The Special Organs of the United Nations
The
special organs of the United Nations are used by the General
Assembly
and
report to it (either directly, or via the Economic
and Social Council).
They
are bound by the instructions of the General Assembly and possess no budget
sovereignty or individual international responsibility in contrast to the
specialist institutions.
However,
this does not mean that they would not act as independent organisations.
Despite
their formal links to the General Assembly, they act wholly autonomously in
front of players outside of the United Nations, which is why they are sometimes
referred to as quasi-autonomous institutions. They retain a differentiated
internal structure and have their own political steering agencies, which reduces
the (formal) difference to the specialist institutions with regard to work and
perception by other players.
Gareis
and Varwick conclude the following with regard to their origins: "The
origins of most of the special organs have their roots in the phase of
decolonialisation, during which the nations of the 'Third World' gained a
majority in the General Assembly, with the Assembly subsequently mainly
concerning itself with the economic and social problems of the developing
countries (...) [see
Basic Course 2: The United nations During the Cold War].
The
considerably large number of organs set up during the first four decades of the
UN's history is an expression of the anger of the developing countries at the
world economic order, which favoured the industrial nations one-sidedly, and was
seen by them to be unjust. Although they succeeded in making the North-South
Conflict a fixed point on the United Nations agenda in this manner, it failed to
lead to the conflict... being solved."
[taken from: Sven Gareis/Johannes
Varwick, Die Vereinten Nationen. Aufgaben, Instrumente und Reformen;
Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung Schriftenreihe Band 403, Bonn 2003, P.
60-61]
Special
Organs |
|
reporting directly
to the General Assembly: |
|
UNRWA |
United Nations Relief
and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East |
Internet |
|
UNITAR |
United Nations
Institute for Training and Research |
Internet |
|
reporting directly
to the General Assembly via the Economic and Social Council: |
|
UNICEF |
United Nations
Children´s Fund |
Internet |
|
UNHCR |
United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees |
Internet |
|
WFP |
World Food Programme |
Internet |
|
UNCTAD |
United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development |
Internet |
|
UNDP |
United Nations
Development Programme |
Internet |
|
UNFPA |
United Nations
Population Fund |
Internet |
|
UNV |
United Nations
Volunteers Programme |
Internet |
|
UNU |
United Nations
University |
Internet |
|
UNEP |
United Nations
Environment Programme |
Internet |
|
WFC |
World Food Council |
|
|
UNCHS |
United Nations Centre
for Human Settlements |
Internet |
|
INSTRAW |
International Research
and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women |
Internet |
|
UNHCHR |
United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights |
Internet |
Regional
Commissions |
|
ECE |
Economic Commission for
Europe |
Internet |
|
ESCAP |
Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific |
Internet |
|
ECLAC |
Economic Commission for
Latin America and the Caribbean |
Internet |
|
ECA |
Economic Commission for
Africa |
Internet |
|
ESCWA |
Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia |
Internet |
Human
Rights Committees |
|
CERD |
Committee on the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination |
Internet |
|
CCPR / HRC |
Human Rights Committee
(under the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights) |
Internet |
|
CEDAW |
Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women |
Internet |
|
CESCR |
Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights |
Internet |
|
CAT |
Committee against
Torture |
Internet |
|
CAAS |
Commission against
Apartheid in Sports |
|
|
CRC |
Committee on the Rights
of the Child |
Internet |
