UN Specialized Agencies: Mandates and Headquarters

What is a specialized agency?

• A specialized agency is an international body with its own treaty, members, budget and staff.
• It is linked to the UN through a special agreement. The UN Economic and Social Council manages that link.
• The UN counts 15 of them. Each handles one field, such as health, work, farming, flying or post. (Source: Wikipedia: Specialized agencies of the UN)

Older than the UN

• Several agencies existed long before 1945.
• The ITU is the oldest, founded in 1865 to link telegraph networks.
• The UPU followed in 1874. The ILO came in 1919.
• They joined the UN family later, by agreement.

Geneva, Paris, Rome and others

• WHO sits in Geneva. It began work in 1948 and leads global public health.
• UNESCO sits in Paris. It works on education, science and culture. Its constitution was signed in 1945 and took effect in 1946.
• ILO sits in Geneva. Founded in 1919, it sets labour standards.
• FAO sits in Rome. Founded in 1945, it fights hunger.
• ICAO sits in Montreal. Its Chicago Convention is from 1944, and it began work in 1947. It sets aviation standards.
• IMO sits in London. Its convention dates to 1948. It came into force in 1958. It covers shipping safety and ocean pollution. (Source: Wikipedia: Specialized agencies of the UN)

Why dates look confusing

• A treaty may be signed in one year and start working in another.
• Exams usually ask for the founding year in the textbook. When in doubt, check the question’s wording.
• Rule of thumb: ICAO is 1944 (convention) or 1947 (agency). IMO is 1948 (convention) or 1958 (in force).

More headquarters to remember

• UPU, Bern. It coordinates international post. Founded in 1874.
• ITU, Geneva. It sets telecom standards and shares radio spectrum.
• WIPO, Geneva. It protects intellectual property. Founded in 1967.
• WMO, Geneva. It covers weather and climate. Founded in 1950.
• IFAD, Rome. It fights rural poverty. Founded in 1977.
• UNIDO, Vienna. It backs industrial growth. Founded in 1966, it became a specialized agency in 1985.
• UN Tourism, Madrid. It was earlier called the UN World Tourism Organization.
• IMF and World Bank Group, both in Washington, D.C. Both date to 1945. (Source: Wikipedia: Specialized agencies of the UN)

Clusters

• Geneva hosts five: WHO, ILO, ITU, WIPO and WMO.
• Rome hosts two: FAO and IFAD. The World Food Programme is also in Rome, but it is a UN programme, not an agency.
• Washington hosts two: the IMF and the World Bank Group.
• The other six sit alone: Paris, Montreal, London, Bern, Vienna and Madrid.

Trap: agency or not?

• UNICEF, UNDP, WFP and UNOPS are not specialized agencies. They are funds, programmes or subsidiary bodies of the UN.
• Agencies mostly run on member dues. Programmes and funds mostly run on voluntary gifts.
• See IntlRel0104 — UNOPS and UN Funds, Programmes and Subsidiary Bodies.
• The IMF and the World Bank are agencies too. See IntlRel0019 — International Organisations (UN System, WTO, IMF, World Bank).