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United Nations

Overview

The United Nations, with headquarters in New York City, is the central organization in a sea of governmental and nongovernmental international organizations. While the efficiency of the UN is highly disputed, it remains the key and most recognizable institution for all things related to international affairs and global governance.

Background

The United Nations is the current attempt at international organization and global governance. Following the failure of the League of Nations, which was created following the First World War to prevent a second, the "Big Three" -- Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Josef Stalin -- planned throughout for the post-war order. The United Nations would be the key political organization to maintain the peace and promote international cooperation following the war.

In 1945, representatives from fifty countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization. The delegates finished the creation of the UN Charter, which came into effect on October 24, 1945 when it was ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States -- permanent members of the Security Council -- and a majority of other signatories.

The functions of the United Nations, other than international peace and security, were overshadowed by the Cold War. Since the end of the Cold War, such concerns as terrorism, human rights, democratization, and development have been able to be more fully addressed. Still, there is a major push for expansive UN reform to meet the challenges of a new era.

There is a popular myth that the United Nations is attempting to serve as a world government. This is false. The UN exists to protect the sovereignty of its member states, not to legislate to them. In fact, all international law -- which is pointed at as a major weakness to some -- is entirely voluntary. The purposes of the United Nations is clearly established in its charter, which are to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," to promote fundamental human rights, to establish conditions for the promotion of justice and obedience to international law, to promote the standard of life and social progress, to promote tolerance and peace in the international community, to maintain international peace and security, to ensure that armed force isn't used save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all people.

The UN serves as an umbrella for a host of programs and agencies, however the six principle organs of the institution are the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice, and Secretariat.

General Assembly

As its name suggests, the General Assembly is the closest thing to a world forum. Of all six major organs, the General Assembly is the only one where every member country is represented. The Assembly acts to coordinate and supervise the functions of all other UN agencies, programs, and organs. Its complicated agenda proves difficult to tackle each year during the three-month long session, from September to December.

The powers of the General Assembly are not limited to supervise and coordinate the actions of the UN. It has power to discuss and recommend action on any topic. It determines the budget. It elects the nonpermanent members of the Security Council, all members of the Economic and Social Council, and the non-administering members of the Trusteeship Council who are not also permanent members of the Security Council. It selects, along with the Security Council, the judges who serve on the International Court of Justice, appoints the Secretary-General on recommendation from the Security Council, and works with the Security Council in the admittance of new members to the UN. It oversees the controversial new reincarnation of discredited Commission the Human Rights -- the Human Rights Council. The Assembly also has power to propose amendments, which must be ratified by two-thirds of the member states and all of the permanent members of the Security Council. Finally, it has power to call a general conference for Charter revision.

Security Council

The Security Council is the body invested with the mandate to help "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" and promote international peace and security. Consisting of fifteen members, the Security Council is the body that has power to authorize military force and peacekeeping operations. Such action must be by majority vote as well as unanimous affirmation by the five permanent members of the Council -- the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, and the People's Republic of China. The ten other seats rotate between countries, with five seats reserved for Africa and Asia, two for Latin America, one for Eastern Europe, and two for Western Europe and other states. The Security Council also handles such issues as terrorism and nuclear proliferation.

As noted above, the Security Council acts jointly with the General Assembly in the selection of judges for the International Court of Justice, appointment of the Secretary-General, and admittance of new UN members. The Security Council also had responsibility to monitor strategic trust territories through the Trusteeship Council. Other trust territories were left to supervision by the General Assembly. It is a continuous body, capable of meeting on any given day.

Economic and Social Council

This fifty-four member council was one of the original six organs at the UN's inception. Members are elected by the General Assembly for three-year terms. While no state has permanent membership, as a matter of practicality, every permanent member of the Security Council, except for the People's Republic of China, have been reelected regularly.

ECOSOC's broad mandate is to promote the welfare of all people on earth. More than three-fourths of the UN's budget is spent in support of economic and social programs.

The Economic and Social Council has power to deliberate and recommend action on such topics as human rights, refugees, economic and social development, culture, education, health, food supply, trade and transportation, population, narcotics, housing, labor conditions, global environment, and communications. More recently, ECOSOC has been heavily involved with developing nations. ECOSOC also serves an essential function in a variety of research studies and reports. Such reports include the World Economic Survey, the Report on the World Social Situation, the United Nations Statistical Yearbook, the United Nations Demographic Yearbook, and the United Nations Yearbook on Human Rights. Specialized agencies carry on extensive research and ECOSOC acts as a clearinghouse and coordinator.

Trusteeship Council

Inactive since 1994, the Trusteeship Council was one of the original six organs of the UN authorized to supervise non-self-governing territories designated as trust territories, the reincarnation of the League of Nation's mandate system, whereby developing countries could be eased into self-rule. While the administration of each territory was under the purview of a specific state, the Trusteeship Council supervised their governance, which was in turn under supervision of the General Assembly and, theoretically, the Security Council in the case of strategic territories.

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice is composed of fifteen judges appointed by the General Assembly and the Security Council. No two judges may be of the same nationality as the Court is designed to represent each of the principal legal systems of the world. Each judge serves for nine years, with no limit on reappointment. The ICJ's headquarters is the Hague, Netherlands.

If there is not a judge of the nationality of one of the parties of any particular case, a judge from that nation may be appointed for that case. Submission to the ICJ is voluntary, but once a case is determined, the Court's decisions are binding. In addition to hearing cases, the ICJ can advise on legal questions.

Secretariat

The Secretariat is the UN's body of international civil servants under the direction of the Secretary-General. It is not staffed by delegates, it consists of full-time employees whose work is serving the entire membership and promoting the United Nations' goals. They must maintain neutrality in their offices.

The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly upon recommendation by the Security Council. Following precedent set by the first Secretary-General, he or she serves for five years. The greatest challenge in appointing a Secretary-General is having the five permanent members of the Security Council agree, as each has power to veto the process. Because of this, the Secretary-General is often chosen from an underdeveloped country, or at least not a great power.

The Secretary-General is the chief administrative officer, performs work assigned by the General Assembly and the three councils, makes an annual report to the General Assembly on the UN, and appoints the secretariat staff.

Links/Contact

- United Nations Website
- United Nations System Website
- United Nations System Chart
- United States Mission to the United Nations
- United Nations Charter

- Contact the US Mission to the UN
- Contact the US Department of State
- Find and contact your representative

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