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Organizations

Institutions, agencies, and groups that shape the world.

World Bank Group headquarters sign in Washington, D.C.

World Bank

The World Bank is an international financial institution that lends money, gives grants and offers policy advice to governments of developing countries to reduce poverty and support economic development. It was created at the Bretton Woods conference in July 1944 as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and as of 2026 it has 189

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The World Bank is an international financial institution that lends to developing countries to reduce poverty, with 189 member countries.

A Rohingya woman at a World Food Programme food distribution in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, October 2017

World Food Programme

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations agency that delivers food assistance in emergencies and works with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. It was established in 1961, is funded entirely by voluntary contributions, and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020. History of the World Food Programme A United Nations General

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The World Food Programme is the United Nations agency that delivers emergency food assistance and builds food security, funded entirely by voluntary contributions.

World Health Organization headquarters building in Geneva, Switzerland

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it has 194 member states and sets health standards, coordinates responses to outbreaks and supports national health systems. [1][3] History and founding The idea came up at the 1945 San Francisco conference that

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The World Health Organization is the United Nations agency for international public health, with 194 member states and headquarters in Geneva.

The headquarters building of the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva

World Meteorological Organization

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for weather, climate and water. Headquartered in Geneva, it has 194 Members and sets the standards that let national weather services share observations and forecasts across borders. History of the World Meteorological Organization WMO’s roots go back to 1873 and the

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The World Meteorological Organization is the UN specialized agency for weather, climate and water, based in Geneva with 194 Members.

Centre William Rappard in Geneva, headquarters of the World Trade Organization

World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization, or WTO, is an intergovernmental organization that administers the rules of trade between nations, hosts trade negotiations and settles trade disputes among its members. It began operating on 1 January 1995 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. It has 166 members, which together account for 98 percent of world trade. History

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The World Trade Organization is the Geneva-based body of 166 members that administers global trade rules, hosts negotiations and settles trade disputes.

WWF panda figure at Ulriksdal Castle Garden, Sweden

World Wide Fund for Nature

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an independent conservation organization, founded in 1961 and active in nearly 100 countries, that works to protect wildlife and natural habitats. It is best known by its panda logo and is called the World Wildlife Fund in the United States and Canada. History of the World Wide

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The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international conservation organization, founded in 1961 and known by its panda logo, that protects wildlife and habitats.

The Stata Center at MIT, home of the W3C host laboratory

World Wide Web Consortium

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international public-interest nonprofit organization in which member organizations, a full-time staff and the public work together to develop open web standards. Tim Berners-Lee founded it in 1994, and its stated mission is to make the web work for everyone. History of the World Wide Web Consortium In

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An international public-interest nonprofit, founded by Tim Berners-Lee in 1994, in which members, staff and the public develop open web standards.