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What is the UN?
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization founded in 1945. It is
currently made up of 193 Member States.
Its mission and work guided by the purposes and principles contained in its
founding Charter and implemented by its various organs and specialised
agencies.
Its activities include maintaining international peace and security, protecting
human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable
development and upholding international law.
What is the History of UN Foundation?
▪ In 1899, the International Peace Conference was held in The Hague to
elaborate instruments for settling crises peacefully, preventing wars and
codifying rules of warfare.
o It adopted the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International
Disputes and established the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which
began work in 1902. This court was the forerunner of UN International
Court of Justice.
▪ The forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations, an
organization conceived in circumstances of the First World War, and
established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles "to promote international
cooperation and to achieve peace and security."
o The International Labour Organization (ILO) was also created in 1919
under the Treaty of Versailles as an affiliated agency of the League.
▪ The name "United Nations", coined by United States President Franklin D.
Roosevelt. A document called The Declaration by United Nations was signed
in 1942 by 26 nations, pledging their Governments to continue fighting
together against the Axis Powers (Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis) and bound them
against making a separate peace.
▪ United Nations Conference on International Organization (1945)
o Conference held in San Francisco (USA), was attended by representatives
of 50 countries and signed the United Nations Charter.
▪ The UN Charter of 1945 is the foundational treaty of the United Nations, as
an inter-governmental organization.
What are the Components of the UN?
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The main organs of the UN are
1. the General Assembly,
2. the Security Council,
3. the Economic and Social Council,
4. the Trusteeship Council,
5. the International Court of Justice,
6. and the UN Secretariat.
All the 6 were established in 1945 when the UN was founded.
1. United Nations GeneralAssembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; is one of the six
principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative,
policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its 78th session, its
powers, composition, functions, and procedures are set out in Chapter IV of the
United Nations Charter.
Powers and functions of the un general assembly:
✓
The UNGA is responsible for the UN budget, appointing the non-
permanent members to the Security Council, appointing the UN
secretary-general, receiving reports from other parts of the UN system,
and making recommendations through resolutions.[1]
✓
It also establishes numerous subsidiary organs to advance or assist in its
broad mandate.[2]
✓ The UNGA is the only UN organ where all member states have equal
representation.
✓ The General Assembly meets under its President or the UN secretary-
general in annual sessions at the General Assembly Building, within
the UN headquarters in New York City.
✓
The primary phase of these meetings generally runs from September
through part of January until all issues are addressed, which is often
before the next session starts.[3]
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✓ It can also reconvene for special and emergency special sessions. The first
session was convened on 10 January 1946 in the Methodist Central
Hall in London and included representatives of the 51 founding nations.
✓ Most questions are decided in the General Assembly by a simple majority.
Each member country has one vote. Voting on certain important
questions—namely recommendations on peace and security; budgetary
concerns; and the election, admission, suspension, or expulsion of
members—is by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting.
✓ Apart from the approval of budgetary matters, including the adoption of
a scale of assessment, Assembly resolutions are not binding on the
members.
✓ The Assembly may make recommendations on any matters within the
scope of the UN, except matters of peace and security under the Security
Council's consideration.
✓ During the 1980s, the Assembly became a forum for "North-South
dialogue" between industrialized nations and developing countries on a
range of international issues.
✓ These issues came to the fore because of the phenomenal growth and
changing makeup of the UN membership. In 1945, the UN had 51
members, which by the 21st century nearly quadrupled to 193, of which
more than two-thirds are developing countries.
✓ Because of their numbers, developing countries are often able to
determine the agenda of the Assembly (using coordinating groups like
the G77), the character of its debates, and the nature of its decisions. For
many developing countries, the UN is the source of much of their
diplomatic influence and the principal outlet for their foreign relations
initiatives.
✓ Although the resolutions passed by the General Assembly do not have the
binding forces over the member nations (apart from budgetary
measures), pursuant to its Uniting for Peace resolution of November
1950 (resolution 377 (V)), the Assembly may also take action if the
Security Council fails to act, owing to the negative vote of a permanent
member, in a case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach
of the peace or act of aggression. The Assembly can consider the matter
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immediately with a view to making recommendations to Members for
collective measures to maintain or restore international peace and
security.[4]
✓ Consider and make recommendations on the general principles of
cooperation for maintaining international peace and security, including
disarmament
✓ Discuss any question relating to international peace and security and,
except where a dispute or situation is currently being discussed by the
Security Council, make recommendations on it
✓ Discuss, with the same exception, and make recommendations on any
questions within the scope of the Charter or affecting the powers and
functions of any organ of the United Nations
✓ Initiate studies and make recommendations to promote international
political cooperation, the development and codification of international
law, the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and
international collaboration in the economic, social, humanitarian, cultural,
educational and health fields
✓ Make recommendations for the peaceful settlement of any situation that
might impair friendly relations among countries
✓ Consider reports from the Security Council and other United Nations
organs
✓ The Assembly may also take action in cases of a threat to the peace, breach
of peace or act of aggression, when the Security Council has failed to act
owing to the negative vote of a permanent member. In such instances,
according to its “Uniting for peace” resolution of 3 November 1950, the
Assembly may consider the matter immediately and recommend to its
Members collective measures to maintain or restore international peace
and security.
