Gnwmythr's Glossary: The United Nations

The United Nations is a global body, founded on the lessons and failures of the earlier League of Nations (which was unable to prevent World War (part) Two), and now widely known - and criticised (see here, here, here, and here, and my thoughts are the end of this post) - for its political engagement between nations, peacekeeping, and human rights missions.

Less well-known but equally - if not more - important are its aid and international coordination roles.

It’s main bodies are:

the General Assembly, where the public political engagement takes place;
the Security Council, which is where visible primary peacekeeping efforts take place;
the Economic and Social Council, where is where much of the crucial international coordination efforts occur - see below;
the now suspended Trusteeship Council;
the International Court of Justice, which is a continuation of a predecessor League of Nations body (see links below); and
the Secretariat, which performs the UN’s day to day functions.

The UN “system” includes:

funds and programmes:

the United Nations Development Programme which plays a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals;
the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat) promotes socially and environmentally sustainable and human settlements;
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the voice for the environment within the UN, and promotes international cooperation on environmental issues, provides guidance to UN organizations, and, through its scientific advisory groups, encourages the international scientific community to participate in formulating policy (UNEP was co-founder, with the WMO [links below] of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC]);
the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfil their potential;
the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) aims for a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled; and
the Nobel Peace Prize winning (in 2020) World Food Programme, the world’s largest humanitarian agency, aims to eradicate hunger and malnutrition and is currently helping almost 100 million people in around 88 countries with food or cash distributions and more;

specialised agencies:

the Food and Agriculture Organisation, which leads international efforts to fight hunger;
the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalisation and environmental sustainability;
“the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) develops standards for global air transport and assists its 192 Member States in sharing the world’s skies to their socio-economic benefit”;
“the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism” (see also here);
“the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), since it was created in 1977, has focused exclusively on rural poverty reduction, working with poor rural populations in developing countries to eliminate poverty, hunger and malnutrition; raise their productivity and incomes; and improve the quality of their lives” (see also here);
“the Universal Postal Union (UPU) is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players. It helps to ensure a truly universal network of up-to-date products and services” (see also here);
“the International Labour Organisation (ILO) promotes international labour rights by formulating international standards on the freedom to associate, collective bargaining, the abolition of forced labour, and equality of opportunity and treatment” (see also here and here);
“the World Health Organisation (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations system. The objective of WHO is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health, as defined in the WHO Constitution, is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (see also here and here);
“the International Monetary Fund (IMF) fosters economic growth and employment by providing temporary financial assistance to countries to help ease balance of payments adjustment and technical assistance. The IMF currently has $28 billion in outstanding loans to 74 nations” (see also here, here, and here, and also here);
“the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) protects intellectual property throughout the world through 23 international treaties” (see also here, here, here, and here);
“the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has created a comprehensive shipping regulatory framework, addressing safety and environmental concerns, legal matters, technical cooperation, security, and efficiency.” (see also here);
“the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) facilitates the free international exchange of meteorological data and information and the furtherance of its use in aviation, shipping, security, and agriculture, among other things” (see also here);
the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies, committed to connecting all the world's people – wherever they live and whatever their means;
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation focuses on everything from teacher training to helping improve education worldwide to protecting important historical and cultural sites around the world (and contributed to the formulation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights);
“The World Bank focuses on poverty reduction and the improvement of living standards worldwide by providing low-interest loans, interest-free credit, and grants to developing countries for education, health, infrastructure, and communications.” See also here and here. On the other hand, see also here and here.
It’s agencies and parts include:
    International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD),
    International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID),
    International Development Association (IDA),
    International Finance Corporation (IFC), and
    Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA);

other entities and bodies:

the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) unites the efforts of 11 UN organisations and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals;
“the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Near East has contributed to the welfare and human development of four generations of Palestine refugees. It’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance, including in times of armed conflict. It reports only to the UN General Assembly”;
“the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) protects refugees worldwide and facilitates their return home or resettlement”;
“the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) is the learning organisation of the United Nations system. It designs and delivers learning programmes for staff of the UN system and its partners. It helps the United Nations become more effective by fostering a common leadership and management culture across the system” (see also here);
“the United Nations University (UNU) was established by the UN General Assembly with the mandate to conduct “research into the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare.” Today, the University comprises 14 research and training institutes in 12 countries. As the think tank of the UN system, UNU provides policymakers with high-quality, evidence-based research and pragmatic advice” (see also here, and here);
“the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) is a voluntarily funded autonomous institute within the United Nations. An impartial actor, the Institute generates ideas and promotes action on disarmament and security. UNIDIR brings together states, international organizations, civil society, the private sector and academia to work together—internationally, regionally and locally—to build and implement creative solutions that will benefit all states and peoples” (see also here);
the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is an autonomous UN body established in 1963 to enhance the effectiveness of the UN through diplomatic training, and to increase the impact of national actions through public awareness-raising, education and training of public policy officials;
“UN Women merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system, which focus exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment”;
mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) provides infrastructure, procurement and project management services to helps the UN, governments and other partners to manage projects, and deliver sustainable infrastructure and procurement (down to the level of uniforms, for instance) in an efficient way across more than 100 countries in areas including: establishment of independent and professional judiciary and prosecution services; construction of prisons suitable for post-conflict, disaster-stricken or developing environments; humanitarian mine action and the removal of unexploded ordnance; disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration of ex-combatants; return and reintegration of internally displaced people; and national capacity development and advisory services. ;

related organisations:

the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation promotes the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (which - surprisingly - is not yet in force [but, on the other hand, see here, here, here, here, and here] ) and the build-up of an operational verification regime;
“the UNFCCC Secretariat (UN Climate Change) was established in 1992 when countries adopted the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). With the subsequent adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and the Paris Agreement in 2015, Parties to these three agreements have progressively reaffirmed the Secretariat’s role as the United Nations entity tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change”;
the International Atomic Energy Agency, the world's centre for cooperation in the nuclear field, works worldwide to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies;
“the International Organisation for Migration works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people”;
“the World Trade Organisation is a forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements, and a place where member governments try to sort out the trade problems they face with each other” - see here for an overview of criticism of the WTO;
“the International Trade Centre (ITC) is the only development agency that is fully dedicated to supporting the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Established in 1964, the ITC is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations”;
the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force in 1997;