United Nations Information (Security Council) @ Xr8.net

The United Nations Organization (UNO) or simply United Nations (UN) is an international organization An international organization is an organization with an international membership, scope, or presence. There are two main types: whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law International law is the term commonly used for referring to laws that govern the conduct of independent nations in their relationships with one another. It differs from other legal systems in that it primarily concerns provinces rather than private citizens. However, the term "international law" can refer to three distinct legal, international security International security consists of the measures taken by nations and international organizations, such as the United Nations, to ensure mutual survival and safety. These measures include military action and diplomatic agreements such as treaties and conventions. International and national security are invariably linked, economic development Economic development is the increase in the amount of people in a nation's population with sustained growth from a simple, low-income economy to a modern, high-income economy. Its scope includes the process and policies by which a nation improves the economic, political, and social well-being of its people, social progress Social change as a sociological term is defined as, alterations in basic structures of a social group or society. Social change is an ever present phenomenon in social life, but has become especially intense in the modern era. The origins of modern sociology can be traced to attempts to understand the dramatic changes shattering the modern world, human rights Human rights are "rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." Proponents of the concept usually assert that everyone is endowed with certain entitlements merely by reason of being human, and the achieving of world peace World peace is an ideal of freedom, peace, and happiness among and within all nations and/or peoples. World peace is a Utopian idea of planetary non-violence by which nations willingly cooperate, either voluntarily or by virtue of a system of governance that prevents warfare. Although the term is sometimes used to refer to a cessation of all. The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II Albania · Australia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belarus · Belgium · Brazil · Bulgaria · Burma · Cambodia · Canada · Ceylon (Sri Lanka) · Channel Islands · China · Czechoslovakia · Denmark · Dutch East Indies · Egypt · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Gibraltar · Greece · Greenland · Hong Kong · Hungary · Iceland · to replace the League of Nations The League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920, and the precursor to the United Nations. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members. The League's primary goals, as stated in its Covenant, included preventing war through collective, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue. It contains multiple subsidiary organizations to carry out its missions.

History

Main article: History of the United Nations The History of the United Nations as an international organization has its origins in World War II. Since then its aims and activities have expanded to make it the archetypal international body in the early 21st century The signing of the UN Charter The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on June 26, 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries . It entered into force on October 24, 1945, after being in San Francisco, 1945.

Following in the wake of the failed League of Nations The League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920, and the precursor to the United Nations. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members. The League's primary goals, as stated in its Covenant, included preventing war through collective (1919–1946) (which the United States never joined) the United Nations was established in 1945 to maintain international peace and promote cooperation in solving international economic, social and humanitarian problems. The earliest concrete plan for a new world organization was begun under the aegis of the U.S. State Department in 1939. Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war. The only American president elected to more than two terms (he was elected to four but only served three full terms, dying in his first coined the term 'United Nations' as a term to describe the Allied countries The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . The Allies became involved in World War II either because they had already been invaded or were directly threatened with invasion by the Axis or because they were concerned that the Axis powers would come to control the world. The anti-German. The term was first officially used on 1 January 1942 when 26 governments signed the Atlantic Charter The Atlantic Charter was a published statement agreed between Britain and the United States of America. It was intended as the blueprint for the postwar world after World War II, and turned out to be the foundation for many of the international agreements that currently shape the world. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , the post-war, pledging to continue the war effort.^[3] On 25 April 1945, the UN Conference on International Organization The United Nations Conference on International Organization was a convention of delegates from 50 Allied nations that took place from 25 April 1945 to 26 June 1945 in San Francisco, United States. At this convention, the delegates reviewed and rewrote the Dumbarton Oaks agreements. The convention resulted in the creation of the United Nations began in San Francisco, attended by 50 governments and a number of non-governmental organizations involved in drafting the Charter of the United Nations The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on June 26, 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries . It entered into force on October 24, 1945, after being. The UN officially came into existence on 24 October 1945 upon ratification of the Charter by the five permanent members of the Security Council The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military—France, the Republic of China The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia comprising the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor islands located off the east coast of mainland China. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south, the Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the Russian: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик (help·info), tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, IPA [sɐˈjʊs sɐˈvʲeʦkʲɪx səʦɪ, the United Kingdom and the United States—and by a majority of the other 46 signatories. The first meetings of the General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation. Its powers are to oversee the budget of the United Nations, appoint the non-permanent members to the Security Council, receive reports from other parts of the United Nations and make, with 51 nations represented, and the Security Council, took place in Westminster Central Hall The Westminster Central Hall is a Methodist church in the City of Westminster. It occupies the corner of Tothill Street and Storeys Gate just off Victoria Street in London, near the junction with The Sanctuary next to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and facing Westminster Abbey in London in January 1946.^[4]

