Global management functions

Global management functions
(Coordinator Comment)

The best indication of how well the specialized agencies of the United Nations are able to manage global functions is the fact that most people have never even heard of the agencies involved:
the International Civil Aviation Organization;
the International Postal Union;
the World Meteorological Organization;
the International Maritime Organization;
the World Intellectual Property Organization;
the International Fund for Agricultural Development;
the United Ntions Industrial Devlopment Organization;
the International Telecommunication Union;
and the World Tourism Organization.

The work of the preceding organizations is so clearly beneficial to the Member States that they are able to carry out their work without conflict, and hence without much attention by the mass media.

The specialized agencies that are better known are those that deal with politically controversial topics, and the reason that we know about them is that their work is often blocked by Member States that do not wish them to interfere in political issues. These include:
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization;
the Food and Agriculture Organization;
the International Atomic Energy Agency;
and the International Labour Organisation.

Three of the specialized agencies deal with world economic policy, which is so controversial that we deal with it in another forum here on the UN and Development.

In this regard one should also mention the International Court of Justice which has never been able to function properly because of interference by the Member States.