List of International Organisations And Their Functions

International organizations play a crucial role in fostering global cooperation, peace, and sustainable development. With over 300 intergovernmental organizations worldwide, many have been instrumental in facilitating collaboration among states on key global issues such as climate change, human rights, international trade, terrorism, and economic growth.

In this article, we will provide a comprehensive list of international organizations, highlighting their significance, roles, and contributions to addressing pressing challenges.

List of Top International Organizations

International organizations are essential in addressing global challenges, fostering cooperation, and promoting development across countries. They work across various sectors such as health, education, finance, trade, and human rights, aiming to create a more interconnected and peaceful world.

Below we have given a list of international organizations highlights their key functions, and headquarters. From the United Nations to the World Trade Organization, each organization has a unique mandate that contributes to international peace, security, economic growth, and social well-being. Please have a look!

International Organisation	Function	Headquarters
United Nations	Promotes peace, security, and cooperation among countries	New York, USA
International Monetary Fund (IMF)	Promotes international monetary cooperation and financial stability	Washington, D.C., USA
World Health Organization	Coordinates international health efforts, sets standards for public health	Geneva, Switzerland
UNESCO	Promotes peace through education, science, culture, and communication	Paris, France
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)	Enhances regional cooperation and facilitates economic, political, and cultural integration	Jakarta, Indonesia
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)	Promotes policies to improve economic and social well-being	Paris, France
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)	Promotes regional cooperation and development in South Asia	Kathmandu, Nepal
World Bank	Provides financial assistance and advice for development projects	Washington, D.C., USA
World Trade Organization (WTO)	Oversees global trade rules and resolves trade disputes	Geneva, Switzerland
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)	Promotes safe use of nuclear energy and ensures non-proliferation	Vienna, Austria
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)	Promotes industrial development for poverty reduction	Vienna, Austria
Asian Development Bank (ADB)	Supports development and poverty reduction in Asia	Manila, Philippines
OPEC	Coordinates and unifies petroleum policies among oil-producing nations	Vienna, Austria
African Development Bank (AfDB)	Provides financial support and policy advice for African development	Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
UNICEF	Provides humanitarian aid and focuses on children’s rights	New York, USA
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)	Standardizes and coordinates global telecommunication policies	Geneva, Switzerland
International Labour Organization (ILO)	Promotes labor rights and social justice globally	Geneva, Switzerland
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)	Works on food security, nutrition, and agriculture	Rome, Italy
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)	Works to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to biodiversity	Gland, Switzerland
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)	Focuses on reproductive health and population development	New York, USA
Universal Postal Union (UPU)	Coordinates international postal services	Bern, Switzerland
International Maritime Organization (IMO)	Regulates shipping and maritime safety	London, UK
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)	Provides humanitarian aid and protection to victims of armed conflict	Geneva, Switzerland
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)	Enforces the ban on chemical weapons and promotes disarmament	The Hague, Netherlands
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)	Develops international standards for various industries	Geneva, Switzerland
Commonwealth of Nations	Promotes international cooperation and economic development	London, UK
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)	Focuses on global development and poverty reduction	New York, USA
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)	Focuses on rural poverty and agricultural development	Rome, Italy
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)	Sets international standards for aviation safety	Montreal, Canada
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)	Protects intellectual property globally	Geneva, Switzerland
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)	Provides global leadership on weather, climate, and water issues	Geneva, Switzerland
UN Women	Works on gender equality and women’s empowerment	New York, USA
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)	Promotes sustainable urbanization and human settlements	Nairobi, Kenya
UN Tourism (UNWTO)	Promotes sustainable tourism	Madrid, Spain
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)	Promotes political and economic cooperation among Muslim countries	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)	Promotes free trade and economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region	Singapore
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)	Promotes international business cooperation	Paris, France
New Development Bank (NDB)	Provides financial support for development projects	Shanghai, China
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)	Provides protection and aid for refugees and displaced people	Geneva, Switzerland
World Economic Forum (WEF)	Engages global leaders to address economic and social issues	Davos, Switzerland
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)	Works to conserve the environment and protect biodiversity	Gland, Switzerland
Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)	Enhances economic cooperation in the Indian Ocean region	Ebene, Mauritius
Amnesty International	Works to protect human rights worldwide	London, UK
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)	Promotes environmental sustainability globally	Nairobi, Kenya
International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO)	Oversees the operation of international satellite telecommunications	Washington, D.C., USA
International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO)	Regulates mobile satellite services	London, UK
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)	Coordinates the global response to HIV/AIDS	Geneva, Switzerland
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)	Focuses on drug control, crime prevention, and terrorism	Vienna, Austria
World Food Programme (WFP)	Provides food assistance in emergencies and promotes food security	Rome, Italy
International Organization for Migration (IOM)	Supports migrants and migration-related issues	Geneva, Switzerland
United Nations University (UNU)	Promotes global academic research and education on sustainable development	Tokyo, Japan

