United Nations: Major Bodies and Agencies — Complete Guide

The United Nations system is one of the most heavily tested areas in Kerala PSC General Knowledge. This note covers all principal organs, specialized agencies, headquarters, heads, and India’s role.

1. United Nations — Overview

Aspect	Details
Founded	24 October 1945 (UN Day)
UN Charter signed	26 June 1945, San Francisco
Charter came into force	24 October 1945
Headquarters	New York City, USA
Official languages	6 — English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic
Working languages	English and French
Member states	193
Latest member	South Sudan (2011)
Secretary-General	Antonio Guterres (Portugal, since 2017)
India’s membership	Founding member (26 June 1945)
UN flag	Light blue background with white world map and olive branches
Preamble begins with	”We the peoples of the United Nations…“

2. Six Principal Organs of the UN

Organ	HQ	Key Function
General Assembly (UNGA)	New York	Deliberative; all members participate; one nation = one vote
Security Council (UNSC)	New York	Peace and security; binding resolutions
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)	New York	Coordinates economic/social/humanitarian work
International Court of Justice (ICJ)	The Hague, Netherlands	Principal judicial organ
Secretariat	New York	Administrative; headed by Secretary-General
Trusteeship Council	New York	Supervised trust territories; SUSPENDED operations in 1994 (all territories independent)

3. General Assembly (UNGA)

Feature	Details
Members	All 193 UN members
Voting	One country = one vote
Important matters	2/3rd majority (peace, budget, new members)
Other matters	Simple majority
Sessions	Regular session: September–December every year
Special sessions	Can be called by Security Council or majority of members
President (2024–25)	Philemon Yang (Cameroon)
Resolutions	Recommendatory (not binding) unlike UNSC
Power	Discusses any matter under UN Charter; approves budget; elects non-permanent UNSC members

4. Security Council (UNSC)

Feature	Details
Total members	15
Permanent members (P5)	USA, UK, France, Russia, China
Non-permanent members	10 (elected by UNGA for 2-year terms)
Voting	9 out of 15 needed; P5 has veto power
Veto power	Any P5 member can block a substantive resolution
Resolutions	BINDING on all UN members
Key powers	Sanctions, peacekeeping operations, authorize military action
India’s UNSC membership	Non-permanent member 8 times (most recent: 2021–22)

India and UNSC Reform

Aspect	Details
India’s demand	Permanent membership in expanded UNSC
G4 nations	India, Germany, Japan, Brazil — jointly seek permanent seats
Opposition	”Uniting for Consensus” group (Italy, Pakistan, South Korea, etc.)
Current status	No reform achieved yet; requires Charter amendment (2/3rd UNGA + all P5 ratification)

5. International Court of Justice (ICJ)

Feature	Details
Location	Peace Palace, The Hague, Netherlands
Judges	15 (elected for 9-year terms; 5 replaced every 3 years)
Elected by	UNGA and UNSC simultaneously
Jurisdiction	Only states can be parties (not individuals or organizations)
Decisions	Binding on parties; no appeal
Advisory opinions	Given to UN organs and agencies (non-binding)
Current President (2024)	Nawaf Salam (Lebanon)
Indian judges (past)	Nagendra Singh (President, 1985–88), Dalveer Bhandari (2012–present)

6. Secretariat and Secretary-General

Feature	Details
Secretary-General	Chief administrative officer of UN
Appointed by	UNGA on recommendation of UNSC
Term	5 years (renewable)
Current	Antonio Guterres (2017–present, 2nd term)

Past Secretaries-General

Name	Country	Term
Trygve Lie	Norway	1946–1952
Dag Hammarskjold	Sweden	1953–1961 (died in plane crash)
U Thant	Myanmar (Burma)	1961–1971
Kurt Waldheim	Austria	1972–1981
Javier Perez de Cuellar	Peru	1982–1991
Boutros Boutros-Ghali	Egypt	1992–1996
Kofi Annan	Ghana	1997–2006 (Nobel Peace Prize 2001)
Ban Ki-moon	South Korea	2007–2016
Antonio Guterres	Portugal	2017–present

