Major international organisations within the UN or related to it

UN organizations:

UN General Assembly

• UN Commission on Int. Trade Law (UNICITRAL)

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

10 Programmes and Funds:

• UNDP (UN Development Programme)

• UNCDF (UN Capital Development Fund)

• UNED (UN Environment Programme)

• UNCTAD (UN Conference on Trade and Development) …

#17 Specialized Agencies

• ILO (Int. Labour Organization)

• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN)

• UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization)

• WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)

• IMF

• WB Group …

Related organizations:

WTO, IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)

UNCTAD

1964, Geneva, 193 members

• Overall objective- multilateral negotiations on economic issues

• Information & research works (produce)

• Programmes of technical assistance (tailored to the specific requirements of developing countries, with special attention to the needs of the least developed countries and of economies in transition)

Results: UNCTAD conceived and implemented:

- GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) for exports (1971) + Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing countries (GSTP) -1989-aim: to increase trade between developing countries

- 1976-89: International Commodity Agreements &The Common Fund for Commodities (financing of stocks of commodities) – an instrument of the Integrated…

- Convention of Maritime transport

IMF

Washington consensus, (1989, Williamson): key objective of int. financial organizations is encouraging growth of national economies and the world economy in general.

Way – adjustment of finances.

Instruments – macroeconomic stability, external trade liberalisation (less custom duties), privatisation, de-regulation of finances.

Post-Washington consensus, (1990s, Stieglitz): wider understanding of the objective (+ living standards, more steady distribution of wealth, democratisation)

Extra instruments - monetary regulation, encouraging competition, investments in the human capital, development of new technologies.

IMF (Washington): 1944, 187 member-states.

IMF objectives:

• Provide a forum for co-operation on international monetary problems

• Promote exchange rate stability and an open system of int. payments

• Facilitate growth of int. trade  job creation, ec. growth, poverty reduction

• Lend countries FX exchange, when needed, to help them address balance of payments problems

• Policy advice to governments and CBs

• Research & forecasts of global, regional and individual economies

• Technical assistance to help countries improve the potential of their economies

Its operation is based on charter capital.