Perspectives of the UN and the World Bank
The United Nations
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The United Nations was founded on October 24, 1945 by 50 countries as a successor to the League of Nations. Its membership has since risen to 192 countries. It is financed through assessment and voluntary payments from member countries. Each assessment is based on the ability to pay and is measured by several factors such as national income statistics. These monetary resources are divided amongst several U.N. programs. However, some programs, including UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund) and UNDP (United Nations Development Program)are not financed through the ordinary budget but instead rely upon voluntary contributions from member states. The vast majority of the U.N.'s resources are devoted to economic, social, and sustainable development. The aid provided to developing countries by the United Nations has affected the quality of people’s lives globally. Through the World Food Programme, one of the U.N.'s outreach programs, more than 100 million people a year are fed in 80 countries. All member countries focus on issues such as drug trafficking, AIDS, organized crime, environment, and organized crime because these are all global problems, affecting every country in the world. Besides providing monetary, human, and resource aid to developing countries, the UN also is responsible for responding to man-made and natural disasters that are beyond the control and capacity of the national authorities of the affected country alone. Immediate relief is provided through several agencies founded and sponsored by the UN. Additionally, they focus on developing effective strategies that will assist in preventing future emergencies.
Some of the more notable U.N. programs are:
- World Heath Organization (WHO)
- World Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF)
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)
The following goals were established by the United Nations in The Millennium Development Goals Report of 2006. While these goals have yet to be completed, they have been quite successful thus far and hopefully will continue to aid in the shaping of the futures of developing countries.
Cranka 22:31, 29 Nov 2006 (EST)
Cranka 18:07, 29 Nov 2006 (EST)
