Thursday, February 4, 2016

UN Alphabet Soup

United Nations insiders have a language of their own known fondly to those who speak it as "Unese." An essential part of the lingo is an alphabet soup of organs and organizations. The ones below appeared in just one recent document on the "Composition of UN Staff."

ASG Assistant Secretary-General
BINUCA United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic
BNUB United Nations Office in Burundi 
CNMC Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission 
CTED Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate    
DESA Department of Economic and Social Affairs
DFS Department of Field Support 
DGACM  Department for General Assembly and Conference Management 
DM Department of Management
DPA Department of Political Affairs
DPI Department of Public Information 
DPKO Department of Peacekeeping Operations 
DSS Department of Safety and Security 
ECA Economic Commission for Africa 
ECE Economic Commission for Europe 
ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
EOSG Executive Office of the Secretary -General
ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
ESCWA Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia 
ETHICS Ethics Office
FS Field Service
FT Fixed-term
GS+ General Service and related categories 
ICJ International Court of Justice 
ICSC International Civil Service Commission
ICTR International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda 
ICTY International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia 
IMIS Integrated Management Information System
INT Interpreters
INTERORG Inter-organizational bodies, including the secretariat of the Joint Inspection Unit
IRM International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals 
ITC International Trade Centre 
MENUB United Nations Electoral Observer Mission in Burundi 
MINURCA United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic 
MINURSO United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
MINUSCA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic 
MINUSMA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali
MINUSTAH United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti 
MONUSCO United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
NPO National Professional Officers 
OAJ Office of Administration of Justice 
OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 
ODA Office for Disarmament Affairs 
OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
OHRLLS Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States
OHRM Office of Human Resources Management
OIOS Office of Internal Oversight Services 
OJSRS Office of the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria
OLA Office of Legal Affairs
OPCW-UN Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons -United Nations Joint Mission for the Elimination of the Chemical Weapons Programme of the Syrian Arab Republic 
OSAA Office of the Special Adviser on Africa 
OSE-Syria Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary -General for Syria
OSES Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary -General for the Sahel
OSESSS Office of the Special Envoy for the Sudan and South Sudan 
OSRSGCAAC  Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary -General for Children and Armed Conflict 
PIA Public information assistants 
POE-Yemen Panel of Experts on Yemen 
PSO Peacebuilding Support Office 
ROL Rule of Law Unit
UNAMA United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
UNAMI United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq 
UNAMID African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur 
UNCC United Nations Compensation Commission 
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 
UNDOF United Nations Disengagement Observer Force 
UNDP United Nations Development Programme 
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme 
UNFICYP  United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
UNIFIL United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon 
UNIOGBIS United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau
UNIPSIL United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone 
UNISFA United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei 
UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training and Research 
UNJSPF United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund 
UNLB United Nations Logistics Base 
UNMEER United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response 
UNMIK United Nations Interim Administration Mission  in Kosovo
UNMIL United Nations Mission in Liberia 
UNMISS United Nations Mission in South Sudan 
UNMIT United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor -Leste
UNMOGIP United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan 
UNOAU United Nations Office to the African Union
UNOCA United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa 
UNOCI United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire 
UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 
UNOG United Nations Office at Geneva 
UNOM United Nations Office in Mali 
UNOMS United Nations Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services 
UNON United Nations Office at Nairobi 
UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services 
UNOSDP United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace
UNOV United Nations Office at Vienna 
UNOWA United Nations Office for West Africa 
UNPOS United Nations Political Office for Somalia 
UNRCCA United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia
UNRGID United Nations Representative to the Geneva International Discussions
UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
UNSCO Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process
UNSCOL Office of the Special Coordinator of the Secretary -General for Lebanon
UNSMIL United Nations Support Mission in Libya       
UNSOA United Nations Support Office for the African Union Mission in Somalia
UNSOM United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia 
UNTSO United Nations Truce Supervision Organization 
UNU United Nations University
UN-Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
USG Under-Secretary-General