United nations Autonomous Agencies - Essay Example

UNITED NATIONS AUTONOMOUS AGENCIES The United Nations is an international organisation whose primary goals include upholding world peace; developinginternational relations; developing cooperation among nations so as to combat hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and disease, and upholding respect for rights and freedom; and ensuring coordination of nations in achieving the said goals. It was founded in 1945 by 51 countries. The United Nations consists of 15 specialized or autonomous agencies that are designed to work on specific issues. This paper will discuss three of these agencies namely, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the World Health Organisation (WHO). (United Nations 2011) 1. World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) The World Tourism Organisation, or UNWTO, serves as a tool where tourism policy matters can be discussed and also helps in developing tourism proficiency among the participating nations. UNWTO plays a vital role in decision-making for the development of tourism that is accessible among nations. Priority is given to developing countries. UNWTO ensures that the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is carried out, that the benefits embodied in Tourism is maximized, and the negative impacts are lessened. UNWTO is composed of 155 countries, 7 territories, and roughly 400 affiliates from various private sectors, tourism associations and authorities, and educational institutions. UNWTO also commits itself to alleviating poverty and paving a way to attainable progress. It also aims for Millennium Development Goals. (UNWTO) This organisation has already achieved a significant milestone in line with its aspirations. In 2010, arrivals of tourists around the world have increased to 7% and international tourism has reached export earnings of €693 billion. Furthermore, the level of economic recovery has been high due to fast growth of arrivals. During the first quarter of 2011, arrivals of tourists worldwide went up to 5%. The impacts of global financial and economic crises to tourism during 2008 to 2009 have been addressed and resolved by UNWTO. UNWTO monitors about 150 countries which provide monthly and quarterly reports on international tourist arrivals to UNWTO. In the last quarter of 2011, positive results were shown by 122 countries while only 27 of them submitted negative results. (UNWTO 2011) UNWTO did not really fail in its undertakings, though it is but normal for it to undergo certain challenges and have some room for improvements. In 2007, tourism had been linked to climate change since both international and domestic arrivals and trips had been contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Likewise, the tourism industry back then was likely to suffer from the effects of climate change. Eventually, changes in climate trends might have threatened tourism in those countries where climate greatly affect tourism like in Northern Europe, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean. The biggest challenge here was for UNWTO to balance its solutions to the setbacks in tourism while striving to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas. This issue had been addressed during the Second International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism in October 2007. (UNWTO 2007) Furthermore, UNWTO had also been confronted with the challenge of poverty, which had been sustained by the tourism industry through its provision for employment since tourism is continually expanding and needs a great deal of labour. 2. International Labour Organisation (ILO) The International Labour Organisation, or ILO, is the agency that directs international labour standards and is composed of 183 Member States. It seeks to promote and provide decent job opportunities, protect people especially in the work environment, and fortify communication concerning work-related concerns. It consists of three parties for government, employer, and worker. This form of organisation makes it unique since it promotes a more effective communication among its members through its forum. It also aims to foster social justice and promote human and labour rights globally. It stands on the belief that labour peace equates prosperity. ILO is renowned for its exceptional skills and understanding of the labour industry. It assists both its constituents and the society as well. Among its means of service are: a.) ensuring that the implementation of human rights, quality of working and living conditions, as well as employment opportunities are at acceptable level by developing effective international programmes and policies; b.) formulating a unique system that would assist in application to strengthen international labour standards; c.) building a tie-up among constituents in order to assist countries in effectively carrying out the policies stated in the international technical cooperation programme; and d.) providing training and activities to achieve growth in realising the goals of the organisation. International labour standards are being monitored to ensure that policies are properly observed by all countries. It also has the International Labour Office in Geneva, Switzerland, where the secretariat, headquarters, research centre, and publishing house are. Its programme and budget define its objectives and desired results. (ILO 1996-2012) ILO is also doing return-to-work programme and cooperatives and youth employment. It aims to assist injured and sick employees to get back to work, considering the rising costs of disability benefits. This concern is being addressed through case management to obtain participation among various services. This strategy works by reducing compensation costs so more employees could go back to work and social security would not have to pay out long-term disability benefits. A case manager would assist a sick or injured person in availing of specific health and social support. He would then coordinate with managers and physicians to help the sick or injured person get back to work. Many employers have considered this programme a success. Zurich has stated a significant amount of savings since its