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International Organisations and Their Headquarters – List of Important International Organisations

By Balaji

Updated on: March 2nd, 2023

International Organizations and their headquarters are created to form the international agenda, mediating political bargaining, and strengthen political relationships. International organizations also provide a place for developmental initiatives, etc. and act as catalysts for the coalition formation of the member nations. Below mentioned is the complete list of International Organisations and their Headquarters, which must be studied carefully by aspirants of UPSC and other competitive exams.

Experts have also mentioned tips for remembering Important Organisations and their Headquarters, which are mentioned below. It is an important part of the General Studies syllabus of various competitive exams. Some examples of important International organisations headquarters are as follows:

  • The headquarters of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is located in Washington DC, USA.
  • The headquarters of the United Nations Organisation is situated in New York, United States.
  • World Trade Organisation (WTO) is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Check the complete list of international organisations and their headquarters below.

Table of content

(more)
  • 1. What are International Organizations? (more)
  • 2. International Organizations and Their Headquarters (more)
  • 3. International Organizations List of which India is a Member (more)
  • 4. Tricks to Remember World Organisations and Their Headquarters (more)
  • 5. Geneva Headquarters International Organisations (more)
  • 6. International Organizations UPSC (more)

What are International Organizations?

International organizations are institutions drawing membership from a minimum of three states. They have activities in several states, including members from more than one nation. There are very large international organizations as well as small organizations as well. Some of the organizations have specific purposes, such as the conservation of species, etc.

International Organizations and Their Headquarters PDF 2022

There are two types of international organizations: Governmental and non-governmental.

  • International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) are the associations of states established by treaty that aims to pursue the goals of the member states.
  • Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) operates independently of any government. They address social or political issues. NGOs don’t enter into treaties or other international agreements.

International Organizations and Their Headquarters

We have provided the list of International organizations and their headquarters below.

International Organizations and their Headquarters
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) New York, USA
UN Women New York, USA
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) New York, USA
United Nations Organisation New York, USA
United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) New York, USA
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Washington DC, United States
World Bank Group (WBG) Washington DC, United States
International Committee of the Red Cross Geneva, Switzerland
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Geneva, Switzerland
International Organization for Standardization Geneva, Switzerland
World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Geneva, Switzerland
World Trade Organisation Geneva, Switzerland
International Labour Organisation Geneva, Switzerland
UNAIDS Geneva, Switzerland
World Health Organisation (WHO) Geneva, Switzerland
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Vienna, Austria
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Vienna, Austria
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Paris, France
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Paris, France
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Vienna, Austria
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Queenstown, Singapore
Transparency International Berlin, Germany
International Renewable Energy Agency Abu Dhabi (UAE)
Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Rome, Italy
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Brussels, Belgium
Universal Postal Union Berne, Switzerland
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Jakarta, Indonesia
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) London, United Kingdom
Amnesty International London, United Kingdom
Commonwealth of Nations London, United Kingdom
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Kathmandu, Nepal
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry North Carolina
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons The Hague, The Netherlands
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Vienna, Austria
Organization of Islamic Cooperation Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation Ebene, Mauritius
Worldwide Fund for Nature Gland, Switzerland
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) New York, USA
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Gland, Switzerland
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Paris, France
United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) Turin, Italy
UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Geneva, Switzerland
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Montreal, Canada
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Nairobi, Kenya
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Geneva, Switzerland
International Olympic Committee Lausanne, Switzerland
World Economic Forum Cologny-Geneva, Switzerland
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Rome, Italy
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Madrid, Spain
United Nations University (UNU) Tokyo, Japan
UN-OHRLLS New York, USA
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Geneva, Switzerland
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Geneva, Switzerland
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Geneva, Switzerland
UN-Habitat Nairobi, Kenya
World Food Programme (WFP) Rome, Italy
International Court of Justice (ICJ) The Hague, Netherlands
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Geneva, Switzerland

International Organizations List of which India is a Member

The international organizations India maintains with other countries around the world highly contribute to the international organizations that the country is associated with. Below mentioned is the complete list of Important Organisations and their Headquarters to which India is a member.

