Text 8: The Organisation of the United Nations

The United Nations is an international organisation founded in 1945 after the World War II by 51 countries. Its aim is to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, promote social progress, better living standards and human rights. The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter was ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and a majority of other signatories.

Five permanent members of the UN were China, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union. From the 24th of December 1991 the membership of the Soviet Union passed to the Russian Federation with the support of the 11 member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The organisation’s permanent Headquarters are near New York City. The site of the UN Headquarters is owned by the United Nations. It is an international territory. No federal, state or local officer or any other official of the United States, whether administrative, judicial, military or police representative may enter the UN Headquarters except with the consent of and under conditions agreed to by the Secretary-General of the Organisation. The UN has its own fire fighting and security forces.

The UN has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Russian and Spanish.

The five principal organs of the UN are: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, the Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice.

1. The General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the United Nations. It is composed of representatives of all member states, each of which has one vote. Decisions on important questions, such as those on peace and security, admission of new members and budgetary matters, require a two-thirds majority. Decisions on other questions are reached by simple majority.

2. The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The Council has 15 members: five permanent members of the UN (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and 10 elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. All five permanent members have right of veto. Each Council member has one vote.

3. The Secretariatis the international staff working at the UN Headquarters in New York and all over the world. It carries out the diverse day-to-day work of the Organization. The head is Secretary - General, who is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a five-year, renewable term. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations. The Secretary-General's duties include helping resolve international disputes, administering peacekeeping operations, organising international conferences, gathering information on the implementation of Security Council decisions, and consulting with member governments regarding various initiatives.

4. The Economic and Social Council is the principal organ to coordinate the economic and social work of the UN and specialized agencies and institutions known as the UN family. Voting is held by simple majority, each member has one vote.

5. The International Court of Justice whose seat is in the Hague, the Netherlands, is the principal judicial organ of the UN. Its purpose is to adjudicate disputes among states.

Questions for discussion:

11. When was the UN founded?

12. What countries are the permanent members of the UN?

13. What are the official languages of the UN?

14. What are the five principal organs of the UN?

15. What are the main responsibilities of the General Assembly?

16. What are the main responsibilities of theSecurity Council?

17. What are the main responsibilities of The Secretariat?

18. What do the duties of the Secretary-General's include?

19. What are the main responsibilities of the Economic and Social Council?

20. What are the main responsibilities of the International Court of Justice?