List of International Organisations and Headquarters [PDF]

In today’s interconnected world, international organisations play a pivotal role in shaping the global agenda, fostering stronger political ties, and facilitating the implementation of crucial development programs. These multilateral institutions have been established through extensive negotiations, with the primary objective of defining global goals, enacting international laws, and formulating policies that address the needs of diverse nations. By providing a platform for member states to discuss, negotiate, and ultimately reach consensus on pressing issues, these organisations have become indispensable in resolving conflicts and addressing challenges that transcend national borders.

Understanding the Typology of International Organisations

International organisations can be broadly categorised into three distinct types: Intergovernmental Organisations, International Non-Governmental Organisations, and Multinational Enterprises. Intergovernmental Organisations, such as the United Nations, are established by governments and serve as forums for member states to collaborate on a wide range of issues. International Non-Governmental Organisations, like Amnesty International, operate independently of governments and focus on specific areas of concern, often advocating for social, economic, or environmental causes. Multinational Enterprises, on the other hand, are private-sector entities that engage in cross-border economic activities, shaping global trade and investment patterns.

The Significance of International Organisations for UPSC Aspirants

The headquarters of various international organisations and their respective years of establishment are a crucial topic for UPSC aspirants. This knowledge holds immense significance, as it forms a substantial part of the International Relations section in the General Studies Paper-2 Syllabus. Additionally, questions related to international organisations and their headquarters are frequently asked in both the UPSC Preliminary and Mains examinations, underscoring the importance of this subject matter for successful IAS preparation.

Headquarters of Major International Organisations

To provide a comprehensive understanding, we have compiled a detailed list of prominent international organisations and their respective headquarters:

United Nations (UN) and its Specialised Agencies

• United Nations (UN) – Headquarters: New York, United States of America (1945)
• United Nations Security Council – Headquarters: New York, United States of America (1945)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – Headquarters: Paris, France (1945)
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Headquarters: New York, United States of America (1965)
• United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) – Headquarters: New York, United States of America (1946)
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) – Headquarters: New York, United States of America (1969)
• United Nations World Tourism Organization – Headquarters: Madrid, Spain (1974)
• United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) – Headquarters: Turin, Italy (1968)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization – Headquarters: Vienna, Austria (1966)
• UN Women – Headquarters: New York, United States of America (2010)
• UN Habitat – Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya (1978)

Economic and Financial Organisations

• International Monetary Fund (IMF) – Headquarters: Washington D.C., United States of America (1944)
• World Bank Group (IBRD, IDA, IFC) – Headquarters: Washington D.C., United States of America (1944)
• Bank for International Settlements (BIS) – Headquarters: Basel, Switzerland (1930)
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – Headquarters: Paris, France (1961)
• Asian Development Bank (ADB) – Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines (1966)
• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) – Headquarters: Beijing, China (2016)
• New Development Bank (NDB) – Headquarters: Shanghai, China (2015)

Trade and Commerce Organisations

• World Trade Organization (WTO) – Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland (1995)
• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) – Headquarters: Paris, France (1919)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO) – Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland (1947)

Specialised Agencies

• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – Headquarters: Rome, Italy (1945)
• International Labour Organization (ILO) – Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland (1919)
• World Health Organization (WHO) – Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland (1948)
• International Maritime Organization (IMO) – Headquarters: London, United Kingdom (1948)
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) – Headquarters: Montreal, Canada (1947)
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland (1865)
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) – Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland (1967)

Regional Organisations

• European Union (EU) – Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium (1993)
• African Union (AU) – Headquarters: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2002)
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Headquarters: Jakarta, Indonesia (1967)
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) – Headquarters: Kathmandu, Nepal (1985)
• Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Headquarters: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (1981)
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – Headquarters: Beijing, China (2001)
• Commonwealth of Nations – Headquarters: London, United Kingdom (1931)

Specialised Organisations

• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – Headquarters: Vienna, Austria (1957)
• International Criminal Court (ICC) – Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands (2002)
• International Court of Justice (ICJ) – Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands (1945)
• International Organization for Migration (IOM) – Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland (1951)
• Interpol – Headquarters: Lyon, France (1923)
• International Olympic Committee (IOC) – Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland (1894)

Environmental and Energy Organisations

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya (1972)
• International Energy Agency (IEA) – Headquarters: Paris, France (1974)
• International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) – Headquarters: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (2009)
• International Seabed Authority – Headquarters: Kingston, Jamaica (1994)

Security and Defence Organisations

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium (1949)
• Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) – Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands (1997)
• Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) – Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan (1987)

India’s Membership in International Organisations

As a prominent member of the global community, India is part of numerous international organisations, each providing financial assistance and supporting the country’s development initiatives. Some of the key international organisations that India is a member of include:

• Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• African Development Bank (AfDB)
• BRICS
• Commonwealth of Nations
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
• International Development Association (IDA)
• International Finance Corporation (IFC)
• International Labour Organization (ILO)
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
• United Nations (UN)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)

Mnemonics and Tricks to Remember Headquarters

To help you easily recall the headquarters of various international organisations, we have devised some helpful mnemonics and tricks:

Organisations with Headquarters in London

Remember the mnemonic “I Am a Common man in London”:

• I – International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• Am – Amnesty International
• Common – Commonwealth of Nations
• Common – Commonwealth Telecommunication Organization

Organisations with Headquarters in New York

Remember the phrase “UN Child Emergency in New York”:

• UN – United Nations Organization
• Child – United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
• Emergency – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Organisations with Headquarters in Vienna, Austria

Organisations involved in “industrial development,” “petroleum,” or “atomic” matters often have their headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

• United Nations Industrial Development Organization
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

UN Organizations

Organizations Name	Abbreviation	Headquarters	Formation
United Nations	UN	New York City, USA	1945
Food and Agriculture Organization	FAO	Palazzo FAO, Rome, Italy	1945
International Labour Organization	ILO	Geneva, Switzerland	1919
International Civil Aviation Organization	ICAO	Montreal, Quebec, Canada	1947
International Maritime Organization	IMO	London, United Kingdom	1959
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees	UNHCR	Geneva, Switzerland	1950
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS	UNAIDS	Geneva, Switzerland	1996
United Nations Atomic Energy Commission	UNAEC	New York City, USA	1946
United Nations Capital Development Fund	UNCDF	New York City, USA
United Nations Children’s Fund	UNICEF	New York City, USA	1946
United Nations Development Programme	UNDP	New York City, USA	1965
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization	UNESCO	Paris, France	1946
United Nations Environment Programme	UNEP	Nairobi, Kenya	1972
United Nations Human Settlements Programme	UN-Habitat	Nairobi, Kenya	1978
United Nations Industrial Development Organization	UNIDO	Vienna, Austria	1985
United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction	UNISDR	Geneva, Switzerland	2000
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime	UNODC	Vienna, Austria	1997
Universal Postal Union	UPU	Bern, Switzerland	1874
World Health Organization	WHO	Geneva, Switzerland	1948
World Intellectual Property Organization	WIPO	Geneva, Switzerland	1967
World Food Programme	WFP	Rome, Italy	1961
World Meteorological Organization	WMO	Geneva, Switzerland	1950
World Tourism Organization	UNWTO	Madrid, Spain	1957
International Rescue Committee	IRC	New York City, United States	1933
International Atomic Energy Agency	IAEA	Vienna, Austria	1957
International Telecommunication Union	ITU	Geneva, Switzerland	1947
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights	OHCHR	Geneva, Switzerland	1993

Political and Economic Organizations

Organizations Name	Abbreviation	Headquarters	Formation
European Union	EU	Brussels	1958
African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States	ACP	Brussels – Belgium	1975
African Union	AU	Addis Ababa, Johannesburg	2001y
Andean Community	CAN	Lima, Peru.	1969
Arab League(League of Arab States)	–	Cairo	1905y
Arab Maghreb Union	AMU	Rabat, Morocco	1956
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation	APEC	Singapore	1905y
Association of Southeast Asian Nations	ASEAN	Jakarta, Indonesia	1967
Caribbean Community	CARICOM	Georgetown, Guyana.	1973
Central American Parliament	PARLACEN	Guatemala City	1980
Common Market of East and Southern Africa	COMESA	Lusaka, Zambia	1994
Commonwealth of Nations   (British Commonwealth)	–	London, United Kingdom	1926
Commonwealth of Independent States (Russian Commonwealth)	CIS	Moscow, Russian	1991
Council of Europe	CoE	Strasbourg, France	1949
East African Community	EAC	Arusha	1967
Economic Community of West African States	ECOWAS	Abuja, Nigeria	1975
European Free Trade Association	EFTA	Geneva, Switzerland	1960
Gulf Cooperation Council	GCC	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	1981
Indian Ocean Commission	IOC	Port Louis, Mauritius	1982
Non-Aligned Movement	NAM	New York City, USA	1961
Nordic Council	–	Copenhagen, Denmark	1952
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development	OECD	Paris, France	1948
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe	OSCE	Vienna, Austria	1973
Organization of American States	OAS	Washington, D.C.	1948
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States	OECS	Castries, Saint Lucia	1981
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation	OIC	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia	1969
Secretariat of the Pacific Community	SPC	Nouméa	1947
Pacific Islands Forum	–	Suva, Fiji	1971
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation	SAARC	Kathmandu, Nepal	1985
Southern African Development Community	SADC	Gaborone, Botswana	1992
Union of South American Nations	USAN	Quito, Ecuador	2004
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization	UNPO	The Hague, Netherlands	1991
World Trade Organization	WTO	Geneva, Switzerland	1995
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific	ESCAP	Bangkok, Thailand	1947