pilot project of Case Management in 2006. (ILO 2011) Moreover, ILO assists the youth in the slum areas of Kenya to find work and improve their economic conditions. This is accomplished through cultivating food in community gardens and improving sanitation. This action is considerably creating a gradual yet substantial impact in this endeavour. (ILO 2011) ILO is faced with the challenge of food security. Increasing food prices have enormous effects on farmers and producers. Likewise, rise in the price of commodities hampers ILO’s goal of reducing poverty. This also poses a threat to employee wages. Many families in developing countries resort to sending their children to work, thereby increasing child labour. (ILO 2011) 3. World Health Organization (WHO) The World Health Organization, or WHO, is the governing body for health of United Nations. It is the leader in international health issues that assists in developing health research system, standards and policies, in evaluating health trends, and in offering technical assistance. Furthermore, WHO plays a vital role in public health through these other core functions: leading critical health matters and participating in partnerships; formulating policies based on ethics and evidence; and promoting change and institutional skills. These core functions serve as foundations for work, budget, resources and results programme. WHO had faced the challenge of lacking defined public health boundaries. WHO utilized a six-point agenda to address these concerns. It covered health objectives such as fostering development and securing health; strategic needs such as enhancing health systems and establishing research, information, and evidence; and operational approaches such as developing partnerships and performance. WHO was assessed through its contribution to women’s health and to that in Africa. WHO addresses global needs for health information through a multilingual approach. It has created websites and publications that cater to various nationalities. This provides a more effective communication and helps connect people from around the world. This is beneficial for the organisation to better direct public health responsibilities, to reach out to people worldwide, and to get greater results. Hence, in order to improve global health, the level of communication is paramount. Multilingual communication sustains this endeavour. WHO has six official languages namely: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Websites and publications of WHO appear in these six languages. (WHO 2012) Over the years, WHO had made important achievements in resolving various health issues. During the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, WHO faced the challenge of providing remedies to the damages made in health facilities and to the victims who were wounded and injured. Likewise, the need to control the spread of communicable diseases had to be worked on. WHO addressed these concerns by coordinating with local authorities such as UN agencies and certain humanitarian movements. Moreover, WHO provided full support to the Haitian government to more effectively carry out international health support in Haiti. WHO had also deployed health and logistic experts. WHO had also enhanced the guidelines for malaria treatment and the procurement of anti-malaria medicines in March 2010. Based on the World Malaria Report in December 2011, death rate due to malaria has declined by over 25% worldwide. However, the funding for malaria is at risk. WHO also needs to promptly resolve issues on rising drug and insecticide resistance. It had also improved the access for safe drinking water. However, this campaign had its share of shortcomings, particularly in sanitation. Statistics showed that over 2.6 billion people worldwide had been using substandard sanitation facilities. On the other hand, open defecation rate had declined, though this practice is still rampant in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, WHO is working on resolving maternal, newborn, and child fatalities. A study is being conducted to identify the impacts of the proposed interventions to survival. These interventions include management and prevention of anaemia and post-partum haemorrhage, treatment of pneumonia in children, and enhanced support for newborns, small and premature babies. However, despite the efforts of WHO to combat these problems, these still remain as challenges in Africa and India. (WHO 2012) REFERENCES: About UNWTO. Available: http://unwto.org/en/content/about-unwto. Last accessed 2nd January 2012. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (1996-2012). NA. Available: http://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm#a3. Last accessed 3rd January 2012. International Labour Organisation. (2011). From sick to fit: Case management gaining ground as work reintegration tool. Available: http://www.ilo.org/global/publications/magazines-and-journals/world-of-work-magazine/articles/WCMS_170593/lang--en/index.htm. Last accessed 3rd January 2012. International Labour Organisation. (2011). From the depths of an African shantytown, a nascent youth employment movement grows. Available: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/press-and-media-centre/insight/WCMS_170345/lang--en/index.htm. Last accessed 3rd January 2012. International Labour Organisation. (2011). Questions and answers on food security. Available: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/press-and-media-centre/insight/WCMS_170058/lang--en/index.htm. Last accessed 3rd January 2012. United Nations. (2011). Structure and Organisation. Available: http://www.un.org/en/. Last accessed 2nd January 2012. UNWTO. (2007). Media Press Releases. Available: http://www.unwto.org/media/news/en/press_det.php?id=1381&idioma=E. Last accessed 2nd January 2012. UNWTO. (2011). UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Available: http://mkt.unwto.org/en/barometer. Last accessed 3rd January 2012. World Health Organisation. (2012). Available: http://www.who.int/en/. Last accessed 3rd January 2012. World Health Organisation. (2012). Multilingualism and WHO. Available: http://www.who.int/about/multilingualism/en/. Last accessed 3rd January 2012. Read More