Professor & Reference and Instruction Librarian Coordinator
Diane Duesterhoeft
she/her
Contact:
Louis J. Blume Library, Room 201
St. Mary's University
One Camino Santa Maria
San Antonio, TX 78228-8608
USA
dduesterhoeft@stmarytx.edu
St. Mary's University
One Camino Santa Maria
San Antonio, TX 78228-8608
USA
dduesterhoeft@stmarytx.edu
210-436-3346
Programs, Funds, and Specialized Agencies
The United Nations system, also known as the UN Family, is made up of the UN and other agencies, programs, and organizations. They are funded by voluntary contributions from the UN. These groups also collect their own funds via memberships and donations.
A few of the most well-known members of the UN Family include, but are not limited to, UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), UNESCO, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Bank. Each entity has extensive websites that can include data, reports, visualization, and more.
- UN System"The United Nations is part of the UN system, which, in addition to the UN itself, comprises many funds, programmes and specialized agencies, each of which have their own area of work, leadership and budget. The programmes and funds are financed through voluntary rather than assessed contributions. The Specialized Agencies are independent international organizations funded by both voluntary and assessed contributions. The UN coordinates its work with these separate UN system entities, which cooperate with the Organization to help it achieve its goals."
Frequently Used Sources: ILO, IMF, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, WHO
This list of UN Family links is very selective. These links are based on the types of questions by St. Mary's researchers.
International Labour Organization (ILO)
- International Labour Organization (ILO)Homepage. The ILO "brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States , to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men."
- ILOSTATThe Internal Labour Organization's "central statistics database ... the primary source for cross-country statistics on the labour market. The database contains over 100 indicators covering more than 230 countries and economies."
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- International Monetary Fund (IMF)Homepage. The IMF is "an organization of 189 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world."
- IMF DataInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) portal to data and statistical reports. Data includes International Financial Statistics (IFS), Balance of Payments (BOPS), Direction of Trade (DOTS), and more. This source also includes access to publications and reports.
- IMF eLibraryThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) "eLibrary simplifies analysis and research with direct access to the IMF’s periodicals, books, working papers and studies, and data and statistical tools. You will find information and perspective on macroeconomics, globalization, development, trade and aid, technical assistance, demographics, emerging markets, policy advice, poverty reduction, and so much more."
UNESCO
- UNESCOUNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) homepage.
- UIS.Stat (UNESCO)Portal to UNESCO data on communication, culture, education, science, and technology. Include detailed help sheet for users.
- UNESCO Digital LibraryDatabase of publications and documents produced by UNESCO. Some materials back to 1945.
UNICEF
- UNICEFUNICEF homepage. UNICEF "works in 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence."
- UNICEF: DataLinks to statistics including data by country, datasets, visualizations.
- UNICEF: PublicationsUNICEF page highlights key publications and offers a search interface for all publications
World Bank
- World BankHomepage. The World Bank is a cooperative of 189 member countries with a focus on economic development throughout. Provides loans and analysis.
- Data Catalog (World Bank)Access to all the World Bank's economic, social, population, and development data. The Data Catalog link lists all the available datasets. The By Country tool allows users to view and download data for each country by topic for multiple years. Includes all time series, microdata, and geospatial data.
- Documents & Reports (World Bank)Contains World Bank documents such as meeting minutes, country date, economic and sector work, loan/credit documents, and journals, working papers, and more. Includes a helpful FAQ.
World Health Organization (WHO)
- World Health Organization (WHO)The leading authority on health information/matters and health research within the United Nations system. Provides access to information, research and statistics on global health issues and topics.
- WHO DataData portal provides data and analysis on global health priorities. Includes a data repository and country statistics.