Introduction: The United Nations structure for planning, coordinating, administering and implementing its economic and social programmes is vast and decentralised.
1. At the apex of the structure are the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The General Assembly provides general direction and supervision for economic and social activities.
2. ECOSOC concentrates solely on this work and has operated with the assistance of functional commissions. These are the Statistical Commission, Human Rights Commission, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission for Social Development, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
3. There are also regional economic commissions, which focus on the problems salient to their geographical areas. Five such commissions have been established:
(a) The Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).
(b) The Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
(c) The Economic Commission for Latin America.
(d) The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and
(e) The Economic Commission for Western Asia.
4. A number of other bodies exist in the economic and social field which are not as directly subject to ECOSOC direction or control but which are closely related to ECOSOC activities. These agencies include: (1) The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); (2) The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF); (3) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCR); (4) The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); (5) The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); (6) World Food Programme; (7) The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
5. There are specialised agencies of the United Nations. Though these agencies are parts of the UN system, they function independently of United Nations organs and are generally described as autonomous organisations. Each has its own headquarters, constitution, staff and budget. Each was created in the same manner as the United Nations by an international conference.
6. Membership of these specialised agencies and membership of the United Nations is not identical. These agencies are universal in membership. States which are not UN members can be admitted as the members of the specialised agencies.
7. Each specialised Agency is an intergovernmental agency and is established by international treaty or by an agreement between the agency and the United Nations. This agreement is negotiated between the agency and ECOSOC subject to approval by the General Assembly.
8. There are about 15 specialised agencies, which operate in affiliation with the United Nations, we shall identify and describe the activities of following UN development agencies, such as UNDP, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United National Educational Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Bank.