2. Security Council
It is the principcl organ of the united nation
▪ It has primary responsibility, under the UN Charter, for the maintenance of
international peace and security.
▪ Composition:
▪ The Security Council is made up of fifteen member states, consisting of five
permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the
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United States—and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms
by the General Assembly on a regional basis.
o In January 2022, the UNSC got five new non permanent
members (Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates)
after Estonia, Niger, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam
finished their terms.
o Albania is joining for the first time while Brazil is taking an 11 th turn.
Gabon and Ghana each have been on the council three times before and
the UAE once.
o India, for the eighth time, entered the UNSC as a non-permanent
member in 2021 and is on the council for two years i.e 2021-22.
▪ "Veto power" refers to the power of the permanent member to veto (Reject)
any resolution of Security Council.
▪ The council meets generally at head quarters
▪ Functions of the security council:
▪ Functions of the security council may be divided into three broad categories:
▪ 1)maintenance of international peace and security
▪ To maintain international peace and security is the primary responsibility of
the security council.
▪ The council performs the functions relating to the maintenance of
international peace and security in two ways.i,e., by peaceful means and by
taking enforcement actions.
▪ I)by peaceful means.
▪ i. to call upon the parties to settle the dispute peacefully
▪ the council shall when it deems necessary,call upon the parties to settle their
disputes by those peaceful means ,which are
negotiation,enquiry,mediation,conciliation, arbitration,judicial
settlement,etc.
ii)investigation of the disputes
the term investigation is a broad term and it includes the power to study the
documentssubmitted, to hear the parties or to collect evidence, and to appoint
a committee or committees to find facts with the objects of coming to a
conclusion whether or not it has any jurisdiction in the given dispute.
iii)recommendations for the appropriate procedures or methods of
adjustment.
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iv)recommendation for the terms of settlement
b)by taking enforcement action:
once the council has determined that there is a threat to peace or breach of the
peace or an act of aggression has been committed,it is empowered to take
enforcement action.
i) Measuring involving non-use of force:
2,miscellaneous functions
Besides performing its main responsibility for maintaining international peace
and security, the council performs a number of other functions which has been
conferred to it under the charter.
3) Functions in Relation to International Court of Justice:
The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United
Nations. The Court performs its functions in accordance with the provisions of
the Statute which is an integral part of the Charter. The Security Council has
been given a number of functions to perform either by the Charter or by the
Statute in relation to the International Court of Justice which are as follows
(a) The Security Council and the Assembly elect the judges of the Court
simultaneously but independently of one another,
(b) The Council is empowered to recommend the General Assembly the
conditions on which a State not belonging to the United Nations may become a
party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice;
(c) If a party to a case fails to perform the obligations incumbent upon it under
a judgment rendered by the Court, Council may, at the appeal of the other party,
make recommendations or decide upon measure to be taken to give effect to
(d) The Council recommends to the General Assembly the conditions for non-
members of the United Nations participating in the election of the judges.
(e) The Council lays down the conditions, under which the Court shall be open
to non-parties to the Statute,
(f) The Council recommends to the General Assembly conditions for
Goverment's violent response to the Libyan Civil War
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▪ 3. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
▪ It is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and
recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as
implementation of internationally agreed development goals.
▪ It has 54 Members, elected by the General Assembly for overlapping three-
year terms.
▪ It is the United Nations’ central platform for reflection, debate, and
innovative thinking on sustainable development.
▪ Each year, ECOSOC structures its work around an annual theme of global
importance to sustainable development. This ensures focused
attention, among ECOSOC’s array of partners, and throughout the UN
development system.
▪ It coordinates the work of the 14 UN specialized agencies, ten functional
commissions and five regional commissions, receives reports from nine UN
funds and programmes and issues policy recommendations to the UN
system and to Member States.
