My Science School

Have you heard of an organisation called the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)? This organisation is responsible for drug control and actions against drug abuse. It was established in 1997 by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program and Crime Prevention, and the Criminal Justice Division.

UNODC is concerned with the problem of drugs, crime prevention, and criminal justice, apart from this, it deals with international terrorism, and political corruption. UNODC tries to deal with these threats to the society primarily through research and guidance.

After extensive research, UNODC adopts and implements various policies on terrorism, crime, corruption and drug abuse.

 

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The name of the organisation suggests that the United Nations Development Programme deals with the development of countries around the world. UNDP connects countries and provides them with resources for development. These resources can be anything from advice to training and grants.

Out of all the member states, UNDP considers the least developed countries the most. It was established in 1965 and now operates in 177 countries. It works in collaboration with the government to face the challenges to development.

The funding of the UNDP comes from voluntary contributions by the member states. Poverty reduction, energy and environment, HIV/AIDS, social development, democratic governance, and crisis prevention and recovery are the main foci of the UNDP.

 

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The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was established in 1969. It is the UN’s reproductive health agency. Put in simple terms, the UNFPA works to ensure the health of pregnant women, especially the ones who face life-threatening complications.

The UNFPA also works to raise awareness about health, gender equality, and the eights of women and young people. Like many other UN programmes, UNFPA works in partnership with governments, communities, NGOs and other private foundations.

It works to stop child marriage, improve effective birth control, and ensure safe child-births around the world.

It also works to stop gender-based violence, especially against women. UNFPA offers its services to 150 countries around the world.

 

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Let’s now look at some of the WFP’s landmark achievements during times of crisis. A major part of the work of the WFP is connected with conflict affected areas.

Northern Iran was one of the first regions to receive aid from the World Food Programme. In September 1962, an earthquake struck the area of Boein Zahra. WFP sent 1,500 metric tons of wheat, 270 tons of sugar and 27 tons of tea to feed the survivors of the disaster.

Later, the WFP offered help to a typhoon-struck Thailand and war refugees of Algeria at the times of its independence. WFP is specially noted for its work during the long famine that affected several parts of Africa including Ethiopia, western Sahel and Sudan. The organisation used anything it could get hold of, from cars to camels to deliver food.

In 1989, WFP launched Operation Lifeline Sudan. Since then, WFP dropped 1.5 million tons of food from the skies above South Sudan to feed the hungry Sudanese.

 

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Be it any day of the year, the World Food Programme (WFP) has 5,600 trucks, 20 ships and 92 planes on the move, delivering food to the hungry around the world.

All of its work is devoted to people who cannot find food for themselves and their families. This organisation feeds around 86.7 million people in around 83 countries every year and is undoubtedly the world’s largest humanitarian programme that addresses hunger.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is an international community that is committed to end hunger, and achieve food security and improved nutrition. WFP was established in 1961 as an experimental food aid programme of the UN.

The experiment proved successful. Two-thirds of the work of the WFP today is in conflict-affected countries. It strives to eliminate the need for food aid in the coming years.

 

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Our ecosystem is weak due to prolonged mismanagement by human beings. We are in great danger and if not treated with care, the Earth would become uninhabitable soon.

A lot of people are involved in the conservation efforts that aim to preserve what we have and restore the balance of Mother Nature. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is a global environmental organisation that works with the same motive.

The UNEP serves as the advocate for the global environment and deals with setting agendas and policies that would lead to the conservation of the environment and sustainable development.

Apart from this, the UNEP also assists developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices.

 

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The fact that no cure exists for AIDS makes it a dreadful disease. The available medicines can only slow down the rate of the spread of infection. Moreover, the stigma associated with the disease makes the lives of the HIV affected harder.

The United Nations has taken this pandemic into consideration and has established the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

The UNAIDS mission was conceived to prevent the transmission of HIV, and provide care and support for those already living with the virus. It also works to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV, and to alleviate the impact of the epidemic.

This programme involves interaction with people living with HIV. The programme was launched officially in 1996 and works in cooperation with many sectors from the government and civil society.