Let’s discuss the top 15 international organisations one by one, along with their functions, headquarters, and leaders.

1. United Nations Organization (UN)

As the first on our list of international organisations, the UN is the most popular intergovernmental institute responsible for the prevention of war and conflict in the world. The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose mission is to ensure international peace and security, promote cordial relations between nations, promote international cooperation, and serve as a central focus for coordinating national efforts.

It is the world’s largest, most well-known, most widely represented, and most powerful intergovernmental organization. The United Nations is headquartered in New York City, on international territory, with main offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna, and The Hague.

Headquarter	New York, US
Established on	24th October 1945
Secretary-General	Antonio Guterres

2. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Second, on our list of international organisations is UNICEF. UNICEF, or the United Nations Children’s Fund, is a United Nations organization that provides humanitarian and developmental aid to children around the world. With a presence in 192 countries and territories, the agency is one of the most well-known and well-known social welfare organisations in the world. Immunization and disease prevention are among UNICEF’s initiatives, as are HIV treatment for children and women, improving childhood and maternal nutrition, increasing sanitation, promoting education, and providing emergency relief in disasters.

Headquarter	New York, US
Established on	11th December 1946
Current Head	Henrietta H. Fore

3. World Health Organisation (WHO)

Next on our list of international organizations is WHO. The World Health Organization (WHO) is a United Nations specialized organization in charge of international public health. “The attainment by all peoples of the highest attainable degree of health,” declares the WHO Constitution, which sets the agency’s governance structure and ideals. It has six semi-autonomous regional offices and 150 field offices worldwide, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Headquarter	Geneva, Switzerland
Established on	7 April 1948
Current Head	Director-General – Tedros Adhanom

4. World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum (WEF), based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland, is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) created on January 24, 1971. “Committed to improving the status of the world by engaging commercial, governmental, intellectual, and other leaders of society to influence global, regional, and industry agendas,” reads the WEF’s mission statement.

Headquarter	Cologny, Switzerland
Established on	January 1971
Current Head	Klaus Schwab

5. International Monetary Fund (IMF)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is one of the most prominent international organization and thus on our list. It is a 190-country international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C. that works to promote global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world while relying on the World Bank for resources on a periodic basis.

Headquarter	Washington, D.C., United States
Established on	27 December 1945
Current Head	Chief Economist – Gita Gopinath

6. World Bank

Next on our list of international organizations is the World Bank. The World Bank is an international financial agency that lends and gives money to governments in low- and middle-income nations to fund capital projects. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA) are the two institutions that make up the organization (IDA). The World Bank Group consists of the World Bank and its subsidiaries.

Headquarter	Washington, D.C., United States
Established in	July 1944
Current Head	President of WV: David Malpass

7. World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a multilateral organization that regulates and supports international trade. It began operations on January 1, 1995, as a result of the 1994 Marrakesh Agreement, which replaced the 1948-established General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

With 164 member states representing over 96 per cent of global trade and GDP, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is the world’s largest international economic organization.

