Current Affairs MCQs – International Organizations & Headquarters (20 Explained)
International organizations and their headquarters are a high-frequency Current Affairs / General Knowledge topic for CSS, PMS, and MPT. This set of 20 original MCQs covers the UN system, regional bodies, economic institutions, and security organisations. Attempt all 20 without looking at the answers, then check the explained answers and note which organisations you confused. These are original practice questions, not copied from FPSC papers or competitor question banks, and this site is not affiliated with FPSC. Scoring: 18–20 = strong. 15–17 = good, revise the ones you missed. 12–14 = fair, learn the HQ table below. Below 12 = memorise the HQ table, then re-attempt in 2 days.
Questions
Q1. Where is the headquarters of the United Nations? A) Geneva B) New York C) Paris D) Vienna
Q2. UNESCO is headquartered in which city? A) Rome B) Paris C) Geneva D) London
Q3. The World Health Organization (WHO) is headquartered in: A) New York B) Geneva C) Rome D) Paris
Q4. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is headquartered in: A) Washington, D.C. B) New York C) Geneva D) Brussels
Q5. The World Bank is headquartered in: A) Geneva B) Washington, D.C. C) Paris D) London
Q6. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is headquartered in: A) Riyadh B) Jeddah C) Cairo D) Istanbul
Q7. SAARC is headquartered in: A) New Delhi B) Colombo C) Kathmandu D) Dhaka
Q8. ASEAN is headquartered in: A) Bangkok B) Jakarta C) Kuala Lumpur D) Singapore
Q9. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is headquartered in: A) Moscow B) Beijing C) Astana D) Tashkent
Q10. The Arab League is headquartered in: A) Riyadh B) Cairo C) Doha D) Abu Dhabi
Q11. The African Union is headquartered in: A) Nairobi B) Addis Ababa C) Pretoria D) Accra
Q12. NATO is headquartered in: A) Paris B) Brussels C) London D) Berlin
Q13. OPEC is headquartered in: A) Riyadh B) Vienna C) Doha D) Baghdad
Q14. The Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered in: A) London B) Ottawa C) Canberra D) New Delhi
Q15. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is headquartered in: A) Geneva B) Vienna C) Paris D) New York
Q16. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is headquartered in: A) Geneva B) Rome C) Paris D) Madrid
Q17. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) sits in: A) Geneva B) The Hague C) New York D) Strasbourg
Q18. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is headquartered in: A) Geneva B) Washington, D.C. C) Paris D) Brussels
Q19. UNICEF is headquartered in: A) Geneva B) Rome C) New York D) Paris
Q20. The European Central Bank (ECB) is headquartered in: A) Brussels B) Frankfurt C) Paris D) Luxembourg
Answer Key + Explained Answers
Q1 – B) New York. The UN headquarters is in New York City. Geneva hosts many UN agencies (WHO, WTO, ILO) but not the main UN HQ — a common confusion.
Q2 – B) Paris. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is headquartered in Paris, France.
Q3 – B) Geneva. WHO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, home to many UN health and humanitarian bodies.
Q4 – A) Washington, D.C. The IMF is headquartered in Washington, D.C., alongside the World Bank — both are Bretton Woods institutions.
Q5 – B) Washington, D.C. The World Bank Group is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Do not confuse it with the IMF’s location — both are in Washington, D.C.
Q6 – B) Jeddah. The OIC Secretariat is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Note: the OIC was formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference; the name changed, the HQ stayed in Jeddah.)
Q7 – C) Kathmandu. SAARC Secretariat is in Kathmandu, Nepal. SAARC was founded in Dhaka in 1985, but its Secretariat is in Kathmandu.
Q8 – B) Jakarta. The ASEAN Secretariat is in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Q9 – B) Beijing. The SCO Secretariat is in Beijing, China. The SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure is in Tashkent — do not confuse the two.
Q10 – B) Cairo. The Arab League is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt. It was briefly moved to Tunis in 1979–1989, but returned to Cairo.
Q11 – B) Addis Ababa. The African Union Commission is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Q12 – B) Brussels. NATO headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium. It was previously in Paris, but moved to Brussels in 1967.
Q13 – B) Vienna. OPEC is headquartered in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in Baghdad in 1960, but its Secretariat moved to Vienna in 1965.
Q14 – A) London. The Commonwealth Secretariat is in London (Marlborough House).
Q15 – B) Vienna. The IAEA is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
Q16 – B) Rome. FAO is headquartered in Rome, Italy. (IFAD and WFP are also in Rome — a useful memory hook.)
Q17 – B) The Hague. The ICJ, the UN’s principal judicial organ, sits at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.
Q18 – A) Geneva. The WTO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
Q19 – C) New York. UNICEF is headquartered in New York City.
Q20 – B) Frankfurt. The European Central Bank is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. The European Commission / Council are in Brussels — do not confuse EU institutions.
Quick Revision Table
UN / UNICEF — New York. WHO / WTO / ILO — Geneva. UNESCO — Paris. IMF / World Bank — Washington, D.C. FAO / IFAD / WFP — Rome. IAEA / OPEC — Vienna. OIC — Jeddah. SAARC — Kathmandu. ASEAN — Jakarta. SCO — Beijing. Arab League — Cairo. African Union — Addis Ababa. NATO — Brussels. Commonwealth — London. ICJ — The Hague. ECB — Frankfurt.
Weak-Section Review
Which 3 did you get wrong? Write the organisation, its correct HQ, and one fact about it. Common confusions: Geneva vs New York (UN system), Vienna vs Geneva (IAEA/OPEC vs WHO/WTO), Brussels vs Frankfurt (EU institutions). Re-attempt the set in 2 days.
These are original practice questions written for csspastpapers.pk. They are not FPSC official questions, and this site is not affiliated with FPSC.
Keep preparing with the Current Affairs past papers, the CSS syllabus, and MPT Practice Set 1.