 

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In 1950, almost one-third of the world’s population lived in cities. Within 50 years, our towns and cities grew at a fast rate and became the hub of economic and social progress. These cities offered many opportunities and the number of city dwellers rose to include almost 50 per cent of the world’s population which created problems of space and habitat for all.

Slums began to develop in the cities. In addition to this, pollution and diseases began to spread. It also created problems of clean water, sanitation and shelter. This is where the work of the UN-Habitat comes in.

The goal of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is sustainable urbanisation. Established in 1978, it was the outcome of Habitat I, the first UN Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development.

The UN-Habitat promotes socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. It largely looks at the urban poor and works to provide adequate shelter for all.

 

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The Annual Report to the United Nations General Assembly in 1969 had a proposal that was not previously thought of. The proposal was put forward by U Thant who then served as the UN Secretary-General. He suggested the opening of a United Nations University that would stay true to the nature of the UN- peace and progress.

After round of study about the feasibility of such an institution, it was finally opened in 1975 in Tokyo. The United Nations University works as the academic and research wing of the United Nations.

The university conducts research in areas like world hunger, natural resources, and human and social development. It also conducts a lot of studies about environment, climate and energy.

The United Nations University is not just a research facility. It started offering masters and doctoral programmes since 2010. It is now a global think tank and postgraduate teaching organisation that works for the development and welfare of humanity.

 

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Millions of Europeans either lost their homes or fled from their homeland after the Second World War. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was created in 1950 to help these homeless refugees. The UNHCR is still at work today protecting refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people.

The UNHCR worked relentlessly for the refugees in Hungary, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia. Currently, this organisation works in a total of 134 countries to safeguard the rights and well-being of people who have been forced out of their homelands. Apart from finding permanent solutions, its work also ensures that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another country.

 

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The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) was set up in 1966 to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID). Currently, the UNIDO has 170 member states and the industrial development policies in these countries adhere to the norms of the organisation.

The UNIDO strives to make sure that industrial development in its member states follows the model of sustainable development without causing much burden to the environment. The UNIDO comes under the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

The focus of the works of the UNIDO is as follows:

• Creating shared prosperity


• Advancing economic competitiveness


• Safeguarding the environment


• Strengthening knowledge and institutions

 

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Earlier, if two countries had to exchange mail, they had to come to an agreement with each other known as the postal treaty. This created huge problems as a country had to get into a lot of agreements to make mail services possible.

If there was no treaty between two countries for the direct delivery of mails, senders sometimes resorted to mail forwarders who would transfer the mail through an intermediate country.

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) was established to coordinate postal policies among member nations. The Universal Postal Union was set up by the Treaty of Bern of 1874. Earlier, it was known as the General Postal Union. By joining the Universal Postal Union, each member agrees to the same terms for conducting international postal duties.

 

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People around the world like to travel and explore new lands. Travelling provides lessons in life that no textbooks can offer. While tourism can contribute significantly to the growth of a nation’s economy, it can also damage the environment. Here’s where the work of the World Tourism Organisation comes in.

It focuses on the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) sees tourism as a major factor of economic growth. Therefore, it offers leadership and support to the tourism sector in advancing knowledge. It also makes tourism policies worldwide that would improve the contribution of tourism to the socio-economic development.

 

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Millions of people around the world go to bed hungry, without having even one proper meal a day. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) works to defeat hunger. There are poor people in both rich and poor countries.

So, this organisation remains neutral and considers all countries-developed and developing-alike. This is in stark contrast with other policies of the UN like the rules about membership contribution.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) works to modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices in order to ensure good nutrition and food security for all.

Besides, the organisation works to produce up-to-date information about poverty, hunger and challenges to nutrition.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation also works to adopt strategies that would help in producing a higher yield. It also makes sure that nature is not distributed in this process.

 

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More than half of the world population is workers. The International Labour Organisation (ILO)works for everything that is related to labour and conditions of labour.

The ILO was established to provide better working conditions and improve living standards. It works for social justice by promoting decent work environment by setting up international standards of labour.

The ILO was established in 1919 and is concerned with the freedom of trade unions, unemployment, equal wages, and abolishing forced labour and child labour. The International Labour Orgnaisation won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969 for providing justice for workers and providing technical assistance to poor nations.

 

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