A brief introduction about the formation and structure of united nations

1. UNITED NATIONS
Mohamed Afrar

2. What isUN?
• An international organization designed to make the
enforcement of international law, security, human
rights, economic and social progress easier for
countries around the world
• 193 member countries
• Headquarters in NewYork

3. WorldWar I
 July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918
 Immediate cause was the assassination ofAustria’s
Archduke Ferdinand.
 In total, 30 countries were involved in the conflict.
 Over 9 million soldiers had been killed, and another 21
million wounded.
 Around 11% of the population of France was killed or
wounded during the war. About 116,000 Americans
were killed.

4. WorldWar II
 The most destructive conflict in history.
 It is estimated that 1.5 million children died during the
Holocaust.Approximately 1.2 million of them were
Jewish.
 As many as 12,000 Jews were killed everyday
 First Atomic Bomb ever made was created duringWW2

5. History
 The League of Nations was the predecessor to the UN,
it was founded in 1919 and was responsible for
ensuring peace and cooperation between world
nations
 DuringWorldWar II, the League of Nations was
eliminated because it failed to prevent another war
 Post WWII –Yalta Conference
 Dumbarton Oaks (1944) – Reps of China, the Soviet
Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States

6. HistoryCont.
 The UN was founded on October 24, 1945, when the
Charter of the UN was drafted at the UN Conference on
International Organization in San Francisco
 The conference was attended by 50 nations and several
non governmental organizations

7. Purposes of
theUN
 To maintain international peace and settle disputes.
 To develop the principle of equal rights and self-
determination of peoples.
 To solve international social, economic, and
humanitarian problems and promote human rights and
fundamental freedoms.
 To be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations to
achieve these common goals.

8. Principles of
theUN
 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.

9. Structure of
theUN
 General Assembly
 Security Council
 Secretariat
 Economic and Social Council
 Court of Justice

10. General
Assembly
 Purpose: Open, Deliberative forum
 Membership:
 All member nations (193)
 1 vote per delegation
 2/3rd vote to pass resolutions/mandates
 Function/Powers:
 Elect members of other organs
 Debate issues and make recommendations
 Approve budget and spending
 Suspend or revoke membership

11. General
Assembly
Committees
 Disarmament and International Security Committee
 Economic and Financial Committee
 Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee
 Special Political and Decolonization Committee
 Administrative and Budgetary Committee
 Legal Committee

12. Security
Council
 Purpose: Maintain peace and security
 Membership:
 5 permanent members
 10 non-perm members (elected 2 year terms by GA)
 9/15 votes to take action, including all 5 perm
 Functions/Powers:
 Investigate and mediate disputes (binding sessions)
 Apply political and economic sanctions
 Take military action when necessary

13. Secretariat
 Purpose: Carry out daily operations
 Membership:
 Secretary General – 5 years
 ~50K+ workers in various agencies and offices
 Functions/Powers:
 Administer programs and policies
 Create press releases

14. Economic and
SocialCouncil
 Purpose: Promote higher standard of living, economic
and social progress
 Membership:
 54 members – regional representation
 3 year teams
 1 vote per nation
 Functions/Powers:
 Formulate policy
 Discuss & initiate studies concerning econ/soc issues
 Call international summits

15. International
Court of
Justice
 Purpose: Settle disputes of international law
 Membership:
 15 Justices (independent once selected)
 9 year terms
 Peace Palace (The Hague, Amsterdam)
 Functions/Powers:
 Nations submitting disputes agree to decisions
 Advise organs on legal questions

16. Trusteeship
Council
 Purpose: Oversee “trust territories”
(11 nations w/out govt followingWW2)
 Membership: 5 perm Security Nations
 Function: None, all territories est self-govt eventually

17. Specialized
Agencies of
UN
 International Labour Organisation
 Food and Agriculture Organisation
 United Nations, Educational, Scientific And Cultural
Organisation
 World Health Organisation
 World Bank
 International Monetary Fund
 International Civil Aviation Organisation
 Universal Postal Union

18. Specialized
Agencies of
UN
 InternationalTelecommunication Union
 International Maritime Organisation
 World Meteorological Organisation
 World Intellectual Property Organisation
 International Fund ForAgricultural Development
 Un Industrial Development Organisation
 International Atomic Energy Agency
 WorldTrade Organisation

19. Specialized
Bodies ofUN
 United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF)
 UN Conference onTrade and Development (UNCTAD)
 UN Development Programme (UNDP)
 UN Institute forTraining and Research (UNITAR)
 UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
 UN University (UNU)
 World Food Council (WFC)
 United NationsVolunteers (UNV)

20. Specialized
Bodies ofUN
 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
 United Nations Office On Drugs And Crime (UNODC)
 UN Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT)
 United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
 United Nations Research Institute for Social
Development (UNRISD)
 United Nations Inter- Regional Crime and Justice
Research Institute (UNICRI)

21. UN Facts
 The US has always been by far the largest single
contributor to the UN budget.
 The budget for the UN's main operations is $2.5 billion
a year.
 In theory, any member state that owes more than its
two previous years’ assessments cannot vote in the
General Assembly.
 The UN Secretariat worldwide employs some 15,000
people from 170 different countries
 Six official languages are used at the UN: Arabic,
Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

22. PrincipalUN
offices around
the world

23. Additional
Reading
 Read the Upfront article “The UN: A Love-Hate Affair”
from the link below.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/
upfront/features/index.asp?article=f0919a