Purposes of UN (Article 1, Chapter 1 of the UN Charter)

- To maintain international peace and security.

- To develop friendly relations among nations
- To achieve international cooperation in solving international problems and promote respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms
- To be the center for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of common ends.

Doctrine: UN may claim reparation for damages because it has its own juridical personality.

United Nations Structure and Powers, Its Jurisdiction

The United Nations (UN) has six main organs. Five of them — the General Assembly, the Security Council, the
Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council and the Secretariat — are based at UN Headquarters in
New York. The sixth, the International Court of Justice, is located at The Hague in the Netherlands.

General Assembly
- composed of 1 representative from each State members. Each representative has 1 vote only.
- Deliberates on important questions such as budget, membership, peace, and security
- The annual session of the General Assembly opens every year on the third Tuesday of
September and runs for a year.  The work of the GA follows a cycle of debate, negotiation,
decision, implementation and reporting.

Security Council
- composed of 15 State members.
- 5 are permanent members; France, USA, China, Russa, United Kingdom. Any of these 5
permanent members may veto a proposal by casting a negative vote.
- 10 are State members elected by the UNGA and has a term of 2 years.
- It is responsible for maintaining international peace and security.
- Article 2, par 4 of UN Charter: All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the
threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in
any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.
- Chapter 7. There are established as principal organs of the United Nations: a General Assembly,
a Security Council, an Economic and Social Council, a Trusteeship Council, an International Court
of Justice and a Secretariat. Such subsidiary organs as may be found necessary may be
established in accordance with the present Charter.
- Article 39, The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of
the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be
taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security.
- Countermeasures: Article 41, The Security Council may decide what measures not involving the use
of armed force are to be employed to give effect to its decisions, and it may call upon the Members of
the United Nations to apply such measures.
- Article 42 of the UN Charter. Should the Security Council consider that measures provided for
in Article 41 would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by
air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and
 security. Such action may include demonstrations, blockade, and other operations by air, sea, or
land forces of Members of the United Nations.

Economic and Social Council

- Composed of 54 State members elected by the UNGA. Each member has a term of 3 years.
- It deliberates on international economic and social issues.
- Issues policies and recommendations regarding economic, social, and environmental issues.

Trusteeship Council
- composed of 5 members; France, USA, China, Russia, United Kingdom
- established to provide international supervision for 11 Trust Territories and to make sure that
adequate steps were taken to prepare the Territories for self-government or independence.

International Court of Justice

- Principal judicial organ of the UN.
- responsible for settling legal disputes between States
- gives advisory opinions to the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies
- Only States can bring a case

Secretariat
- Composed of international staff
- Headed by the Secretary General, appointed by the UNGA.
- Administers programs and projects all over the world

Power of the United Nations

 to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and purposes of
the United Nations;
 to investigate any dispute or situation which might lead to international friction;
 to recommend methods of adjusting such disputes or the terms of settlement;
 to formulate plans for the establishment of a system to regulate armaments;
 to determine the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression and to recommend
what action should be taken;
 to call on Members to apply economic sanctions and other measures not involving the use of
force to prevent or stop aggression;
 to take military action against an aggressor;
 to recommend the admission of new Members;
 to exercise the trusteeship functions of the United Nations in "strategic areas";
 to recommend to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary-General and,
together with the Assembly, to elect the Judges of the International Court of Justice.

Jurisdiction of United Nations

-
The UN Charter, in its Preamble, set an objective: "to establish conditions under which justice
 and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be
maintained".
- This work is carried out in many ways - by courts, tribunals, multilateral treaties - and by the
Security Council, which can approve peacekeeping missions, impose sanctions, or authorize the
use of force when there is a threat to international peace and security, if it deems this necessary.
These powers are given to it by the UN Charter, which is considered an international treaty. As
such, it is an instrument of international law, and UN Member States are bound by it.
- The UN has jurisdiction over all UN Member States in cases which may be a threat to
international peace and security

Other Specialized Agencies

1. World Health Organization (WHO)

- primary role is to direct international health within the United Nations' system and
to lead partners in global health responses.

2. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

-  The main functions of UNESCO are to ensure that every child has access to a
proper education, promoting cultural acceptance between nations while protecting
historical sites, improving technology to aid in the distribution of resources and energy, and
secure the safety of individual expression and basic human rights. The organization
continues to develop new and existing programs and policies to ensure the advancement of
social, economic, and environmental aspects of human life.
3. International Labour Organizations (ILO)
- to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance
social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues.

4. International Monetary Fund

- aims to reduce global poverty, encouraging international trade, and promoting
financial stability and economic growth. The IMF has three main functions: overseeing
economic development, lending, and capacity development.

5. World Bank Group

- provides financing, policy advice, and technical assistance to governments, and
also focuses on strengthening the private sector in developing countries.

Supremacy Clause

The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution of the United States (Article VI, Clause 2), establishes that the
Constitution, federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties made under its authority, constitute the
"supreme Law of the Land", and thus take priority over any conflicting state laws. It provides that state
courts are bound by, and state constitutions subordinate to, the supreme law. However, federal statutes
and treaties are supreme only if they do not contravene the Constitution.

UN Peacekeeping Function
- a role held by the Department of Peace Operations as "a unique and dynamic instrument
developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the
conditions for lasting peace".
- Article 42 of the UN Charter. Should the Security Council consider that measures provided for in
Article 41 would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by air, sea,
or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security. Such
action may include demonstrations, blockade, and other operations by air, sea, or land forces of
Members of the United Nations.
- It is distinguished from peacebuilding, peacemaking, and peace enforcement.
- UN peacekeeping helps host countries to become more resilient to conflict, laying the
groundwork to sustain long-term peace, including by addressing root causes of conflict.
- UN peacekeepers provide security and the political and peacebuilding support to help countries
make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace.

UN Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles:

 Consent of the parties;
 Impartiality;
 Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.