Important Organisations and Headquarters Notes

Headquarters of international and Indian organisations is a standard static general awareness topic in SSC, banking, railways, defence and state-level examinations, and it is also useful for the UPSC Prelims. Questions can be direct ("Where is the headquarters of the WHO?") or matching-type, and they may include the year of founding or the head of the organisation. This note lists the important organisations in tables, grouped by type, with founding years and headquarters, along with memory tricks, in simple language. Check the latest news for changes in heads and headquarters before your examination.

United Nations and Its Agencies

Regional and Other International Organisations

International Non-Governmental and Sports Bodies

Indian Institutions: Banking, Finance and Planning

Indian Science, Space and Research Institutions

Indian Public Sector Companies and Boards

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) are based in Bengaluru. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is in Dehradun, while Coal India Limited is in Kolkata. NTPC, SAIL, BHEL, the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are headquartered in New Delhi. The Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange are in Mumbai. The commodity boards are spread across: the Tea Board in Kolkata, the Coffee Board in Bengaluru, the Rubber Board in Kottayam, and the Spices Board and Coir Board in Kochi. Amul (GCMMF) is in Anand, Gujarat, which is also called the milk capital of India.

How to Remember Headquarters

Group them by city: Geneva is the base of many agencies (WHO, ILO, WTO, WIPO, WMO, UNHCR, ITU, ICRC), so if you are unsure about an agency, Geneva is a smart first guess. Vienna hosts IAEA and OPEC; Rome hosts FAO, WFP and IFAD; Paris hosts UNESCO and OECD; Washington D.C. hosts the IMF and the World Bank; New York hosts the UN, UNICEF and UNDP; and The Hague hosts the ICJ, ICC and OPCW. For Indian organisations, remember that money and markets are in Mumbai, administration and regulators are in New Delhi, science and technology are in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Dehradun, and geological and botanical surveys are in Kolkata. Draw a map of the world and mark the cities, writing the organisation names beside them.

Heads and Recent Developments

Examinations may also ask about the head of an organisation: the title differs (Secretary-General for the UN, Director-General for the WHO and the WTO, Managing Director for the IMF, President for the World Bank). Since the heads change, check the latest names from the news. Also note recent developments, such as new members of BRICS, the expansion of NATO, the entry of the African Union into the G20 and the opening of new offices in India. Keep a one-page tracker for the year of your examination.

Stories Behind Major Organisations

Knowing why an organisation was created helps you remember its headquarters and purpose. The IMF and the World Bank were created at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944 to rebuild the world economy after the Second World War; the IMF looks after monetary stability and the World Bank gives loans for development. The WTO replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1995 to manage global trade rules. NATO was formed in 1949 as a military alliance of North Atlantic countries for collective defence. ASEAN was founded in Bangkok in 1967 by five countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, and now has ten members. SAARC was set up in 1985 in Dhaka, and OPEC was formed in Baghdad in 1960 by oil-producing countries to coordinate petroleum policies. The African Union replaced the Organisation of African Unity in 2002. These short histories connect an organisation with a place, an event and a purpose.

India's Role in International Organisations

India is a founding member of the United Nations, the IMF, the World Bank and the Non-Aligned Movement, and it is a member of the WTO, BRICS, SCO, G20, the Commonwealth, BIMSTEC and the Indian Ocean Rim Association. It is not a member of NATO, OPEC or the EU. India hosts the headquarters of the International Solar Alliance in Gurugram. It also hosts offices of several UN agencies in New Delhi. India has been a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council eight times, and the Indian candidates have headed international bodies, for example the International Court of Justice (Justice Dalveer Bhandari serves as a judge). Questions in competitive exams often combine membership with headquarters, so revise the two together.

Practice Questions for Self-Testing

Test your memory. Which organisation has its headquarters at Montreal? ICAO. Which body is located at Lyon? Interpol. Where does the International Olympic Committee sit? Lausanne. Which bank is based in Manila? The Asian Development Bank. Which Indian institution is in Anand? Amul (GCMMF). Where is the Wildlife Institute of India? Dehradun. Where is the National Institute of Oceanography? Goa. Where is the Coffee Board located? Bengaluru. Write the answers on a card and shuffle the questions every week. Try also to name two organisations in each of the following cities: Geneva, Vienna, Rome, Paris, New York and Mumbai. This type of recall practice is much more powerful than simply re-reading the tables.

Quick Revision

• Geneva: WHO, ILO, WTO, WIPO, WMO, UNHCR; Vienna: IAEA, OPEC; Rome: FAO, WFP; Paris: UNESCO, OECD.
• New York: UN, UNICEF, UNDP; Washington D.C.: IMF, World Bank; Nairobi: UNEP.
• Mumbai: RBI, SEBI, SBI, BARC; New Delhi: NITI Aayog, UPSC, CBI; Bengaluru: ISRO, HAL.

Revise a table a day, test yourself using flashcards, and update the changes each year. In a few weeks, headquarters questions will become a quick and sure source of marks.

Related Notes to Read Next

Continue your preparation with these related notes from the same subject:

• Sports General Knowledge Notes for Competitive Exams
• Dams, Lakes, Waterfalls and National Parks of India Notes
• First in India and the World Notes for Competitive Exams
• All General Awareness notes

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Where is the headquarters of the World Health Organization?

The WHO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Where is the headquarters of UNESCO?

UNESCO is headquartered in Paris, France.

Where are the IMF and the World Bank headquartered?

Both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have their headquarters in Washington D.C., USA.

Where is the headquarters of UNEP?

The United Nations Environment Programme is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.

Where is the International Court of Justice located?

The ICJ is located in The Hague, Netherlands.

Where is the headquarters of the WTO?

The World Trade Organization is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Where is the headquarters of ISRO?

ISRO has its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Where is the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of India?

The Reserve Bank of India is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Where is the headquarters of the International Solar Alliance?

The International Solar Alliance is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, India.

Where is the SAARC Secretariat located?

The SAARC Secretariat is located in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Where is the headquarters of OPEC?

OPEC is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

How can I remember organisation headquarters easily?

Group them by city (for example, Geneva for many UN agencies), use flashcards, draw a map with organisation names and revise a table every day.