The UN The United Nations is an international organization that
was started in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of
Nations. It was started to stop wars between countries, and to give
a platform for discussion. It consists of 51 countries, and each of
these countries were committed to assisting cooperation in economic
development, social progress, international peace and security,
developing friendly relations among nations, promoting social
progress, human rights, promoting better living standards, and the
achieving of world peace.
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Main Bodies The United Nations has six different main bodies.
General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, International Court
of Justice, Security Council, Trusteeship Council, and
Secretariat.
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General Assembly Created in 1945 under the Charter of the
United Nations, the General Assembly has the position as the chief
deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United
Nations. Including all192 Members of the United Nations, it gives a
platform for multilateral discussion of several international
issues covered by the Charter. The General Assembly also plays a
significant role in the process of standard- setting and the
designation of international law.
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Economic and Social Council ECOSOC was established under the
United Nations Charter as the principal organ to coordinate
economic, social, and related work of the 14 UN specialized
agencies, functional commissions and five regional commissions. It
is responsible for: promoting higher standards of living, full
employment, and economic and social progress; identifying solutions
to international economic, social and health problems Assisting
international cultural and educational cooperation encouraging
universal respect for human rights and essential freedoms.
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International Court of Justice The International Court of
Justice was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United
Nations and began work in April 1946. It is the principal judicial
organ of the United Nations. The Court is at the Peace Palace in
The Hague, Netherlands. Out of The six main organs of the United
Nations, it is the only one not located in New York. The Courts
role is to settle, in unity with international law, legal disputes
submitted to it by States and to give suggestive opinions on legal
questions referred by authorized United Nations organs and
specialized agencies. The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are
elected for terms of office of nine years by the United Nations
General Assembly and the Security Council. It is assisted by a
Registry, its administrative organ. Its official languages are
English and French.
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Trusteeship Council Under the Charter, the Trusteeship Council
is authorized to examine and discuss reports from the Administering
Authority on the political, economic, social and educational
advancement of the peoples of Trust Territories and, in
consultation with the Administering Authority, to examine petitions
from and undertake periodic and other special missions to Trust
Territories.
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The Secretariat The Secretariat is an international staff
working in duty stations around the world. They carry out the
diverse day-to-day work of the Organization. It services the other
main bodies of the United Nations and administers the programmes
and policies laid down by them. The duties carried out by the
Secretariat are as varied as the problems dealt with by the United
Nations. These range from administering peacekeeping operations to
mediating international disputes, from surveying economic and
social trends and problems to preparing studies on human rights and
sustainable development. Secretariat staff also inform the world's
communications media about the work of the United Nations; organize
international conferences on issues of worldwide concern; and
interpret speeches and translate documents into the Organization's
official languages.
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Security Council The Security Council held its first session on
17 January 1946 at Church House, London. Since its first meeting,
the Council, which is in continuous session, has traveled widely,
holding meetings in many cities, such as Paris and Addis Ababa, and
its home in New York City. The Security Council is responsible with
the maintenance of international peace and security. There are 15
members of the Security Council, consisting of 5 veto- wielding
permanent members (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and
United States) and 10 elected non-permanent members with two-year
terms. This basic structure is set out in Chapter V of the UN
Charter. Security Council members must always be present at UN
headquarters in New York so that the Security Council can meet at
any time. This requirement of the United Nations Charter was
adopted to address a weakness of the League of Nations since that
organization was often unable to respond quickly to a crisis.
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The United Nations Security Council 'power of veto' refers to
the veto power used only by the five permanent members of the
United Nations Security Council. These countries include China,
France, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States. The veto enables
them to prevent the adoption of any substantive draft Council
resolution, regardless of the level of international support for
the draft. The veto does not apply to procedural votes, which is
significant in that the Security Council's permanent membership can
vote against a 'procedural' draft resolution, without necessarily
blocking its adoption by the Council. The veto is exercised when
any permanent member of the P5 casts a "negative" vote on a
'substantive' draft resolution. Abstention, or absence from the
vote by a permanent member does not prevent a draft resolution from
being adopted.
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Secretary General On 1 January 2007, Ban Ki- moon of the
Republic of Korea became the eighth Secretary- General of the
United Nations, bringing to his post 37 years of service both in
Government and on the global stage.
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Activities World Food Program WFP has developed expertise in a
range of areas including Food Security Analysis, Nutrition, Food
Procurement and Logistics to ensure the best solutions for the
world's hungry. In 2010, WFP aims to bring food assistance to more
than 90 million people in 73 countries. WFP's strategic plan lays
out five objectives and all our work is geared towards achieving
them. They are: Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies
Prepare for emergencies Restore and rebuild lives after emergencies
Reduce chronic hunger and under nutrition everywhere Strengthen the
capacity of countries to reduce hunger United Nations Development
Fund for Women UNIFEM is the women's fund at the United Nations,
dedicated to advancing womens rights and achieving gender equality.
It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative
programmes and strategies that foster women's empowerment In
support of this goal, UNIFEM works in the following thematic areas:
enhancing womens economic security and rights, ending violence
against women, reducing the prevalence of HIV and AIDS among women
and girls, and advancing gender justice in democratic governance in
stable and fragile states.
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My Opinion When I first started researching the UN, I already
had this preconceived notion in my mind that the UN was just an
apathetic, and useless organization that was trying, and failing at
changing the world. I had those opinions because that is what a lot
of the Media says. You really only hear the bad things, like the
fail of a mission in Rwanda; and because of those things I was sure
I was going to find nothing but disappointing facts about the UN.
But I found so much more than that. Yes, they have had some
missions that have failed, but more often than not, they have had
great accomplishments. The UN does more than peacekeeping, they are
changing our world for the better, and Im really starting to
believe in what they are doing. Even though I still will have some
scepticism towards the way they peacekeep, Ive learned this lesson
to have an open mind when it comes to the UN, because they really
are doing great things. They are bringing hope to the world.
Helping us believe that more can, and will be done to fix what has
been broken in our world -- Carmen Halliday
