What is ‘United Nations – UN’
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization formed in 1945 to increase political and economic cooperation among its member countries.
Established on October 24, 1945. The United Nations (UN) was the second multi-purpose international organization established in the 20th century that was worldwide in scope and membership.
The United Nations (UN) was formed as a result of the Second World War as a way to reduce international tensions.
Promote human rights and reduce the possibility of other large-scale conflicts. It is a successor to the League of Nations.
A body dedicated to international cooperation that was formed in 1920, but found itself unable to prevent the outbreak of war in Europe and Asia in the 1930s. The United States never joined the League of Nations.
Like most organizations, the UN was formed in order to fulfill certain goals and purposes.
Article I of the Charter of the United Nations specifies the purposes of the UN. The Charter of the United Nations (United Nations Charter) is the governing document of the United Nations, as is the Constitution of the United States of America.
The UN establishes 4 main purposes:
Maintaining peace and security around the world Developing relationships between nations Fostering cooperation between nations to solve international economic, social, cultural or humanitarian problems Providing a forum to unite countries to fulfill the purposes and objectives of the UN
The phrase of the United Nations
The phrase «United Nations» was first used by the president Franklin D Roosevelt in the 1942 United Nations Declaration to describe the group of countries that signed the declaration.
The United Nations Declaration was a pledge by twenty-six nations to fight together as the Allied Powers against the Axis Powers during World War II.
The Axis Powers was a coalition of countries in the Second World War headed by Germany, Italy and Japan.
Two months after the end of World War II, representatives of the Allied Powers and twenty-four other countries met in San Francisco for the United Nations Conference on International Organization.
The sole purpose of the conference was to draft the Charter of the United Nations. On June 26, 1945, the Charter of the United Nations was signed by 51 countries, including Polandwho did not attend the conference but which was signed later.
Soon after the formation of the United Nations, other countries began to join.
After the ratification of the United Nations Charter, the remaining members of the League of Nations met and voted unanimously to transfer all their assets to the United Nations and formally dissolve the League of Nations.
Birth of the United Nations: when, where and why
The Charter of the United Nations was signed at a conference in San Francisco in June 1945, led by four countries: Great Britain, China, the Soviet Union, and the United States.
When the Charter entered into force on October 24 of that year, a global war had just ended. Much of Africa and Asia was still ruled by the colonial powers.
After fierce negotiations, 50 nations agreed to a Charter that begins, «We the peoples of the United Nations.»
Why is that opening line notable? Because today, the United Nations may, for some, serve the narrow national interests of its 193 member countries, especially the most powerful ones, and not ordinary citizens.
Nearly every country in the world is represented at the United Nations, including the US, which provides about a fifth of the organization’s funding as of 2016.
Some states lack membership despite exercising de facto sovereignty, either because the majority of the international community does not recognize them as independent. (northern cyprus, somaliland, Abkhazia), or because one or more powerful Member States have blocked their admission (taiwan, Kosovo).
Members
There are 193 members of the United Nations. The United States recognizes 195 countries. The two that are not members of the UN are Kosovo and the Holy See.
Russia it will not allow Kosovo to become a member because it still considers it a province of Serbia. The Holy See has not applied for membership, although it has «permanent observer» status.
The United Nations granted Palestine «permanent observer» status, despite the fact that the United States considers it part of Israel. China replaced taiwanwhich he now considers a province.
All peace-loving countries that are willing and able to fulfill their obligations under the United Nations Charter can join the UN. All members of the Security Council must approve.
Structure
The UN is made up of five main organs: the UN General Assembly, the UN Secretariat, the International Court of Justice, the UN Security Council, and the UN Economic and Social Council. A sixth, the UN Trusteeship Council, has been inactive since 1994.
The UN General Assembly is the main deliberative body of the UN, where all members have equal representation.
It is headquartered in the city of NY and its responsibilities include setting the UN budget. Appoint rotating members to the Security Council and pass non-binding resolutions expressing the views of the international community.
The UN Secretariat is the executive wing of the UN, charged with implementing policies set by its deliberative bodies.
Its boss, the Secretary General, is the chief official of the UN. The Secretariat, which is based in the city of NYincludes the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which sends UN soldiers, known as «blue helmets», on missions authorized by the Security Council.
Hague
The International Court of Justice has its headquarters in Hague and has two main functions: resolving disputes submitted by member states in accordance with international law and issuing advisory opinions on legal issues submitted by UN agencies.
The most powerful members of the UN – the USA, Russia and China– they have not joined the court, so their citizens are not bound by their decisions unless the Security Council votes to make them; since all three countries have veto power in the Security Council, that is almost impossible.
Most of the court’s high-profile cases have focused on African heads of state, prompting several African states to withdraw from their jurisdiction or threaten to do so.
The UN Security Council is in charge of maintaining international security. It authorizes peacekeeping missions, accepts new UN members, and approves changes to the UN charter.
The structure of the Security Council allows a few powerful member states to dominate the UN: Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China and the USA they have permanent seats on the Council and enjoy veto power.
the seats
The other 10 Security Council seats rotate on a staggered two-year schedule; as of 2017 they are occupied by Egypt, Senegal, Ethiopia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Uruguay, Bolivia, Sweden, Italy, and Ukraine.
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations coordinates the activities of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations.
These include the Food and Agriculture Organization, which leads efforts to improve food security; the International Atomic Energy Agency, which tries to ensure compliance with nuclear non-proliferation agreements.
The International Labor Organization, which promotes the interests of workers; and the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), two of the Bretton Woods institutions, which were founded to underpin international financial stability.
UN economy
The UN buys American goods and services, employs Americans, and benefits local New York City businesses. A UN study shows that for every $1 invested by the United States in the UN, it receives $1.50 in return.
Peacekeeping operations, UN agencies, and the renovation of the UN headquarters alone added approximately $3.5 billion to the United States economy.
The UN has contracted US companies to support US troops on peacekeeping missions in Haiti, Lebanon, Sudan and Liberia. In 2009, this amounted to $319 million.
The United Nations Development Program does business with more than 1,800 US suppliers.
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