THE UN SYSTEM

The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank group and twelve other independent organizations known as “specialized agencies” are linked to the UN through cooperative agreements. These agencies, among them the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization, are autonomous bodies created by intergovernmental agreement. They have wide-ranging international responsibilities in the economic, social, cultural, educational, health and related fields. Some of them, like the International Labor Organization and the Universal Postal Union, are older than the UN itself.

In addition, a number of UN offices, programs and funds – such as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – work to improve the economic and social conditions of people around the world. These bodies report to the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council.

All the organizations have their own governing bodies, budgets and secretariats. Together with the United Nations, they are known as the UN family, or the UN system. They provide an increasingly coordinated yet diverse program of action.

(UNO in Brief. Published by the UN department of Public Information. New York 1997)

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