International Organizations – Basic 6 Social Studies Lesson Note (Second Term)

An international organisation is an association of countries that work together on common problems affecting many nations.

Behavioural objectives

1. Define an international organisation.
2. Name the five types of international organisation and give an example of each.
3. State the purpose of WHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, the World Bank and the ICRC.
4. List the efforts of international organisations against COVID-19, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
5. State the challenges these organisations face.

What are the types of international organisation?

There are five types of international organisation: political/security, economic, health, environmental and humanitarian.

Why are international organisations important?

They help countries solve problems that one country cannot solve alone.

• Cooperation: nations share ideas, data and skills.
• Funding: poorer countries receive loans, grants and supplies.
• Standards: they set common rules, for example health standards.
• Emergency help: they respond quickly to disease, war and disaster.

What are the major international organisations?

The major organisations in this topic are WHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, the World Bank and the ICRC.

1. What is the World Health Organization (WHO)?

WHO is the United Nations agency that leads international work on health.

• Founded: 1948.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
• Membership: 194 member states.

Objectives of WHO

• Universal health coverage: health care for all people.
• Disease control: prevent and control diseases.
• Emergency response: act quickly in health emergencies.
• Wellbeing: promote good health.

Activities of WHO

• Standards: sets health standards.
• Research: carries out research and collects data.
• Vaccination: runs vaccination programmes.
• Emergencies: responds to health emergencies.
• Policy: guides governments on health policy.

2. What is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)?

UNICEF is the United Nations agency that protects the rights and health of children.

• Founded: 1946.
• Headquarters: New York, USA.
• Reach: works in over 190 countries.

Focus of UNICEF

• Child survival and development: health care for young children.
• Education: access to schooling.
• Child protection: safety from abuse and harm.
• HIV/AIDS prevention in children: testing, treatment and support.
• Nutrition: food and feeding programmes.
• Emergency response: help for children in crises.

3. What is UNAIDS?

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, coordinates the world’s response to HIV/AIDS.

• Founded: 1996.
• Goal: end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
• Prevention: reduce new infections.
• Treatment access: make drugs available to those who need them.
• Support: help people affected by HIV/AIDS.

4. What is the World Bank?

The World Bank is an international organisation that lends money to countries for development.

• Loans: provides loans for development projects.
• Poverty reduction: funds programmes that reduce poverty.
• Health funding: supports the health sector.
• Infrastructure: helps build roads, power and water systems.

5. What is the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)?

The ICRC is a humanitarian organisation that protects and helps victims of war and violence.

• Conflict aid: gives humanitarian aid in conflicts.
• Protection: protects war victims.
• Medical help: gives medical assistance.
• Disaster relief: helps people after disasters.

How did international organisations help to fight COVID-19?

COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) is an infectious disease that spread worldwide as a pandemic, and WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank worked to control it.

What did WHO do against COVID-19?

1. Early warning: declared a pandemic, assessed risk, shared information and issued travel advisories.
2. Research and development: coordinated research, vaccine development, treatment protocols and clinical trials.
3. Vaccine distribution: ran the COVAX programme for equal access and donated vaccines to poor countries. Nigeria received vaccines.
4. Guidelines: advised social distancing, mask wearing, hand hygiene and lockdowns.
5. Technical support: trained health workers and gave advice on testing, contact tracing and hospital management.
6. Information: gave daily updates, corrected myths, educated the public and fought misinformation.
7. Medical supplies: supplied personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, testing kits and oxygen.
8. Financial support: gave emergency funding, supported health systems and helped coordinate economic relief.

What did UNICEF do against COVID-19?

1. Vaccines: delivered vaccines for children.
2. Schools: issued school safety guidelines.
3. Protection: protected children during lockdowns.
4. Mental health: gave mental health support.
5. Learning: ran learning continuity programmes.
6. Hygiene: improved water and sanitation.

What did the World Bank do against COVID-19?

1. Emergency loans: lent money quickly to countries.
2. Health systems: strengthened healthcare systems.
3. Economic support: provided support packages.
4. Vaccine financing: helped countries pay for vaccines.

How did international organisations help to fight HIV/AIDS?

HIV/AIDS is a disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the body’s defence against infection.

What is the history of HIV/AIDS?

• Emergence: it appeared in the 1980s.
• Deaths: millions of people have died.
• Cure: there is no cure yet.
• Management: it is now manageable with drugs.

What did UNAIDS do against HIV/AIDS?

1. 90-90-90 targets: 90% of people with HIV know their status, 90% of those diagnosed receive treatment, and 90% of those treated have the virus suppressed.
2. Prevention programmes: condom distribution, sex education, needle exchange and male circumcision.
3. Treatment access: antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), free or subsidised medicine, generic drugs and combination therapy.
4. Mother-to-child transmission: prevention during pregnancy, safe childbirth, breastfeeding guidance and drugs for the baby.
5. Stigma reduction: awareness campaigns, human rights advocacy, anti-discrimination laws and community education.
6. Research: vaccine attempts, new drug trials, cure research and monitoring of trends.

What did other organisations do against HIV/AIDS?

What are the results in Nigeria?

• Free ARV drugs: treatment is available at no cost.
• Testing centres: centres are found across the country.
• Fewer infections: new infections have reduced.
• Longer life: people living with HIV live longer.
• Safer births: mother-to-child transmission has reduced.

How did international organisations help to fight STDs?

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections passed from one person to another through sexual contact.

What are the common STDs?

• Gonorrhoea: a bacterial infection.
• Syphilis: a bacterial infection.
• Chlamydia: a bacterial infection.
• Genital herpes: a viral infection.
• HPV (Human Papillomavirus): a viral infection.
• Hepatitis B: a viral infection of the liver.

What did WHO do against STDs?

1. Prevention programmes: safe sex education, condom promotion, abstinence campaigns and encouraging faithfulness to one partner.
2. Screening and testing: testing guidelines, early detection, contact tracing and partner notification.
3. Treatment protocols: standard treatment guidelines, antibiotic advice, resistance monitoring and follow-up.
4. Vaccination: HPV vaccine (prevents cervical cancer), hepatitis B vaccine and research on other vaccines.
5. Education: sexual health education, youth programmes, school-based work and community awareness.
6. Integration with HIV services: combined testing, whole-person sexual health care and one-stop clinics.
7. Research: new treatments, vaccine development, studies of how diseases spread and best practices.

What did UNICEF and UNFPA do against STDs?

What challenges do international health organisations face?

The main challenges are funding, stigma, access, misinformation and weak political will.

1. Funding: resources are not enough, other needs compete for money and donors lose interest (donor fatigue).
2. Stigma: people fear testing, hide illness and face discrimination.
3. Access: rural areas are underserved, costs are high and supplies run short.
4. Misinformation: myths, superstitions, fake cures and denial.
5. Political will: health is a low priority in some countries, and corruption and poor implementation slow progress.

What are the success stories?

• COVID-19: vaccines were developed in about one year, far faster than usual.
• HIV/AIDS: it has changed from a fatal disease to a manageable long-term condition.
• STDs: many are curable, and vaccines exist for some.
• Global cooperation: nations worked together.
• Nigeria: progress has been made in all three areas.

Evaluation

1. Name three international health organisations.
2. What does WHO stand for?
3. List three efforts by WHO in fighting COVID-19.
4. How has UNAIDS helped with HIV/AIDS?
5. Why are international organisations important?

Assignment

List five international organisations and state one role of each. Then explain two challenges that international health organisations face.