FS This Is The UN 2013

Fact Sheet: THIS IS THE UNITED NATIONSThe Six Main OrgansWe the people of the United Nations determined tosave succeeding generations from the scourge ofwar, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrowto mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental humanrights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in theequal rights of men and women and of nations large andsmall, and to establish conditions under which justice andrespect for the obligations arising from treaties and othersources of international law can be maintained, and topromote social progress and better standards of life inlarger freedom, and for these ends to practice toleranceand live together in peace with one another as goodneighbours, and to unite our strength to maintaininternational peace and security, and to ensure, by theacceptance of principles and the institution of methods,that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for thepromotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, have resolved to combine our efforts toaccomplish these aims. Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in thecity of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to thepresent Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as theUnited Nations.The Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations(signed on 26 June 1945 by 51 Countries)The United Nations is an organizationof sovereign States, which voluntarily join theUN to work for world peace. It formally cameinto being on 24 October 1945. At that time,it had 51 countries as Members. Currently,193 countries are UN members; the mostrecent to join was South Sudan in July 2011.The UN is a forum, a meeting-place,for virtually all nations of the world.Itprovides them with the mechanism to helpfind solutions to disputes or problems, and toact on virtually any matter of concern tohumanity.Though sometimes described as a“parliament of nations”, the United Nations isneither a supra-State nor a government ofgovernments. It does not have an army boutaboutdoes it impose taxes. It depends on thepolitical will of its Members to have itsdecisionsimplementedandreliesoncontributions of its Members to carry out itsactivities.The United Nations plays a central rolein reducing international tensions, preventingconflicts and putting an end to fightingalready under way.It deals with ourenvironment, outer space, and the sea-bed.It has helped wipe out many diseases andexpand food production. It cares for andprotects refugees, expands literacy andresponds quickly to natural disasters. It alsoprotects and promotes rights of individuals bysetting a global standard for human rights.the United Nations: www.un.orgUN Member States: www.un.org/en/members/index.shtmlthe UN Charter www.un.org/en/documents/charter/index.shtmlUN Women: www.unwomen.org

THE SIX MAIN UN ORGANSThere are six main organs of theUnited Nations—the General Assembly, theSecurity Council, the Trusteeship Council, theEconomicandSocialCouncil,theInternational Court of Justice, and theSecretariat. The Court has its seat at TheHague, Netherlands. All other organs arebased at United Nations Headquarters in NewYork.While Headquarters in New Yorkserves as the principal nerve centre of theorganization, several important activities aredirected from offices located in centresaround the world. Meetings and various UNbodiesareoftenheldawayfromHeadquarters.The Economic and SocialCouncil, for example, rotates its regularannual session between and New York, andspecial committees of the General Assemblyhave frequently held meetings in manycountries around the world. Conferences ontopics such as population, food, theenvironment and human rights have beenheld in different parts of the world.The General AssemblyThe General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the United Nationscomprised of all Member States, each of which has one vote, no matter its size orinfluence. It may discuss any matter arising under the UN Charter. Decisions oninternational peace and security, admitting new Member States and the UN budgetare decided by a two-thirds majority. Other matters are decided by a simplemajority. In recent years, a specialeffort has been made to reachdecisions through consensus, ratherthan a formal vote. General Assemblyresolutions are only recommendationsto the Member States, but as theyrepresent the majority of the world’sview, they carry heavy moral weightand often lead countries to joininternationalagreementscalledtreaties, conventions, and protocols,etc., and, ultimately, have a positiveinfluence in the world.The Assembly’s session lasts ayear, starting in mid-September; thebusy season, during which time most resolutions are adopted, is from September toDecember. Special sessions may be requested by the Assembly, at the request ofthe Security Council, or at the request of a majority of UN Members.At the beginning of each regular session in September, the Assembly holds atwo-week general debate at which time heads of State present their views on a widerange of issues of concern to the international community, from war and terrorism todisease and poverty. Each year, the General Assembly elects a president whopresides over these meetings as a neutral party that represents the United Nations.The work of the Assembly is also carried out by its six main committees, theHuman Rights Council, other subsidiary bodies and the UN Secretariat. The six maincommittees of the General Assembly are: First Committee (Disarmament andInternational Security);Second Committee (Economic and Financial); ThirdCommittee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural); Fourth Committee (Special Politicaland Decolonization); Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary); and SixthCommittee org/en/ga/

