24 October 1945 (Charter signed on 26 June 1945 in San Francisco).
New York City (International territory).
Total 193 members (latest member South Sudan in 2011).
- Principal Organs: General Assembly, Security Council (5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members), Economic and Social Council (54 members), International Court of Justice, Secretariat, and Trusteeship Council (suspended since 1994).
- Relations with India: India became a founding member on 30 October 1945. India, along with the G4 nations, is seeking permanent membership in the UNSC.
19 December 1966.
Manila, Philippines (Mandaluyong City).
Total 69 members (49 regional, 20 non-regional). According to May 2025 updates, 'Turkey' became its newest regional member.
- President: Masato Kanda (Japan), since February 2025.
- Relations with India: India is a founding member and the largest borrower of the ADB.
- 2025 Annual Meeting (58th): Milan, Italy. Upcoming 2026: Frankfurt, Germany.
8 August 1967 (Signing of the Bangkok Declaration).
Jakarta, Indonesia.
Total 11 members as of 2025. In October 2025, 'Timor-Leste' became its 11th official full member.
- Secretary-General: Dr. Kao Kim Hourn (Cambodia).
- Relations with India: India is not a member, but a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partner'.
- 2025 Summit (46th & 47th): Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Theme: "Inclusivity and Sustainability". Upcoming 2026: Philippines.
6 June 1997 (Original name: BIST-EC).
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
7 Countries - India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.
- Leadership 2025: Secretary-General is Indian diplomat 'Indra Mani Pandey'.
- 2025 Summit (6th): Bangkok, Thailand. Theme: "Towards a Resilient, Prosperous, and Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region". Upcoming 2026 (7th): Bangladesh.
In 2001, Jim O'Neill coined the term 'BRIC'. The first summit occurred in 2009, and it became BRICS with South Africa's inclusion in 2010.
The BRICS group does not have a permanent headquarters or secretariat.
10 full members (Founding 5 + Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE). In January 2025, 'Indonesia' became its new full member.
- 2025 Summit (17th): Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Theme: "Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet". Upcoming 2026: 18th in India.
Became SCO in 2001 when Uzbekistan joined (previously 'Shanghai Five' founded in 1996).
Political headquarters in Beijing (China) and RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure) in Tashkent (Uzbekistan).
10 members. In 2024, Belarus became the newest country to join.
- Secretary-General: Nurlan Yermekbayev (Kazakhstan) since January 2025.
- 2025 Summit: China. Theme: "Sustainable Security". Upcoming 2026: Russia.
1999 (at the Finance Minister level) and elevated to a leaders' summit in 2008.
It has no permanent secretariat or headquarters; the presidency rotates.
19 Countries + European Union + African Union (joined in 2023), making a total of 21 members.
- 2025 Summit: Johannesburg, South Africa (Nov 22-23). Theme: "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability". Upcoming 2026: USA.
1944 (Bretton Woods Conference), operations began on 27 December 1945.
Washington D.C., USA.
191 countries as of 2025.
- Managing Director (MD): Kristalina Georgieva (Second term started in October 2024).
- Relations with India: India is the 8th largest shareholder (Quota: ~2.75%).
- 2025 Annual Meetings: Washington D.C. Upcoming 2026: Bangkok, Thailand.
Launched on 30 November 2015 at the Paris Climate Conference (COP21).
National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) campus, Gurugram (Haryana, India).
Over 100 full members. In August 2025, 'Moldova' became its 107th full member.
- Leadership 2025: Shri Ashish Khanna became the 3rd Director General of ISA (from 17 March 2025).
4 April 1949 (Against the Soviet Union).
Political headquarters in Brussels (Belgium) and the military headquarters (SHAPE) in Mons (Belgium).
32 member countries. The newest members are Finland (2023) and Sweden (2024).
- Relations with India: India is not a member of NATO and has also rejected the 'NATO Plus' proposal.
- 2025 Summit: The Hague, Netherlands (June 24-26). Theme: "Strengthening Alliance Security". Upcoming 2026: Turkey.
14 September 1960 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Vienna, Austria (Interestingly, Austria is not an OPEC member).
12 countries (as of 2025). Angola (2024) and Qatar (2019) have exited the organization.
- Relations with India: India is not a member but is a major consumer and importer (imports 85%).
8 December 1985 (in Dhaka).
Kathmandu, Nepal (established in 1987).
8 Countries (Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Nepal).
- Secretary-General 2025: Md. Golam Sarwar (Bangladesh).
