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Promoting development More... |
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| The United Nations has devoted its attention and resources to promoting living standards and human skills and potential throughout the world. Since 2000, this work has been guided by the Millennium Development Goals. Virtually all funds for UN development assistance come from contributions donated by countries. For instance, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), with staff in 166 countries, supports projects to reduce poverty, promote good governance, address crises and preserve the environment. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in 155 countries, primarily on child protection, immunization, girls' education and fighting HIV/AIDS. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) helps developing countries make the most of their trade opportunities. The World Bank provides developing countries with loans and grants, and has supported more than 10,000 development projects since 1947. |
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Focusing on African development More... |
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Africa continues to be a high priority for the United Nations. In 2001,
African Heads of State adopted the continent's own plan, the New
Partnership for Africa's Development, which was endorsed by the General
Assembly in 2002 as the main framework for channelling international
support to Africa. The continent receives 38 per cent of UN system
expenditures for development, the largest share among the world's
regions. All UN agencies have special programmes to benefit Africa.
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Laying the groundwork for business More... |
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| The United Nations is good for business. It has provided the "soft infrastructure" for the global economy by negotiating universally accepted technical
standards in such diverse areas as statistics, trade law, customs procedures,
intellectual property, aviation, shipping and telecommunications,
facilitating economic activity and reducing transaction costs. It
has laid the groundwork for investment in developing economies by
promoting stability and good governance, battling corruption
and urging sound economic policies and business-friendly legislation.
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Supporting industry in developing countries More... |
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| The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has served
as a "matchmaker" for North-South and South-South industrial
cooperation, promoting entrepreneurship, investment, technology
transfer and cost-effective and sustainable industrial development.
It has helped countries to manage the process of globalization
smoothly and reduce poverty.
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Fighting hunger More... |
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| The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) leads
global efforts to defeat hunger. The goal of universal food security
—where people everywhere have regular access to enough
high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives—is at the heart of all
its work. Serving both developed and developing countries,
FAO acts as a neutral forum, where all nations meet as equals to
negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO also helps developing
countries to modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and
fisheries practices in ways that conserve natural resources and
improve nutrition.
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Improving global trade relations More... |
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The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has helped
developing countries to negotiate trade agreements and to win preferential
treatment for their exports. It has negotiated international commodity
agreements to ensure fair prices for developing countries, improved
the efficiency of their trade infrastructure and helped them to diversify
their production and to integrate into the global economy.
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Promoting economic reform More... |
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| The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have helped many countries to improve their economic management, provided temporary
financial assistance to countries to help ease balance-of-payment
difficulties and offered training for government finance officials.
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Improving aviation and shipping More... |
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| UN agencies have been responsible for setting safety standards for
aviation and shipping. The International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) has contributed to making air travel the safest mode of
transportation. In 1947, when 21 million travelled by air, 590 were
killed in aircraft accidents; in 2007, the number of deaths was 581
out of 2.2 billion airline passengers. Likewise, the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) has helped to make the seas cleaner
and shipping safer and more secure. Statistics show that shipping
is becoming safer and is improving its environmental credentials.
Ship losses are falling, fatalities are decreasing, pollution incidents
are down, total oil pollution is down, and air pollution and pollution
from sewage are being tackled—all while the amount of cargo
carried by sea continues to increase.
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Generating worldwide commitment in support of children More... |
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| From Afghanistan to Lebanon and from the Sudan to the former
Yugoslavia, UNICEF has pioneered the establishment of "days
of tranquillity" and the opening of "corridors of peace" to provide
vaccines and other aid desperately needed by children
caught in armed conflict. The Convention on the Rights of the
Child has become law in 193 countries. Following the 2002
UN special session on children, 190 Governments committed
themselves to a time-bound set of goals in the areas of health,
education, protection against abuse, exploitation and violence
and the struggle against HIV/AIDS.
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Turning slums into decent human settlements More... |
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| Cities are now home to half of humankind. They are the hub for much national production and consumption—economic and social processes
that generate wealth and opportunity. But they also are places
of disease, crime, pollution and poverty. In many cities in developing
countries, slum-dwellers number more than 50 per cent of the
population and have little or no access to shelter, water and
sanitation. The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT),
with over 150 technical programmes and projects in some 50 countries,
works with Governments, local authorities and non-governmental
organizations to seek innovative solutions for towns and cities. These
include providing security of tenure for the urban poor, which is in turn
a catalyst for investment in housing and basic services for the poor.
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Providing local access to a global network More... |
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| The Universal Postal Union (UPU) facilitates the exchange of international
mail and develops social, cultural and commercial communications
between peoples and businesses with up-to-date postal services and
products. Some 660,000 post offices around the world form one of the
most extensive networks in the world, facilitating the transfer of information,
goods and money. The Internet and new technologies have opened
new opportunities for postal services, especially in the area of
e-commerce, as goods ordered online still cannot be sent
electronically. The post remains a critical bridge between physical,
digital and financial operations and a key partner for global
development.
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Improving global telecommunications
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| The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) brings together Governments and industry to develop and coordinate the operation of global telecommunication networks and services. It has coordinated shared use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world and negotiated the global standards that ensure the seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. From broadband Internet to the latest-generation wireless technologies, from air and sea navigation to radio astronomy and satellite-based meteorology, from phone services to TV broadcasting and next-generation networks, ITU is committed to connecting the world. Its work has enabled telecommunications to grow into a $1.3 trillion global industry.
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The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) provides
low-interest loans and grants to very poor rural people. Since 1978,
IFAD has invested more than $10 billion, helping more than 300
million women and men increase their incomes and provide for their
families. Today, IFAD supports more than 200 programmes and
projects in 81 developing countries.
The United Nations has helped to promote women's equality
and well-being. The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
supports programmes in more than 100 countries that seek to
eliminate violence against women, reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS,
support women's political participation and promote their economic
security—for instance, by increasing their access to work and
their rights to land and inheritance. The International Research
and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW)
helps to improve women's quality of life and promote women's rights
by carrying out action-oriented research and capacity-building on
security, migration and governance. All UN agencies must take into
account the needs of women.
