Established by the UN General Assembly in 1965 with Resolution 2029, the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) aims to support national efforts of developing countries achieve economic development. Now geared around achieving the Millennium Development Goals, UNDP’s four main areas of work include democratic governance, poverty reduction, conflict prevention, environment and energy, and HIV/AIDS.

On July 2, 2010 the General Assembly voted unanimously to create a dynamic new entity called UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

The Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) was established in July 1994 as an operationally independent office that assists the Secretary-General in fulfilling his internal oversight responsibilities in respect of the resources and staff of the Organization through monitoring, internal audit, inspection, evaluation and investigation.

The Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) was originally established in 1946 and receives its mandate from the General Assembly and the Secretary-General’s office. The OLA provides legal council to the United Nations System and United Nations field operations and acts on an international scale to promote adherence to international laws and treaties.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was established in 1991 through General Assembly Resolution 46/182 in an effort to enhance the UN’s response to humanitarian crisis situations. The resolution outlines the United Nations’ responsibility to those exceptionally affected by environmental or political crisis and outlines the legal guidelines under which humanitarian assistance must function.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) was officially established by the General Assembly in 1993, although the United Nations human rights programme started as a small division at the UN headquarters in the 1940s. 

The Office of Disarmament Affairs (formerly called the Department of Disarmament Affairs) was established in 1998 as an initiative of the Secretary-General’s program for reform.  UNODA works on the many diverse aspects of the disarmament agenda, including non-proliferation and disarmament. UNODA also works on the ground level in post-conflict settings to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate (DDR) armed militias.

With about 1,200 staff at United Nations Headquarters in New York and 2,000 worldwide, including the conference management staff at the United Nations Offices at Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) is the largest in the United Nations Secretariat.  Those of us who work in the Department are committee secretaries and research clerks, meeting planners and protocol officers, translator

The Department of Management (DM) provides services to backstop the day-to-day operations of the global United Nations Secretariat. Its mission is to formulate policies and procedures and provide strategic guidance, direction and support in three broad management areas:

The Department of Safety and Security is responsible for providing leadership, operational support and oversight of the security management system, ensure the maximum security for staff and eligible dependants as well as enable the safest and most efficient conduct of the programmes and activities of the United Nations System.

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