UN structure for socio-economic development:

(i) Starting from 1960, many of the colonies emerged as independent countries and gained membership of the United Nations. With the help of their growing majority in the United Nations they were able to create new agencies. The United Nations launched the First Development Decade.

(ii) In the 1960s international institutions like the UN Development Programme. The UN Industrial Development Organisation, International Development Association were set up in the 1960s.

(iii) At the initiative of developing countries United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was formed in 1964 to promote international trade for the benefit of developing countries. It has served the developing countries in many ways.

(iv) UNCTAD has provided significant support to efforts by developing countries to expand trade and economic cooperation among themselves at the regional and subregional levels. It has also promoted technical assistance.

(v) In UNCTAD the group of developing countries was formed. This group now consists of 132 countries. It has represented unity and solidarity among developing countries in the negotiations on economic and trade problems with the developed countries.

(vi) For example, it pressed the demand of developing countries for stable prices of primary commodities, like cotton and coffee exported to markets of advanced countries.

(vii) Also UNCTAD made efforts to ensure preferential treatment and tariff concessions in the developed countries for the items promised by the developing countries financing of research and development activities; official development assistance for low-income countries and debt relief.

(viii) The UNCTAD and UN General Assembly went a step further and questioned the unjust international economic order.

(ix) To protect the economic interests of the developing countries, the UN gave a call in 1974 for establishment of a New International Economic Order (NIEO), welded to the ideals of equity and justice for all nations, rich and poor.

(x) NIEO was founded on the following principles, such as, participation of all countries to solve world economic problems on the basis of equality; the right of every country to adopt the economic and social system most appropriate for its own development.

(xi) Full permanent sovereignty of every state over its natural resources; regulation and supervision of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) operating in developing countries; just prices of raw materials and primary commodities and goods exported by developing countries; technical and financial assistance to developing countries and preferential and nonreciprocal treatment for developing countries.

(xii) The developed countries were unwilling to make radical concessions and the NIEO faded from the collective deliberations and negotiations. The rich countries took advantage of diverse economic interests within the Group of 77, putting oil importing countries against the oil rich countries and also least developed against the middle income countries like India and Brazil.

(xiii) By the end of 1970s many developing countries were facing serious balance of payments problems and were forced to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank for loans. These institutions are controlled by rich countries. This gave the opportunity to exercise considerable influence over economic and trade policies in the developing world.

(xiv) Because of the economic crisis, the goals of the Second Development Decade achieved little compared to the first Decade. The United Nations convened a series of International Conferences to discuss strategies to address economic and social development concerns and plans of action are adopted.

(xv) Among the most important conferences related to development are: on Environment and Development, also known as Earth Summit on Environment and Development (in 1992), conference on Human Rights (1993), International Conference on Population and Development (1994).

(xvi) World Summit for Social Development (1995), World Conference on Women(1995) and the UN City Summit on Human Settlement (1997).

(xvii) Besides the UN Secretaries-General also played their part in pushing the cause of economic and social development of the Third World. In 1994, the Secretary General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali presented a grand vision in "An Agenda for Development."

(xviii) At a UN summit in 2000 the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were adopted. These goals include the elimination of extreme poverty, achieving universal primary education, improving maternal health and reducing child mortality.

(xix) The development goals were adopted unanimously by all UN Member States and set out yardsticks for measuring development progress by 2015 by curing many of the world's ills such as poverty, lack of access to education and health services.