International Relations
International Institutions
GS Paper II
International Institutions — Quick Revision
One-page UPSC revision of international institutions — UN organs, Security Council rules, Bretton Woods, WTO, agency headquarters, reports and India's memberships.
SyllabusGS II · Important international institutions, agencies and fora — their structure and mandate
Headquarters, composition and reports — the most reliably examinable facts in International Relations.
UN Principal Organs
| Organ | Members | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| General Assembly | 193 | New York |
| Security Council | 15 (5 permanent) | New York |
| ECOSOC | 54 | New York |
| Trusteeship Council | Suspended 1994 | New York |
| ICJ | 15 judges, 9-year terms | The Hague |
| Secretariat | Secretary-General | New York |
Security Council Rules
| Rule | Provision |
|---|---|
| Non-permanent term | Two years; no immediate re-election (Article 23) |
| Voting | Nine votes incl. concurrence of permanent members (Article 27) |
| Enforcement | Chapter VII |
| Charter amendment | Two-thirds of GA + ratification by two-thirds incl. all P5 (Article 108) |
| India’s terms | 1950–51, 1967–68, 1972–73, 1977–78, 1984–85, 1991–92, 2011–12, 2021–22 |
Headquarters by City
| City | Bodies |
|---|---|
| Geneva | ILO, WHO, ITU, WIPO, WMO, UNHCR, UNCTAD, WTO |
| Rome | FAO, IFAD, WFP |
| Vienna | IAEA, UNIDO |
| Nairobi | UNEP, UN-Habitat |
| Paris | UNESCO, FATF |
| Washington, DC | IMF, World Bank |
| The Hague | ICJ, ICC |
| London / Montreal / Bern | IMO / ICAO / UPU |
| Manila / Beijing / Shanghai | ADB / AIIB / NDB |
| Gurugram / New Delhi | ISA / CDRI |
Where India Stands
| Member | Not a member / not a party |
|---|---|
| UN (original member), IMF, IBRD, IDA, IFC, MIGA, WTO, ADB, AIIB, NDB, FATF, Interpol | ICSID, Rome Statute (ICC), 1951 Refugee Convention, NPT |
High-yield facts
- ITU (1865) is the oldest UN specialised agency; ILO (1919) is older than the UN.
- SDR created by the IMF in 1969.
- WTO Appellate Body non-functional since December 2019.
- First all-women Formed Police Unit: India, Liberia, 2007.
- Reports: World Economic Outlook — IMF; World Development Report — World Bank; Human Development Report — UNDP; World Investment Report — UNCTAD; Emissions Gap Report — UNEP.
Traps
Do not confuse
- ICJ (States, UN organ) vs ICC (individuals, separate treaty).
- IAEA and WTO are not UN specialised agencies.
- UNESCO is in Paris; FAO is in Rome.
- The Global Gender Gap Report is by the World Economic Forum, not a UN body.
Related Topics
- The UN System and Global Economic Institutions
- International Institutions — practice questions
- Regional and Global Groupings
- International Environmental Conventions
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