Since its creation, there has been controversy and criticism of the UN organization. In the United States, an early opponent of the UN was the John Birch Society The John Birch Society is a political education and action organization founded by Robert W. Welch Jr. in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1958. The society supports traditionally conservative causes such as anti-communism and the ownership of private property. It promotes U.S. independence and sovereignty and opposes globalism and international regional, which began a "get US out of the UN" campaign in 1959, charging that the UN's aim was to establish a "One World Government." After the Second World War, the French Committee of National Liberation was late to be recognized by the US as the government of France, and so the country was initially excluded from the conferences that aimed at creating the new organization. Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (French pronunciation: [ʃaʁl də ɡol] , English: /ˈtʃɑrlz/ or /ˈʃɑrl dəˈɡɔːl/; 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 criticized the UN, famously calling it le machin ("the thingie"), and was not convinced that a global security alliance would help maintain world peace, preferring direct defense treaties between countries.^[5]

Organization

Main article: United Nations System While the United Nations is an international organization, the United Nations System is the whole network of international organizations, treaties and conventions that were created by the United Nations

The United Nations system is based on five principal organs (formerly six – the Trusteeship Council The United Nations Trusteeship Council, one of the principal organs of the United Nations, was established to help ensure that non-self-governing territories were administered in the best interests of the inhabitants and of international peace and security. The trust territories – most of them former mandates of the League of Nations or suspended operations in 1994, upon the independence of Palau Palau /pəˈlaʊ/ , officially the Republic of Palau (Palauan: Beluu er a Belau), is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles (800 km) east of the Philippines and 2,000 miles (3,200 km) south of Tokyo. Having emerged from United Nations trusteeship (administered by the United States) in 1994, it is one of the world's youngest and);^[6] the General Assembly, the Security Council The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military, the Economic and Social Council The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations assists the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. ECOSOC has 54 members, all of whom are elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term. The president is elected for a one-year term and chosen amongst the small or middle powers (ECOSOC), the Secretariat The United Nations Secretariat is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and it is headed by the United Nations Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for their meetings. It also carries out tasks as directed, and the International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Its main functions are to settle legal disputes submitted to it by states and to give advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized international organs, agencies, and the UN.

Four of the five principal organs are located at the main United Nations headquarters The United Nations Headquarters is a distinctive complex in New York City, United States, that has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River located on international territory in New York City. The International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Its main functions are to settle legal disputes submitted to it by states and to give advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized international organs, agencies, and the UN is located in The Hague The Hague is the third largest city in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, with a population of 485,818 (as of May 31, 2009) (population of agglomeration: 1,011,459) and an area of approximately 100 km². It is located in the west of the country, in the province of South Holland, of which it is also the provincial capital. The Hague is,, while other major agencies are based in the UN offices at Geneva The Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, was built between 1929 and 1936 as the headquarters of the League of Nations. Since the 1950s, it has served as the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva, although Switzerland did not become a member of the UN until 2002, Vienna, and Nairobi. Other UN institutions are located throughout the world.

The six official languages of the United Nations, used in intergovernmental meetings and documents, are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish,^[2] while the Secretariat uses two working languages, English and French. Four of the official languages are the national languages of the permanent members of the Security Council (the United Kingdom and the United States share English as a de facto official language); Spanish and Arabic are the languages of the two largest blocs of official languages outside of the permanent members (Spanish being official in 20 countries, Arabic in 26). Five of the official languages were chosen when the UN was founded; Arabic was added later in 1973. The United Nations Editorial Manual states that the standard for English language documents is British usage and Oxford spelling, the Chinese writing standard is Simplified Chinese. This replaced Traditional Chinese in 1971 when the UN representation of China was changed from the Republic of China to People's Republic of China.