UN bodies within the purview of the ECOSOC:
▪ Specialized agencies ▪ Ad hoc bodies
o International labour o Ad Hoc Open-ended
Organization (ILO) Working Group on
o Food and Agriculture Informatics
Organization of the ▪ Expert bodies composed of
United Nations (FAO) governmental experts
o United Nations o Committee of Experts on
Educational, Scientific the Transport of
and Cultural Dangerous Goods and on
Organization (UNESCO) the Globally Harmonized
o World Health System of Classification
Organization (WHO) and Labelling of Chemicals.
o World Bank Group o United Nations Group of
Experts on Geographical
o International Monetary Names
Fund (IMF)
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o International Civil ▪ Expert bodies composed of
Aviation Organization members serving in their
(ICAO) personal capacity
o International Maritime o Committee for
Organization (IMO) Development Policy
o International o Meeting of Experts on the
Telecommunication United Nations
Union (ITU) Programme in Public
o Universal Postal Union Administration and
(UPU) Finance
o World Meteorological o Ad Hoc Group of Experts
Organization (WMO) on International
Cooperation in Tax
o World Intellectual Matters
Property Organization
(WIPO) o Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights
o International Fund for
Agricultural o Committee on Energy and
Development (IFAD) Natural Resources for
Development
o United Nations
Industrial Development o Permanent Forum on
Organization (UNIDO) Indigenous Issues
o World Tourism ▪ Related bodies
Organization (WTO) o International Narcotics
▪ Functional commissions Control Board
o Statistical Commission o Board of Trustees of the
International Research
o Commission on and Training Institute for
Population and the Advancement of
Development Women
o Commission for Social o Committee for the United
Development Nations Population Award
o Commission on Human o Programme Coordination
Rights Board of the Joint United
o Commission on the Nations Programme on
Status of Women HIV/AIDS
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o Commission on o Funds and programmes
Narcotic Drugs which send reports to
o Commission on Crime ECOSOC
Prevention and o United Nations Children’s
Criminal Justice Fund (UNICEF)
o Commission on Science o United Nations Conference
and Technology for on Trade and Development
Development (UNCTAD)
o Commission on o United Nations
Sustainable Development Fund for
Development Women
o United Nations Forum o United Nations
on Forests Development Programme
▪ Regional Commissions (UNDP)
o Economic Commission o United Nations
for Africa (ECA) Environment Programme
(UNEP)
o Economic and Social
Commission for Asia o Office of the United
and the Pacific (ESCAP) Nations High
Commissioner for
o Economic Commission Refugees (UNHCR)
for Europe (ECE)
o United Nations Population
o Economic Commission Fund (UNFPA)
for Latin America and
the Caribbean (ECLAC) o United Nations Relief and
Works Agency for
o Economic and Social Palestine Refugees in the
Commission for Near East (UNRWA)
Western Asia (ESCWA)
o Office for Drug Control and
▪ Standing Committees Crime Prevention (ODCCP)
o Committee for o World Food Programme
Programme and (WFP)
Coordination
o UN-HABITAT
o Commission on Human
Settlements
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o Committee on Non-
Governmental
Organizations
o Committee on
Negotiations with
Intergovernmental
Agencies
o Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources
4. Trusteeship Council
▪ It was established in 1945 by the UN Charter, under Chapter XIII.
▪ Trust territory is a non-self-governing territory placed under an
administrative authority by the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations.
▪ A League of Nations mandate was a legal status for certain territories
transferred from the control of one country to another following World War
I, or the legal instruments that contained the internationally agreed-upon
terms for administering the territory on behalf of the League of Nations.
▪ United Nations trust territories were the successors of the remaining League
of Nations mandates, and came into being when the League of Nations
ceased to exist in 1946.
▪ It had to provide international supervision for 11 Trust Territories that had
been placed under the administration of seven Member States, and ensure
that adequate steps were taken to prepare the Territories for self-
government and independence.
▪ By 1994, all Trust Territories had attained self-government or
independence. The Trusteeship Council suspended operation on 1
November 1994.
5. International Court of Justice (ICJ)
▪ The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United
Nations. It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United
Nations and began work in April 1946.
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▪ The ICJ is the successor of the Permanent Court of International Justice
(PCIJ), which was established by the League of Nations in 1920.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ;)
✓ The International Court of Justice (ICJ;) also called the World Court, is the
only international court that adjudicates general disputes between
nations, and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues. It is
one of the six organs of the United Nations (UN),[2] and is located in The
Hague, Netherlands.
✓ The ICJ is the successor of the Permanent Court of International
Justice (PCIJ), which was established in 1920 by the League of Nations.
