Structure of the United Nations | Member States of the United Nations

Member States: those nations/countries that have ratified the UN Charter

STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations came into existence on October 24, 1945 after the United Nations Charter was ratified a majority of the 51 original signatory nations. According to the Preamble of the Charter, its purpose is "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war." Member nations pledge to work to maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among nations, and to cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems.

The United Nations system is divided into six major parts, each defined by the Charter. Five of these parts (the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, the Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council) are located in New York at the United Nations headquarters. The sixth (the International Court of Justice) is located in The Hague, The Netherlands. Besides these major centers, the organizations that make up the United Nations communities have a presence in every region of the globe.

The UN has 6 principal organs:
The General Assembly is at the center, and is made up of all 191 UN member states.
The Security Council has 15 members, and is responsible for handling outbreaks of violence and breaches of peace and security.
The Economic and Social Council is comprised of 54 Member States and deliberates on the root causes of war and addresses general economic and social issues.
The International Court of Justice works to prevent violent conflicts by providing a legal forum for settling disputes.
The Secretariat is headed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and exists to carry out the wishes of the Member States.
The Trusteeship Council was established to decolonise protectorate territories.

Though each part is technically a separate entity, it is important to remember that all are interconnected, and often the entities treat the same themes or country-specific situations, according to their mandates.

General Assembly

How the General Assembly Works

At the heart of the United Nations system is the General Assembly (GA). It is composed of representatives from all 191 Member States of the UN. The GA holds its regular "session," or meeting, each year from September to December in New York. It can, however, reconvene at any time. At the beginning of each session, the GA elects a new President, twenty-one Vice-presidents, and the Chairpersons of the Assembly's six Main Committees. To ensure geographical diversity in leadership, the presidency of the Assembly rotates each year amongst five different geographical groupings of states.

Early in each session of the General Assembly, the members of the GA participate in a General Debate during which representatives discuss their opinions on a wide range of issues. After the debate, most of those issues are slated for discussion in one of the General Assembly's six Main Committees. These committees can present reports and suggestions for resolutions to the General Assembly to provide the GA with detailed information about any subject falling within the realm of the committees. The six committees are:

Besides meeting in regular sessions, the GA can hold Special Sessions on topics of international importance. Often, these special sessions are follow-up meetings to previous world conferences.

The members of the General Assembly deal with issues ranging from the UN budget to the codification of international law. The GA may discuss any subject of international security and the scope of the UN Charter, but it may not make any recommendations for action on those matters if a given issue within that realm is under consideration in the Security Council. The GA is responsible for initiating studies and plans of action that enhance political cooperation, human rights, and international cooperation on economic, social, cultural, educational and health issues. It must approve the UN budget and apportion contribution responsibilities among the member states. The General Assembly is also responsible for admitting new Member States and for electing the non-permanent members of the Security Council.

All members of the GA have an equal vote. Matters of procedure are decided by a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) and most matters of substance require a 2/3 majority to pass. In recent years however, the General Assembly has tried to move toward a consensus system in which more agreement is reached and fewer formal votes are taken. Though all nations are treated as equals within the General Assembly structure, the body can, with the advice of the credentials committee, agree to suspend the voting rights of a Member State's representative to the UN. Such was the case with the South African delegation from 1974 until the end of apartheid in 1994. In the eyes of the General Assembly, the South African representatives sent to the United Nations were sent by a white minority regime and did not represent the will of the majority of the South African people. Though South Africa's voting privileges in the GA were suspended, it still remained a member of the United Nations and participated in the functions of the other bodies. The General Assembly has, in conjunction with the Security Council, the ability to expel members from the organization, though such as action has never been taken.

Though no resolution or decision passed by the General Assembly can be enforced against unwilling Member States, they do carry the weight of the support of the international community and can be referred to in conflict settlements in the International Court of Justice. In addition to its formal meetings and committees, the General Assembly, in conjunction with the Economic and Social Council, is responsible for a number of UN programs and subsidiary entities, including INSTRAW (the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women), OHCHR (the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights), UNIFEM (the United Nations Fund for Women) and UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund).

The Security Council

The Security Council's primary responsibility under the United Nations Charter is the maintenance of international peace and security. The Security Council has the authority to investigate any dispute which might escalate to cause international tension, to recommend action for mitigating such disputes, to recommend to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary-General and new Member States, and, with the GA, to elect the judges of the International Court of Justice. In addition, the Council is authorized by the Charter to call on United Nations members to apply economic sanctions and other measures not involving the use of force to prevent to stop aggression and, in certain cases, to authorize member states to take military action against an aggressor.

The Security Council meets throughout the yea in New York, although, on occasion, it has convened in other locations. It is composed of representatives from 15 Member States- five are permanent members and ten are elected members, which each serve two-year terms. The permanent members are China, France, the Russian Federation (formerly the USSR), the United Kingdom and the United States. The presidency of the Security Council rotates every month according to the English alphabetical listing of the 15 member nations. Each year the General Assembly elects five new members to replace the five nations whose terms expire every December 31.

Procedural votes in the Security Council require the approval of a simple majority of the members. Substantive decisions require the approval of nine members, including the concurring votes of all five permanent members. This permanent member unanimity requirement is often referred to as the veto power, though no such term actually exists in the UN charter. It should be noted that this unanimity requirement can still be met if a permanent member voluntarily abstains from a vote; not all permanent members must vote yes, but no motion may pass if any permanent members vote no. Each permanent member of the Council has used this so-called veto power at least once.

