The United Nations

Advocate Bishal Nyoupane

 Introduction
• The United Nations officially came into existence on 24
October 1945, when the UN Charter had been ratified
by a majority of the original 51 Member States. The
day is now celebrated each year around the world as
United Nations Day.
• The purpose of the United Nations is to bring all
nations of the world together to work for peace and
development, based on the principles of justice,
human dignity and the well-being of all people. It
affords the opportunity for countries to balance global
interdependence and national interests when
addressing international problems.
• There are currently 193 Members of the United Nations. They
meet in the General Assembly, which is the closest thing to a
world parliament. Each country, large or small, rich or poor, has a
single vote, however, none of the decisions taken by the Assembly
are binding. Nevertheless, the Assembly's decisions become
resolutions that carry the weight of world governmental opinion.
• The United Nations Headquarters is in New York City but the land
and buildings are international territory. The United Nations has
its own flag, its own post office and its own postage stamps. Six
official languages are used at the United Nations - Arabic, Chinese,
English, French, Russian and Spanish. The UN European
Headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland. It has offices in Vienna,
Austria and Economic Commissions in Ethiopia, Jordan, Thailand
and Chile. The senior officer of the United Nations Secretariat is
the Secretary-General.
 The Aims of the United Nations:
• To keep peace throughout the world.
• To develop friendly relations between nations.
• To work together to help people live better
lives, to eliminate poverty, disease and
illiteracy in the world, to stop environmental
destruction and to encourage respect for each
other's rights and freedoms.
• To be a centre for helping nations achieve
these aims.
The Principles of the United Nations:
• All Member States have sovereign equality.
• All Member States must obey the Charter.
• Countries must try to settle their differences by
peaceful means.
• Countries must avoid using force or threatening
to use force.
• The UN may not interfere in the domestic affairs
of any country.
• Countries should try to assist the United Nations.
Membership of the United Nations

• Article 4, UN Charter
– Substantive requirements
• state
• Peace loving
• accept obligations, able & willing
– Procedural requirements
• Security Council recommends
• General Assembly takes a decision
Under the charter, the United Nations has six organs-
1. The General Assembly
2. The Security Council
3. The Economic & Social Council
4. The Trusteeship council
5. The International Court of Justice &
6. The Secretariat
• All the member states are represented in the
General Assembly, each having one vote
The main functions of the General Assembly
are-
• To discuss the powers and functions of other
organs
• To elect ten non-permanent members of
security council
• To elect the Judges of the ICJ
• To admit new members &
• To appoint secretary General
• To pass the annual budget and programs of UN
 The security council
• It is mainly responsible for ensuring peace in the world
• It is composed of 15 members of which 5 are permanent
members and 10 are elected by the General Assembly
• The five permanent members are the USA, UK, Russia, China
and France
• The 10 permanent members are elected by the General
Assembly for two years and are not eligible for immediate re-
election
• Each member of the security council has one vote
• VETO-The approval of all the permanent members is
necessary on important matters. If any permanent member
casts a “veto” to show its disagreement then no decision can
be taken
 The Security Council(2)

The UN Charter gives the Security

Council primary responsibility for
maintaining international peace and
security.

The Council may convene at any time,

whenever peace is threatened. Under
the Charter, all Member States are
obligated to carry out the Council's
decisions.
 The Security Council(3)

There are 15 Council members.

Five of these — China, France,
the Russian Federation, the
United Kingdom and the United
States — are permanent
members. The other 10 are elected
by the General Assembly for two-
year terms.
 The Economic and Social council
• The Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC) is the UN’s welfare council,
which coordinates the economic and
social activities
• It seeks to build a world of greater
prosperity, stability and justice.
• It organizes major international
conferences and prepares draft
The Economic and Social Council (2)
The Economic and Social Council,
coordinates the economic and social work
of the United Nations and the UN family of
organizations.
As the central forum for discussing
international economic and social issues
and for formulating policy
recommendations, the Council plays a key
role in fostering international cooperation
for development.
 The Trusteeship Council
• the task of supervising the administration
of Trust Territories placed under the
Trusteeship System
Major Goals of the Council:
1. to promote the advancement of the
inhabitants of Trust Territories
2. To promote their progressive development
towards self-government or independence

INT 313 17
 The Secretariat
• An international staff working in duty stations around the world -
carries out the diverse day-to-day work of the Organization
Functions:
• To service the other principal organs of the United Nations
• To administers the programs and policies laid down by other bodies
of the Union
• To inform the world's communications media about the work of the
United Nations
• To organize international conferences on issues of worldwide concern
• To interpret speeches and translate documents into the Organization's
official languages
• administering peacekeeping operations
• mediating international disputes
• surveying economic and social trends and problems
• preparing studies on human rights and sustainable development
INT 313 18
 The Secretariat
Functions of the Secretary General:
1. To be the chief administrative officer of the
organization
2. To act as secretary to all major delegate bodies of
the UN
3. To perform functions assigned by the GA and three
Councils
4. To make an annual report to the GA on the work of
the organization
5. To appoint the secretary staff

INT 313 19
 The Secretariat
Powers of the Secretary General:
1. can bring to the Security Council any matter
that might threaten world peace
2. has the authority to serve as a neutral mediator
in international conflicts and to bring hostile
parties together to negotiate
3. works to build consensus among the five
permanent members of the Security Council

INT 313 20
 Specialized Agencies of the UN
Autonomous organizations joined to the UN
through special agreements
•ILO (International Labour Organization)
•FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the
UN)
•UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization)
•WHO (World Health Organization)
•World Bank group

INT 313 21
 Specialized Agencies of the UN
• IMF (International Monetary Fund)
• ICAO (International Civil Aviation
Organization)
• UPU (Universal Postal Union)
• ITU (International Telecommunication Union)
• WMO (World Meteorological Organization)
• IMO (International Maritime Organization)

INT 313 22
 Criticism of UN:
1) There are no Muslim countries in the Security
Council.
2) Africa and Latin America do not have
representatives in the Security Council.
3) Economically powerful states like Japan and
Germany are not in the Security Council.
4) Important states like Brazil, Nigeria, and India want
to have a place in the Security Council.
5) Security Council is composed of the victorious
states of the Second World War.