General Assembly

United Nations General Assembly hall. Main article: United Nations General Assembly

The General Assembly is the main deliberative assembly of the United Nations. Composed of all United Nations member states, the assembly meets in regular yearly sessions under a president elected from among the member states. Over a two-week period at the start of each session, all members have the opportunity to address the assembly. Traditionally, the Secretary-General makes the first statement, followed by the president of the assembly. The first session was convened on 10 January 1946 in the Westminster Central Hall in London and included representatives of 51 nations.

When the General Assembly votes on important questions, a two-thirds majority of those present and voting is required. Examples of important questions include: recommendations on peace and security; election of members to organs; admission, suspension, and expulsion of members; and, budgetary matters. All other questions are decided by majority vote. Each member country has one vote. Apart from approval of budgetary matters, 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 that are under Security Council consideration.

Conceivably, the one state, one vote power structure could enable states comprising just eight percent of the world population to pass a resolution by a two-thirds vote.^{[citation needed]} However, as no more than recommendations, it is difficult to imagine a situation in which a recommendation by member states constituting just eight percent of the world's population, would be adhered to by the remaining ninety-two percent of the population, should they object. (See List of countries by population.)

Security Council

United Nations Security Council chamber. Main article: United Nations Security Council

The Security Council is charged with maintaining peace and security among countries. While other organs of the United Nations can only make 'recommendations' to member governments, the Security Council has the power to make binding decisions that member governments have agreed to carry out, under the terms of Charter Article 25.^[7] The decisions of the Council are known as United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The Security Council is made up of 15 member states, consisting of 5 permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – and 10 non-permanent members, currently Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Turkey, and Uganda. The five permanent members hold veto power over substantive but not procedural resolutions allowing a permanent member to block adoption but not to block the debate of a resolution unacceptable to it. The ten temporary seats are held for two-year terms with member states voted in by the General Assembly on a regional basis. The presidency of the Security Council is rotated alphabetically each month,^[8] and is currently held by Nigeria for the month of July 2010.

Secretariat

Main article: United Nations Secretariat The United Nations Secretariat Building at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

The United Nations Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for their meetings. It also carries out tasks as directed by the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council, and other UN bodies. The United Nations Charter provides that the staff be chosen by application of the "highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity," with due regard for the importance of recruiting on a wide geographical basis.

The Charter provides that the staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any authority other than the UN. Each UN member country is enjoined to respect the international character of the Secretariat and not seek to influence its staff. The Secretary-General alone is responsible for staff selection.

The Secretary-General's duties include helping resolve international disputes, administering peacekeeping operations, organizing international conferences, gathering information on the implementation of Security Council decisions, and consulting with member governments regarding various initiatives. Key Secretariat offices in this area include the Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter that, in his or her opinion, may threaten international peace and security.

Secretary-General

Main article: Secretary-General of the United Nations The current Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon of South Korea.

The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General, who acts as the de facto spokesman and leader of the UN. The current Secretary-General is Ban Ki-moon, who took over from Kofi Annan in 2007 and will be eligible for reappointment when his first term expires in 2011.^[9]

Envisioned by Franklin D. Roosevelt as a "world moderator", the position is defined in the UN Charter as the organization's "chief administrative officer",^[10] but the Charter also states that the Secretary-General can bring to the Security Council's attention "any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security",^[11] giving the position greater scope for action on the world stage. The position has evolved into a dual role of an administrator of the UN organization, and a diplomat and mediator addressing disputes between member states and finding consensus to global issues.^[9]

The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, after being recommended by the Security Council, any member of which can veto,^[12] and the General Assembly can theoretically override the Security Council's recommendation if a majority vote is not achieved, although this has not happened so far.^[13] There are no specific criteria for the post, but over the years it has become accepted that the post shall be held for one or two terms of five years, that the post shall be appointed on the basis of geographical rotation, and that the Secretary-General shall not originate from one of the five permanent Security Council member states.^[13]

Secretaries-General of the United Nations^[14]
No.	Name	Country of origin	Took office	Left office	Note
1	Trygve Lie	Norway	2 February 1946	10 November 1952	Resigned; First Secretary-General from Scandinavia
2	Dag Hammarskjöld	Sweden	10 April 1953	18 September 1961	Died while in office
3	U Thant	Burma	30 November 1961	1 January 1972	First Secretary-General from Asia
4	Kurt Waldheim	Austria	1 January 1972	1 January 1982
5	Javier Pérez de Cuéllar	Peru	1 January 1982	1 January 1992	First Secretary-General from South America
6	Boutros Boutros-Ghali	Egypt	1 January 1992	1 January 1997	First Secretary-General from Africa
7	Kofi Annan	Ghana	1 January 1997	1 January 2007
8	Ban Ki-moon	South Korea	1 January 2007	Incumbent