When responding to a problem region somewhere in the world, the Council first tries to find a peaceful resolution to the situation. However, in cases where this proves ineffective or insufficient, the Council, with the permission of host countries, can authorize the deployment of troops from member nations to help enforce or maintain a brokered peace. While the Security Council can authorize the deployment of troops, neither the Council nor the UN equips or provides the troops and member states cannot be forced to supply troops if they choose not to do so. The United Nations has no standing international police or military force or equipment to enforce the decisions of the Security Council. As a result, the success of authorized missions is contingent upon troop contributions from member states.

In addition to peacekeeping operations, the Security Council oversees the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. These two international tribunals are distinct from the International Court of Justice and are designed to bring the instigators and perpetrators of violations of international human rights laws to justice. These two tribunals were independently convened and are not part of the permanent International Criminal Court.

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations coordinates the work of many of the UN's specialized organizations and agencies. The Council has 54 members, each elected to three-year terms, who meet annually for a five week session. The meetings alternate between New York and Geneva and generally include high-level discussions of major economic and social issues.

Much of ECOSOC's work is done by its subsidiary committees and commissions throughout the year. These organizations include nine functional commissions (including the Commission on the Status of Women), five Regional Commissions and four standing committees. ECOSOC also shares responsibility for groups like the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) with the General Assembly. Organizations including the World Health Organization, the World Bank Group, and the International Monetary Fund are also a part of the ECOSOC structure.

The Council, through its subsidiary organizations, is responsible for serving as a forum for discussing and formulating solutions for major economic and social issues. It also aids in the hosting of international conferences on issues of special concern.

One of the most important roles that ECOSOC plays within the UN system is its coordination of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in consultative status with the United Nations. Organizations with consultative status may send observers to meetings of relevant to their work, may submit written statements relevant to the work of the Council and may consult with members of the Secretariat. Obtaining Economic and Social Council-granted status is one of the best ways for non-governmental organizations to access and participate in the United Nations system.

The Secretariat

The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day work of the United Nations. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat. The Secretary-General is elected by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council and serves a renewable five-year term. The Secretariat employs more than 8,600 individuals who work for the United Nations alone, not for the government of any nation.

The duties of the Secretariat are widespread. Just a few of the offices and programs included in the Secretariat are: the Department of Political Affairs (DPA), the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), the Department of Public Information (DPI), and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The employees of the Secretariat are deployed across the world and carry out all functions requested by other bodies of the United Nations. Members of the Secretariat are responsible for activities that range from preparing reports on any topic requested by the General Assembly to helping with the implementation of troop deployments. While based in New York, the Secretariat has significant a significant presence in the Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi.

While the Secretary-general is described in the UN Charter as primarily an administrator, Secretaries-General are often viewed as the public face of the United Nations. They often take both public and private measures to help broker peace agreements and maintain international stability. Some also undertake their own initiatives to help highlight issues of pressing importance to the world community like HIV/AIDS, small arms proliferation and the role of civilians in conflict. The Secretary-General works closely with the members of the Security Council to forestall potential problem areas and to help implement the wishes of the Security Council. Each year the Secretary-General is required to produce a report outlining the activities of the organization and highlighting areas in need of progress.

The International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the only major United Nations branch located outside of New York. Based in The Hague, The Netherlands, the ICJ is composed of nine judges, elected by independent votes of the Security Council and the General Assembly. The selection attempts to include all major legal systems of the world and no two judges in the IJC may be nationals of the same state. Each judge serves a renewable nine-year term.

The International Court of Justice is open to all Member States of the United Nations and can be open to Non-Member states upon request. The ICJ is not open to private individuals. Any of these nations may refer a matter to the Court. The jurisdiction of the ICJ includes any question that states voluntarily bring before it and all matters in the UN Charter and treaties currently in force. In addition, the General Assembly and the Security Council can ask the Court for an advisory opinion on any legal matter. Other UN organs and organizations may also ask for opinions on issues within the scope of their activities when given permission by the General Assembly. The ICJ maintains a separate Chamber for Environmental Matters.

The Trusteeship Council

The Trusteeship Council was created as one of the main pillars of the United Nations to administer the eleven Trust Territories placed under the control of the Trusteeship system and to ensure that the governments responsible for administration were taking adequate steps to prepare the Territories for self-governance. The goal of the Trusteeship Council is to promote the advancement of the inhabitants of these eleven territories and help the territories work toward self-governance or independence.

The members of the Trusteeship Council are the five permanent members of the Security Council. They are authorized to examine the advancement of the peoples in the Trusteeship Territories, to examine petitions from those Territories and to undertake missions to the Territories. However, in 1994, after all eleven of the original Trusteeship Territories had attained self-government or independence, the Trusteeship Council decided that its work was completed and agreed to meet only as necessary in the future. The eleven original Territories which were under the jurisdiction of the Council before either choosing independence or voluntary association with an existing nation are: Togoland (under British administration), Somaliland (under Italian administration), Togoland (under French administration), Cameroons (under French administration), Cameroons (under British administration), Tanganyika (under British administration), Ruanda-Urundi (under Belgian administration), Western Samoa (under New Zealand administration), Nauru (administered by Australia on behalf of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom), New Guinea (administered by Australia) and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands including Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and Palau (under United States' administration). The work of the Trusteeship Council is generally considered complete and it is no longer allotted UN funds or personnel.