945.
  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C., USA.
  • Aims and Objectives:
    • To foster global monetary cooperation.
    • To secure financial stability.
    • To facilitate international trade.
    • To promote high employment and sustainable economic5 growth.
    • To reduce poverty around the world.6
  • Key Functions:
    • Surveillance: Monitors the international monetary system and global economic developments. It also tracks the economic and financial policies of its 190 member countries.
    • Lending: Provides loans to member countries experiencing actual or potential balance of payments problems.7 These loans often come with policy conditions (“conditionalities”).
    • Capacity Development: Offers technical assistance and training to help countries build better economic institutions and strengthen human capacities.
  • Key Instrument: Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) – an international reserve asset created by the IMF to supplement the official reserves of its8 member countries.
  • Current Managing Director: Kristalina Georgieva (Bulgaria) – (As of May 2025, please verify for any recent changes).

4. World Trade Organization (WTO)

  • Formation: January 1, 1995, succeeding the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which was established in 1948.
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Aims and Objectives:
    • To ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably, and freely as possible.
    • Administering trade agreements.
    • Acting as a forum for trade negotiations.
    • Settling trade disputes.
    • Providing technical assistance to developing countries.
  • Key Principles:
    • Non-discrimination: Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) – treating all WTO members equally, and National Treatment – treating foreign goods and services the same as domestic ones once they enter the market.
    • Freer trade: Gradually lowering trade barriers through negotiation.
    • Predictability: Ensuring transparency and stability in trade policies.
    • Promoting fair competition.
    • Encouraging development and economic reform.
  • Key Functions:
    • Overseeing the implementation, administration, and operation of the covered agreements.
    • Providing a forum for negotiations and for settling disputes.
    • Reviewing national trade policies.
    • Assisting developing countries in trade policy issues through technical assistance and training programs.9
  • Current Director-General: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Nigeria) – (As of May 2025, please verify for any recent changes).

📝 30 MCQs for Day 1: International Organizations – Part 1

  1. When was the United Nations officially established?
    A. June 26, 1944
    B. October 24, 1945
    C. April 7, 1948
    D. January 1, 1995
  2. Which city hosts the headquarters of the United Nations?
    A. Geneva
    B. Vienna
    C. New York City
    D. The Hague
  3. How many permanent members are there in the UN Security Council?
    A. 5
    B. 10
    C. 15
    D. 193
  4. Which of the following is NOT a permanent member of the UN Security Council?
    A. China
    B. France
    C. Germany
    D. United Kingdom10
  5. The principal judicial organ of the UN is the:
    A. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
    B. International Court of Justice (ICJ)
    C. Secretariat
    D. Trusteeship Council
  6. Who is the current Secretary-General of the United Nations (as of May 2025)?
    A. Ban Ki-moon
    B. Kofi Annan
    C. António Guterres
    D. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
  7. The World Health Organization (WHO) was established on:
    A. October 24, 1945
    B. December 27, 1945
    C. April 7, 1948
    D. January 1, 1950
  8. Where is the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) located?
    A. New York City, USA
    B. Geneva, Switzerland
    C. Washington, D.C., USA
    D. Paris, France
  9. What is the primary objective of the WHO?
    A. To foster global monetary cooperation
    B. The attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health
    C. To ensure free and fair international trade
    D. To maintain international peace and security
  10. Who is the current Director-General of the WHO (as of May 2025)?
    A. Kristalina Georgieva
    B. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
    C. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
    D. António Guterres
  11. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was founded at which conference?
    A. San Francisco Conference
    B. Yalta Conference
    C. Bretton Woods Conference
    D. Potsdam Conference
  12. The headquarters of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is in:
    A. Geneva, Switzerland
    B. New York City, USA
    C. Washington, D.C., USA
    D. London, UK
  13. Which of the following is a key function of the IMF?
    A. Peacekeeping operations
    B. Setting global health standards
    C. Providing loans to countries with balance of payments problems
    D. Regulating international trade in goods
  14. What are Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)?
    A. A type of loan offered by the World Bank
    B. An international reserve asset created by the IMF
    C. Voting rights within the UN General Assembly
    D. Trade dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO
  15. Who is the current Managing Director of the IMF (as of May 2025)?
    A. Christine Lagarde
    B. Kristalina Georgieva
    C. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
    D. Jim Yong Kim
  16. The World Trade Organization (WTO) succeeded which agreement?
    A. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
    B. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
    C. Maastricht Treaty
    D. Kyoto Protocol
  17. When did the WTO officially commence operations?
    A. October 24, 1945
    B. April 7, 1948
    C. July 1, 1944
    D. January 1, 1995
  18. The headquarters of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is located in:
    A. Washington, D.C., USA
    B. Brussels, Belgium
    C. Geneva, Switzerland
    D. Beijing, China
  19. What does the WTO principle of “Most-Favoured-Nation” (MFN) mean?
    A. Favoring developing nations over developed ones
    B. Treating all WTO members equally in trade
    C. Giving preferential treatment to a specific nation
    D. Treating domestic goods more favorably than foreign goods
  20. Which of the following is a primary function of the WTO?
    A. Providing humanitarian aid
    B. Settling trade disputes between member countries
    C. Regulating global currency exchange rates
    D. Funding health programs in developing countries
  21. Who is the current Director-General of the WTO (as of May 2025)?
    A. Roberto Azevêdo
    B. Pascal Lamy
    C. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
    D. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
  22. How many member states are in the UN General Assembly?
    A. 54
    B. 15
    C. 193
    D. 190
  23. The UN Security Council has the power of ‘veto’. This power is held by:
    A. All 15 members
    B. The 10 non-permanent members
    C. The 5 permanent members
    D. The President of the Security Council
  24. Which UN organ coordinates the economic and social work of the UN and its specialized agencies?
    A. Security Council
    B. International Court of Justice
    C. General Assembly
    D. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
  25. “World Health Day” is celebrated on:
    A. October 24th
    B. December 10th
    C. April 7th
    D. January 1st
  26. The IMF provides loans to member countries primarily to address:
    A. Long-term development projects
    B. Specific health crises
    C. Balance of payments problems
    D. Educational reforms
  27. The predecessor to the WTO, GATT, was established in:
    A. 1945
    B. 1948
    C. 1955
    D. 1990
  28.  Which of these organizations is not a specialized agency of the United Nations?
    A. World Health Organization (WHO)
    B. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
    C. UNESCO
    D. World Trade Organization (WTO)
  29. The term “conditionalities” is often associated with loans from which organization?
    A. WHO
    B. UNICEF
    C. IMF
    D. WTO
  30. The main aim of the United Nations, as stated in its Charter, is to:
    A. Promote global free trade
    B. Eradicate global poverty
    C. Maintain international peace and security
    D. Standardize global health regulations

Answers to MCQs:

  1. B
  2. C
  3. A
  4. C
  5. B
  6. C
  7. C
  8. B
  9. B
  10. C
  11. C
  12. C
  13. C
  14. B
  15. B
  16. B
  17. D
  18. C
  19. B
  20. B
  21. C
  22. C
  23. C
  24. D
  25. C
  26. C
  27. B
  28. D (World Trade Organization is not a UN specialized agency. FAO and UNESCO are. WHO is also a UN specialized agency.)
  29. C
  30. C

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