Military Organizations

Organizations Name	Abbreviation	Headquarters	Formation
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation	NATO	Brussels, Belgium	1949
European Security and Defence Policy	ESDP	Paris
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation	SCO	Beijing, China	1996
Collective Security Treaty Organization	CSTO	Moscow, Russia	1992
Peace and Security Council	PSC	Addis Ababa

Financial Organizations

Organizations Name	Abbreviation	Headquarters	Formation
World Bank	–	Washington D.C., United States	1944
African Development Bank	AfDB	Abidjan, Ivory Coast(statutory) & Tunis, Tunisia (temporary)	1963
Asian Development Bank	ADB	Metro Manila, Philippines	1966
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development	EBRD	London	1991
Inter-American Development Bank	IDB	Washington, D.C.	1959
International Monetary Fund	IMF	Washington, D.C	1945
Islamic Development Bank	IDB	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia	1973
International Monetary Fund	IMF	Washington, D.C., United States	1945
International Fund for Agricultural Development	IFAD	Rome, Italy	1977
Bank for International Settlements	BIS	Basel, Switzerland	1930
Black Sea Trade and Development Bank	BSTDB	Thessaloniki, Greece	1997
Caribbean Development Bank	CDB	Bridgetown, Barbados	1969
Nordic Development Fund	NDF	Helsinki, Finland.	1989
Nordic Investment Bank	NIB	Helsinki, Finland.	1970
European Central Bank	ECB	Frankfurt, Germany	1998

Sports Federations

Organizations Name	Abbreviation	Headquarters	Formation
Asian Football Confederation	AFC	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1954
Confederation of African Football	CAF	6th of October City, Egypt.	1957
Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football	CONCACAF	Miami, Florida, U.S.	1961
South American Football Confederation	CONMEBOL	Luque, Paraguay	1916
Oceania Football Confederation	OFC	Auckland, New Zealand	1966
Union of European Football Associations	UEFA	Nyon, Switzerland	1954
World Chess Federation(Fédération Internationale des Échecs )	FIDE	Athens, Greece	1924
International Federation of Association Football(Fédération Internationale de Football Association)	FIFA	Zürich, Switzerland	1904
International Cricket Council	ICC	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	1909
International Olympic Committee	IOC	Lausanne, Switzerland	1894
International Paralympic Committee	IPC	Bonn, Germany	1989
World Rugby(International Rugby Football Board)	IRFB	Dublin,Ireland	1886
Commonwealth Games Federation	CGF	London, United Kingdom	1930
International Tennis Federation	ITF	London,  UK	1913
Badminton World Federation	BWF	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1934
International Hockey Federation	FIH	Lausanne, Switzerland	1924

Financial Organizations :

Organizations Name	Abbreviation	Headquarters	Formation
European Space Agency	ESA	Paris,France	1975
Indian Space Research Organisation	ISRO	Bangalore, India	1969
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	NASA	Washington, D.C. , USA	1958
United Kingdom Space Agency	UKSA	Swindon, Wiltshire	2010
China National Space Administration	CNSA	Beijing, China	1993
Russian Federal Space Agency	Roscosmos	Moscow, Russia	1992
French Space Agency	CNES	Paris, France	1961
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency	JAXA	Tokyo, Japan	2003
German Aerospace Center	DLR	Cologne	1969
Italian Space Agency	ASI	Rome, Italy	1988

Other Important Organization :

Organizations Name	Abbreviation	Headquarters	Formation
Colombo Plan	–	Colombo, Sri Lanka	1950
Antarctic Treaty System	ATS	Washington, D.C., USA	1959
Intergovernmental Authority on Development	IGAD	Djibouti City	1986
International Committee of the Red Cross	ICRC	Geneva, Switzerland	1863
International Court of Justice	ICJ	The Hague, Netherlands	1945
International Criminal Court	ICC	The Hague, Netherlands	1998
International Criminal Police Organization	INTERPOL	Lyon, France	1923
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies	IFRC	Geneva, Switzerland	1919
International Organization for Migration	IOM	Geneva, Switzerland	1951
International Centre for Migration Policy Development	ICMPD	Vienna, Austria	1993
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons	OPCW	The Hague, Netherlands	1997
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries	OPEC	Vienna, Austria	1960
World Toilet Organization	WTO	Singapore	2001

Conclusion

The headquarters of international organisations and the year of their establishment are crucial knowledge for UPSC aspirants. By understanding the typology of these organisations, their roles, and the strategic locations of their headquarters, candidates can enhance their preparation for the UPSC examination, particularly the International Relations section. This comprehensive guide provides a valuable resource for navigating the complex global landscape of international organisations and strengthening your IAS preparation journey.