The Security CouncilThe Security Council has aprimary responsibility under the UNCharter to maintain internationalpeace and security. Unlike the GeneralAssembly, the Security Council doesnot hold regular meetings. It can beconvened at any time, wheneverinternational peace is threatened. Infact, it meets almost every day.Member States are obligated tocarry out its decisions, which arelegally binding. When a threat topeace is brought before the Council, itusually first asks the parties to reachagreement by peaceful means. Iffighting breaks out, however, theCouncil tries to secure a ceasefirethrough negotiation, the establishmentof sanctions, or by authorizing the useof force, carried out by willing MemberStates. The Council may also decideto establish peacekeeping operationsto promote lasting peace.The Council has 15 members,including 5 permanent members:China, France, the Russian Federation,the United Kingdom, and the UnitedStates. At the end of World War II,these five countries played key roles inthe establishment of the UnitedNations. The creators of the UNCharter conceived that they wouldcontinue to play important roles in themaintenance of international peaceand security. The other 10 rotatingmembers are elected by the GeneralAssembly on the basis of geographicalrepresentation for two-year terms.To pass a resolution in theSecurity Council, 9 out of the 15members of the Council must vote“yes”, but if any of the 5 permanentmembers votes “no” — often referredto as a veto — the resolution does notpass.The Council also makesrecommendations to the GeneralAssembly on the appointment of a newSecretary-Generalandontheadmission of new members to the UN.Many countries want to expand themembership of the Council to includenew permanent and non-permanentmembers.Theseproposalsarecurrently being discussed by theMember States of the United Nations.Learn more about the UN Security Council: www.un.org/en/sc/The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the central body for coordinating the economic and social work of the United Nations and the UN System. TheCouncil has 54 members which are chosenfor equal geographical representation andserve a three-year term. Voting in theCouncil is by simple majority; each memberhas one vote.As much as 70 per cent of the workof the UN system is devoted to promotinghigher standards of living, full employment,and conditions of economic and socialprogress and development. The Councilrecommends and directs activities aimed at

promoting economic growth of developing countries, supporting human rights andfostering world cooperation to fight poverty and under-development.To meet specific needs, the General Assembly has set up a number ofspecialized agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) and the UN Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO), and programmes such as the UN Development Programme(UNDP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the UN HighCommissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The work of these agencies and programmesis coordinated by ECOSOC.Learn more about the UN Economic and Social Council: www.un.org/en/ecosoc/The Trusteeship CouncilThe Trusteeship Council wasassigned under the UN Charter tosupervise the administration of 11Trust Territories—former colonies ternationalTrusteeship System. The system wascreated at the end of the World War IIto promote the advancement of rogressivedevelopment towards self-governanceor independence.Since the creation of theTrusteeship Council, more than 70colonial Territories, including all 11TrustTerritories,haveattainedindependence with the help of theUnited Nations.The last TrustTerritory to become independent wasPalau in 1994, and, as a result, theCouncil decided formally to suspend itsoperation and to meet as and whenoccasion might require.TheTrusteeshipCounciliscomprised of the permanent membersof the Security Council—China, France,the Russian Federation, the UnitedKingdom and the United States. Eachmember has one vote, and decisionsare made by a simple majority.Learn more about the UN Trusteeship Council: www.un.org/en/decolonization/The International Court of JusticeThe International Court of Justice (ICJ) is theUN’s main judicial organ, located in The Hague,Netherlands. Established in 1945, the ICJ, or “WorldCourt” assumed its functions in 1946.The Court settles legal disputes only betweennations and not between individuals, in accordancewith international law. If a country does not wish totake part in a proceeding, it does not have to do so,unless required by special treaty provisions. Once acountry accepts the Court’s jurisdiction, it mustcomply with its decision.Since 1946, the International Court of Justicehas considered over 150 cases and issued numerousjudgments on international disputes brought to it bystates involving economic rights, environmental