Curated playlist
United Nations Development Group
- UNESCOUNESCO moved 22 monuments to save Abu Simbel's Great Temple from a rising dam.
- UNICEFUNICEF began as a temporary fund for children hurt by World War II. It became permanent in 1953.
- International Bank for Reconstruction and DevelopmentA bank that does not seek profit still earns money. The IBRD borrows cheaply on its top credit rating, then lends.
- International Monetary FundThe International Monetary Fund's largest member holds over 16% of its voting power. That can block any rule change.
- United Nations Development ProgrammeThe United Nations Development Programme found itself paying doctors and nurses in Afghanistan. After the Taliban took over the country, most foreign aid was suspended. The UNDP took responsibility for funding most essential health…
- World Bank GroupThe World Bank's first loan came with a quiet US ultimatum to France. Communist-linked ministers had to go first.
- World Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization lost its largest funder on the 22nd of January 2026.
- United Nations Environment ProgrammeThe UN's environment agency is based in Nairobi, not Geneva. Rival bidders withdrew to back Kenya's capital.
- Food and Agriculture OrganizationThe Food and Agriculture Organization began on October 16, 1945, in Quebec City.
- World Meteorological OrganizationThe World Meteorological Organization began as a gathering of scientists, not governments.
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social AffairsIn 1997, three UN departments merged into the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
- United Nations Research Institute for Social DevelopmentIn the 1970s, a UN institute argued that more grain did not mean less hunger. UNRISD studied the Green Revolution.