Established by the United Nations in 1996. Originally drew together six organizations: the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Bank.
The original six organizations were joined in April 1999 by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). In May 2010 there were 10 organizations involved: the previous seven plus the ILO, UNHCR and WFP.