Headquarter	Geneva, Switzerland
Established in	1 January 1995
Current Head	Roberto Azevêdo

8. United Nations Education Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, French: Organization des Nations Unies pour l’éducation, la Science, et la Culture) is a United Nations (UN) specialized agency charged with the duty of promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, science, and culture. It consists of 193 member states, 11 associate members, and nongovernmental, intergovernmental, and corporate sector partners.

UNESCO is headquartered in Paris, France, and has 53 regional field offices and 199 national commissions to help it carry out its global mandate.

Headquarter	Paris, France
Established in	16 November 1945
Current Head	Audrey Azoulay

9. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)

South Asia’s major intergovernmental organization and the geopolitical union are the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are its members. As of 2019, the SAARC makes for 3% of the world’s land area, 21% of the world’s population, and 4.21 per cent (US$3.67 trillion) of the global economy.

Headquarter	Kathmandu, Nepal
Established in	8 December 1985, (in Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Current Head	Secretary-General – Esala Weerakoon

10. Association of South East Nations (ASEAN)

ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is an economic union in Southeast Asia made up of ten member states that promote intergovernmental cooperation and facilitate economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration among its members and other Asian countries.

The primary goal of ASEAN was to speed economic growth and, as a result, social and cultural development.

Headquarter	Jakarta, Indonesia
Established in	8 August 1967
Current Head	Lim Jock Hoi Mon

11. Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD)

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; French: Organization de Coopération et de Développement Économiques, OCDE) is a 38-member intergovernmental economic organization formed in 1961 to promote economic advancement and global trade. As one of the most prominent international organizations on our list, the OECD is responsible for trade and economic activities. It is a forum of countries that identify themselves as committed to democracy and the market economy. It serves as a forum for members to share policy experiences, seek solutions to shared challenges, identify best practices, and coordinate their domestic and international policies.

Headquarter	Paris, France
Established in	30 September 1961
Current Head	Angel Gurría

12. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is an international development bank dedicated to improving Asia’s economic and social conditions. Currently, the bank has 103 members and 21 prospective members from all around the world.

The bank began operations after the agreement went into effect on December 25, 2015, with ratifications from ten member states accounting for 50 per cent of the Authorized Capital Stock initial subscriptions.

Headquarter	Beijing, China
Established in	January 2016 (began operations)
Current Head	Jin Liqun

13. New Development Bank (BRICS Development Bank)

The New Development Bank (NDB), originally known as the BRICS Development Bank, is a global development bank founded by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). “The Bank shall support public or private initiatives through loans, guarantees, equity participation, and other financial instruments,” according to the NDB Agreement.

Headquarter	Shanghai, China
Established in	15 July 2014
Current Head	K. V. Kamath

14. Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Next on our list of international organizations is ADB. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank headquartered in the Ortigas Center in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. It was founded on December 19, 1966. In addition, the corporation operates 31 field offices around the world to promote Asia’s social and economic development.

Headquarter	Manila, Philippines
Established in	19 December 1966
Current Head	Masatsugu Asakawa

15. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

Last on our list of international organizations is the WWF. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization that seeks to preserve wilderness and reduce the human effects on the environment. It was created in 1961. The World Wildlife Fund was its last name, and it is still used in Canada and the United States.

With over five million supporters globally, WWF is the world’s largest conservation organization, working in over 100 countries and supporting around 3,000 conservation and environmental projects.

Headquarter	Gland, Switzerland
Established in	29 April 1961
Current Head	Carter Roberts

FAQs on International Organisations

This was all about the list of international organizations and their headquarters. Hope this was helpful. Good luck with your studies! If you want to get into your dream course in a high-ranked global university, you’ll need more than just good grades; you’ll also need flawless application because the competition is fierce. You may enlist the assistance of Leverage Edu specialists to assist you with the application process so that you can realize your goals. Call us immediately at 1800 57 2000 for a free 30-minute counselling session.