After the Second World War, the League and the PCIJ were replaced by
the United Nations and ICJ, respectively
✓ All member states of the UN are party to the ICJ Statute
✓ The ICJ consists of a panel of 15 judges elected by the UN General
Assembly and Security Council for nine-year terms
✓ No more than one judge of each nationality may be represented on court
at thSeated in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICJ is the
only principal UN organ not located in New York City.[3] Its
official working languages are English and French.e same time
Composition
The ICJ is composed of fifteen judges elected to nine-year terms by the UN
General Assembly and the UN Security Council from a list of people nominated
by the national groups in the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Jurisdiction of International Court of Justice (ICJ)
A number of cases seek the aid of ICJ over their matters but the jurisdiction of
the ICJ is often put under questions.
Landmark cases before International Court of Justice (ICJ)
ICJ has dealt with a number of cases right from its establishment and have given
landmark judgments in the process. Some of them are listed below:
Corfu Channel Case (1947-49)
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It dealt with state liability for maritime damages. This case also discussed the
theory of innocent passage. In this case, two British Warships had collided with
mines in the Corfu Channel in Albanian Sea which resulted in loss and
destruction to both life and property. In response to this, the British Navy did a
search operation without Albania’s approval in the Albanian sea and also
sought for reparations from Albania for the loss incurred. Albania however
counter-claimed that the UK had violated its territorial seas.
Decision of the ICJ
Albania had to reimburse the UK for the loss of life and property and was held
liable on the grounds that it had continued surveillance of the Channel and
therefore such an incident should have been averted.
SS Lotus Case (1926)
This case enabled the states to act in any way they wished for as long as the act
did not violate any explicit prohibition. This therefore laid the foundation of
international law. This case was a criminal trial wherein a crash between a
French steamship and a Turkish vessel resulted in 8 members of the Turkish
vessel drowning to their death. The question before the court was whether
Turkish courts had the power or the authority to trial the French officer who
was on duty at the time of crash.
Decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Two principles emerged from this case after France’s claim was rejected that
cited that the nation whose flag flew over the ship should have the jurisdiction.
1. The first principle states that unless a nation is authorised by
international treaties or laws, it cannot exercise its jurisdictions outside
its defined borders.
2. The second principle states that a nation is free to exercise its
jurisdictional powers inside its territories to any extent, even without
being empowered by an international law.
Nicaragua v. United States of America (1986)
This case is one of the most famous examples of the enforcement powers of the
ICJ and the UN. In this case, the Court had ruled that the U.S had supported the
rebel groups in Nicaragua as covert-war efforts against the then Nicaraguan
government which was a violation of the International Law. The Court ordered
the US to pay war reparations to Nicaragua but the US refused to do so and also
pulled out from the compulsory jurisdiction. When Nicaragua approached the
UNSC for enforcement of the ICJ order, the US vetoed the enforcement action.
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6. Secretariat
▪ The Secretariat is another organ of the United Nations. It is the
administrative wing of the organization. The Secretariat is
headquartered in New York, in the United States of America and its
administrative head is officially called the Secretary-General.
▪ The Secretariat comprises the Secretary-General and tens of thousands
of international UN staff members who carry out the day-to-day work of the
UN as mandated by the General Assembly and the Organization's other
principal organs.
▪ The Secretary-General is chief administrative officer of the Organization,
appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security
Council for a five-year, renewable term.
o The UNGA has also appointed Antonio Guterres as the ninth UN Secretary
General (UNSG) for a second term beginning 1st January, 2022 and ending
on 31st December, 2026.
▪ UN staff members are recruited internationally and locally, and work in duty
stations and on peacekeeping missions all around the world
▪ FUNCTIONS OF THE SECRETARIAT
▪ Correspondence
It is the function of the Secretariat to receive all correspondence of the
organization and also to respond where appropriate, to such
correspondence.
Administrative work
▪ It is the responsibility of the Secretariat to perform every
administrative work of the United Nations. It undertakes the day-to-
day running of the affairs of the organization. This includes, but is not
limited to the preparation of the agenda for meetings of the
organization.
▪ Annual Reports
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▪ One of the functions of the Secretariat is to prepare the organization's
annual report. The annual report is a detailed chronicle of the
activities of the organization in the previous twelve months.
▪ Annual Budget
▪ Another function of the Secretariat is to prepare the annual budget of
the organization. It is the budget that determines how money would
be raised to implement the various activities of the secretariat in the
ensuing year.
▪ Programmes Implementation
▪ After other organs of the United Nations have formulated their
programmes and policies, it is the Secretariat that implements them.
So another function of the Secretariat is to implement programmes
and policies.
▪ Research work
▪ The Secretariat undertakes research into issues such as human rights,
disarmament, diseases and development. Based on the research, a
report is sent to the appropriate organ or agency for the necessary
action to be taken.