7. Specialized Agencies — Complete Table

Agency	Full Name	HQ	Established	Head (2025)	Key Function
WHO	World Health Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	1948	Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus	Global health
UNESCO	UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization	Paris, France	1945	Audrey Azoulay	Education, science, culture, heritage
UNICEF	UN Children’s Fund	New York, USA	1946	Catherine Russell	Children’s welfare
FAO	Food and Agriculture Organization	Rome, Italy	1945	Qu Dongyu	Food security, agriculture
ILO	International Labour Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	1919	Gilbert Houngbo	Labour standards, workers’ rights
IMF	International Monetary Fund	Washington DC, USA	1945	Kristalina Georgieva	Financial stability, exchange rates
World Bank	International Bank for Reconstruction and Development	Washington DC, USA	1945	Ajay Banga (Indian-American)	Development loans
WTO	World Trade Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	1995	Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala	International trade rules
IAEA	International Atomic Energy Agency	Vienna, Austria	1957	Rafael Grossi	Nuclear energy, non-proliferation
WIPO	World Intellectual Property Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	1967	Daren Tang	Patents, copyrights globally
ITU	International Telecommunication Union	Geneva, Switzerland	1865	Doreen Bogdan-Martin	Telecom standards
WMO	World Meteorological Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	1950	Celeste Saulo	Weather, climate
ICAO	International Civil Aviation Organization	Montreal, Canada	1944	Juan Carlos Salazar	Aviation safety and standards
IMO	International Maritime Organization	London, UK	1948	Arsenio Dominguez	Shipping and maritime safety
UPU	Universal Postal Union	Bern, Switzerland	1874	Masahiko Metoki	International postal services
UNIDO	UN Industrial Development Organization	Vienna, Austria	1966	Gerd Muller	Industrial development
UNWTO	UN World Tourism Organization	Madrid, Spain	1975	Zurab Pololikashvili	Tourism promotion
IFAD	International Fund for Agricultural Development	Rome, Italy	1977	Alvaro Lario	Rural poverty

8. Other Important UN Bodies (Not Specialized Agencies)

Body	Full Name	HQ	Function
UNDP	UN Development Programme	New York	Development assistance; HDI publication
UNEP	UN Environment Programme	Nairobi, Kenya	Environmental issues
UNHCR	UN High Commissioner for Refugees	Geneva	Refugee protection
UNCTAD	UN Conference on Trade and Development	Geneva	Trade and development of developing nations
UNFPA	UN Population Fund	New York	Population and reproductive health
UN Women	UN Entity for Gender Equality	New York	Women’s empowerment
WFP	World Food Programme	Rome, Italy	Food aid (Nobel Peace Prize 2020)
UN-Habitat	UN Human Settlements Programme	Nairobi	Urbanization, housing

9. India and the United Nations

Aspect	Details
Founding member	Yes (1945)
UNSC non-permanent member	8 times (1950–51, 1967–68, 1972–73, 1977–78, 1984–85, 1991–92, 2011–12, 2021–22)
Peacekeeping contribution	One of the largest troop contributors; participated in over 49 missions
Indian heads of UN bodies	Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (UNGA President, 1953); Nagendra Singh (ICJ President); Sarojini Naidu was NOT a UN head
India and ICJ	Dalveer Bhandari — current judge (since 2012)
India and WHO	First Asian DG: Brock Chisholm was not Indian; no Indian DG yet
India and ILO	India is founding member of ILO (1919)
India’s UNGA votes	Supports Palestine, disarmament, South-South cooperation

10. Important UN Days

Date	Day
8 March	International Women’s Day
22 March	World Water Day
7 April	World Health Day
22 April	Earth Day
1 May	International Workers’ Day
5 June	World Environment Day
20 June	World Refugee Day
11 July	World Population Day
12 August	International Youth Day
21 September	International Day of Peace
24 October	United Nations Day
10 December	Human Rights Day
1 December	World AIDS Day

11. PSC Quick-Fire Facts

Question	Answer
UN founded on	24 October 1945
UN Charter signed at	San Francisco
Total UN members	193
Latest UN member	South Sudan (2011)
UN Secretary-General (2025)	Antonio Guterres
UNSC permanent members	USA, UK, France, Russia, China
UNSC total members	15
ICJ location	The Hague, Netherlands
ICJ judges	15
WHO headquarters	Geneva
UNESCO headquarters	Paris
FAO headquarters	Rome
ILO headquarters	Geneva
ILO established in	1919
World Bank headquarters	Washington DC
UNEP headquarters	Nairobi, Kenya
WFP received Nobel Peace Prize in	2020
First UNGA woman President	Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1953)
India — UNSC non-permanent member how many times	8
Trusteeship Council status	Suspended (1994)
G4 countries seeking UNSC seat	India, Germany, Japan, Brazil
UN official languages	6 (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic)