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
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1. What are International Organizations?
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2. International Organizations and Their Headquarters
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3. International Organizations List of which India is a Member
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4. Tricks to Remember World Organisations and Their Headquarters
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5. Geneva Headquarters International Organisations
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6. International Organizations UPSC
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:
- Where is the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee?
- The Headquarters of the BRICS Bank is located in?
- Where is the headquarters of SAARC Located?