International Organizations and Headquarters
FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, Itlay
IBRD – International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) Washington DC, US
ASEAN Regional Forum – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Jakarta, Indonesia
BIMSTEC – Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Dhaka, Bangladesh
BIS – Bank for International Settlements Basel, Switzerland
AG – Australia Group Brussels, Belgium
CERN – European Organization for Nuclear Research Geneva, Switzerland
AALCO – Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization New Delhi
ADB – Asian Development Bank Manila, Philippines
AfDB – African Development Bank (non-regional members) Tunis, Tunisia
CP – Colombo Plan Colombo, Srilanka
EAS – East Asia Summit Colombo, Sri Lanka
BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa Shanghai, China
CoN – Commonwealth of Nations London, UK
ICAO – International Civil Aviation Organization Montreal, Canada
ICC – International Chamber of Commerce Paris, France
IDA – International Development Association Washington DC
G-15 – Group of 15 Geneva, Switzerland
G-20 – Group of 20 Cancun, Mexico
G-77 – Group of 77 New York
IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna, Austria
IEA – International Energy Agency Paris, France
IFAD – International Fund for Agricultural Development Rome, Italy
IFC – International Finance Corporation Washington DC, US
ILO – International Labour Organization Geneva, Switzerland
IMF – International Monetary Fund Washington DC, US
UNAIDS – United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS New York
UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation London, Uk
ITUC – International Trade Union Confederation (the successor to ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) and the WCL (World Confederation of Labour)) Brussels, Belgium
MTCR Missile Technology Control Regime Japan
SCO – Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (member) Beijing, China
UN – United Nations New York
IMO – International Maritime Organization London, UK
IMSO – International Mobile Satellite Organization London, UK
Interpol – International Criminal Police Organization Lyon, France
PIF – Pacific Islands Forum (partner) Suva, Fiji
SAARC – South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Kathmandu, Nepal
SACEP – South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme Colombo, Sri Lanka
IPEEC – International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation Paris, France
IOC – International Olympic Committee Lausanne, Switzerland
NAM – Non-Aligned Movement Jakarta, Indonesia
OPCW – Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Hague, Netherland
PCA – Permanent Court of Arbitration Hague, Netherland
ISO – International Organization for Standardization Geneva, Switzerland
ITSO – International Telecommunications Satellite Organization Washington DC
ITU – International Telecommunication Union Geneva, Switzerland
WHO- World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland

Tricks to Remember World Organisations and Their Headquarters

World organizations and their headquarters are important GS topics. It holds relevance in the UPSC Exam. To make things easier for the candidates, we have provided tricks to remember the international organization and their headquarters below.

  • The international institutions starting with World and ending with Organization are headquartered in Geneva, for example – WHO and WMP. WIPO.
  • International organizations related to petroleum, industrial development, and atomic research have their headquarters in Vienna, such as UNIDO, OPEC, and International Atomic Energy Agency.
  • The international institutions related to money are headquartered in Washington DC- World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
  • World organizations related to economy and education are headquartered in Paris, e.g. ICOMOS, UNESCO, and OECD.

Geneva Headquarters International Organisations

The following International Organizations List have headquarters in Geneva. We have compiled a separate list of International Organizations and Headquarters in Geneva for better comprehension and revision.

World Organisations and Their Headquarters
International Committee of the Red Cross Geneva, Switzerland
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Geneva, Switzerland
International Organization for Standardization Geneva, Switzerland
World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Geneva, Switzerland
World Trade Organisation Geneva, Switzerland
International Labour Organisation Geneva, Switzerland
UNAIDS Geneva, Switzerland
World Health Organisation (WHO) Geneva, Switzerland
UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Geneva, Switzerland
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Geneva, Switzerland
World Economic Forum Cologny-Geneva, Switzerland
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Geneva, Switzerland
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Geneva, Switzerland
CERN – European Organization for Nuclear Research Geneva, Switzerland
G-15 – Group of 15 Geneva, Switzerland

International Organizations UPSC

The International organizations and their headquarters find their relevance in the UPSC Syllabus, which is a crucial topic from the GK point of view. So candidates need to have in-depth knowledge on this topic for both UPSC Prelims and Mains exams. Additionally, they can also go through the previous year papers and mock tests to have an idea of the type of questions asked about International organisations in the exam. Try to answer the following questions important for the UPSC and other competitive exams:

Other Important UPSC Notes
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Women Empowerment Representation of Peoples Act 1951
Brahmo Samaj Battle of Plassey 1757
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