- Current Status: Since the 2016 Uri attack, the organization has been deadlocked due to political rivalry, and no summit has occurred.
June 1945 (by the UN Charter).
Peace Palace, The Hague, Netherlands (The only one of the 6 principal UN organs located outside New York).
It consists of 15 judges who have a 9-year term (Current Indian judge is Dalveer Bhandari).
- President 2025: Judge Yuji Iwasawa (Japan).
- Function: It only settles disputes between nations, it doesn't prosecute individuals.
16 November 1945.
Paris, France.
194 countries as of 2025.
- Director-General 2025: Khaled El-Enany (Egypt), starting November 2025.
- India 2025 Updates: The Maratha Military Landscapes became India's 44th World Heritage Site, and Diwali was included in the 'Intangible Cultural Heritage'.
11 December 1946.
New York, USA.
Active in over 190 countries and territories.
- Executive Director: Catherine Russell (USA).
- Areas of Work: Child health and nutrition, education, emergency relief, WASH (Safe drinking water), and child protection.
July 1944
Washington D.C., USA
189 member countries (IBRD).
1 January 1995
Geneva, Switzerland
164 member countries.
January 1971
Cologny-Geneva, Switzerland
Committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation.
30 September 1961
Paris, France
38 member countries.
30 December 1964
Geneva, Switzerland
195 member states.
7 April 1948
Geneva, Switzerland
194 member states.
1919
Geneva, Switzerland
187 member states.
16 October 1945
Rome, Italy
195 members (194 countries and the EU).
December 1977
Rome, Italy
177 member states.
1961
Rome, Italy
Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.
26 July 1994
Geneva, Switzerland
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.
5 June 1972
Nairobi, Kenya
193 member states.
23 March 1950
Geneva, Switzerland
193 member states and territories.
29 April 1961
Gland, Switzerland
International non-governmental organization working on wilderness preservation.
5 October 1948
Gland, Switzerland
Publishes the Red List of Threatened Species.
29 July 1957
Vienna, Austria
178 member states.
26 January 2009
Abu Dhabi, UAE
169 member states and the EU.
November 1974
Paris, France
31 member countries.
14 July 1967
Geneva, Switzerland
193 member states.
23 February 1947
Geneva, Switzerland
170 national standards bodies.
17 February 1863
Geneva, Switzerland
Has won three Nobel Peace Prizes.
July 1961
London, UK
Global NGO focused on human rights.
May 1993
Berlin, Germany
Publishes the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
29 April 1997
The Hague, Netherlands
193 member states. Won the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.
1 July 2002
The Hague, Netherlands
124 member states.
7 September 1923
Lyon, France
196 member countries.
14 December 1950
Geneva, Switzerland
Has won two Nobel Peace Prizes.
20 December 1993
Geneva, Switzerland
Leading UN entity on human rights.
1997
Vienna, Austria
Combats illicit drugs and international crime.
22 December 1999
Geneva, Switzerland
Focuses on building disaster resilience (Sendai Framework).
4 April 1947
Montreal, Canada
193 member states.
17 March 1948
London, UK
175 member states.
17 May 1865
Geneva, Switzerland
193 member states.
9 October 1874
Bern, Switzerland
192 member countries.
1 November 1975
Madrid, Spain
160 member states.
22 November 1965
New York, USA
Publishes the Human Development Index (HDI).
1969
New York, USA
Leading UN agency for sexual and reproductive health.
July 2010
New York, USA
Entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women.
17 November 1966
Vienna, Austria
172 member states.
1973
Tokyo, Japan
Academic and research arm of the United Nations.
1978
Nairobi, Kenya
Programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development.
1 November 1993
Brussels, Belgium
27 member states.
9 July 2002
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
55 member states.
22 March 1945
Cairo, Egypt
22 member states.
11 December 1931
London, UK
56 member states.
November 1989
Queenstown, Singapore
21 member economies.
25 September 1969
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
57 member states.
7 March 1997
Ebene, Mauritius
23 member states and 11 dialogue partners.
Tricks to Remember Headquarters
-
1Geneva: Organizations starting with 'World' and ending with 'Organization' usually have their HQ in Geneva (e.g., WHO, WMO, WIPO).
-
2Washington DC: Organizations related to 'Money' have their HQ here (e.g., IMF, World Bank).
-
3Vienna: Organizations related to industrial development, petroleum, and atomic research (e.g., UNIDO, IAEA, OPEC).
-
4Paris: Organizations related to education and economy (e.g., UNESCO, OECD).