International Court of Justice

Peace Palace, seat of the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands. Main article: International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), located in The Hague, Netherlands, is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. Established in 1945 by the United Nations Charter, the Court began work in 1946 as the successor to the Permanent Court of International Justice. The Statute of the International Court of Justice, similar to that of its predecessor, is the main constitutional document constituting and regulating the Court.^[15]

It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, sharing the building with the Hague Academy of International Law, a private centre for the study of international law. Several of the Court's current judges are either alumni or former faculty members of the Academy. Its purpose is to adjudicate disputes among states. The court has heard cases related to war crimes, illegal state interference and ethnic cleansing, among others, and continues to hear cases.^[16]

A related court, the International Criminal Court (ICC), began operating in 2002 through international discussions initiated by the General Assembly. It is the first permanent international court charged with trying those who commit the most serious crimes under international law, including war crimes and genocide. The ICC is functionally independent of the UN in terms of personnel and financing, but some meetings of the ICC governing body, the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, are held at the UN. There is a "relationship agreement" between the ICC and the UN that governs how the two institutions regard each other legally.^[17]

Economic and Social Council

Main article: United Nations Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) assists the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. ECOSOC has 54 members, all of which are elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term. The president is elected for a one-year term and chosen amongst the small or middle powers represented on ECOSOC. ECOSOC meets once a year in July for a four-week session. Since 1998, it has held another meeting each April with finance ministers heading key committees of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Viewed separate from the specialized bodies it coordinates, ECOSOC's functions include information gathering, advising member nations, and making recommendations. In addition, ECOSOC is well-positioned to provide policy coherence and coordinate the overlapping functions of the UN’s subsidiary bodies and it is in these roles that it is most active.

Specialized institutions

Main article: List of specialized agencies of the United Nations

There are many UN organizations and agencies that function to work on particular issues. Some of the most well-known agencies are the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the World Bank and the World Health Organization.

It is through these agencies that the UN performs most of its humanitarian work. Examples include mass vaccination programmes (through the WHO), the avoidance of famine and malnutrition (through the work of the WFP) and the protection of vulnerable and displaced people (for example, by the UNHCR).

The United Nations Charter stipulates that each primary organ of the UN can establish various specialized agencies to fulfill its duties.

**Specialized agencies of the United Nations**
No.	Acronyms	Agency	Headquarters	Head	Established in
1	FAO	Food and Agriculture Organization	Rome, Italy	Jacques Diouf	1945
2	IAEA	International Atomic Energy Agency	Vienna, Austria	Yukiya Amano	1957
3	ICAO	International Civil Aviation Organization	Montreal, Canada	Raymond Benjamin	1947
4	IFAD	International Fund for Agricultural Development	Rome, Italy	Kanayo F. Nwanze	1977
5	ILO	International Labour Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	Juan Somavía	1946 (1919)
6	IMO	International Maritime Organization	London, United Kingdom	Efthimios E. Mitropoulos	1948
7	IMF	International Monetary Fund	Washington, D.C., USA	Dominique Strauss-Kahn	1945 (1944)
8	ITU	International Telecommunication Union	Geneva, Switzerland	Hamadoun Touré	1947 (1865)
9	UNESCO	United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization	Paris, France	Irina Bokova	1946
10	UNIDO	United Nations Industrial Development Organization	Vienna, Austria	Kandeh Yumkella	1967
11	UPU	Universal Postal Union	Bern, Switzerland	Edouard Dayan	1947 (1874)
12	WB	World Bank	Washington, D.C, USA	Robert B. Zoellick	1945 (1944)
13	WFP	World Food Programme	Rome, Italy	Josette Sheeran	1963
14	WHO	World Health Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	Margaret Chan	1948
15	WIPO	World Intellectual Property Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	Francis Gurry	1974
16	WMO	World Meteorological Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	Alexander Bedritsky	1950 (1873)
17	UNWTO	World Tourism Organization	Madrid, Spain	Taleb Rifai	1974

Membership

Main article: United Nations member states An animation showing the timeline of accession of UN member states, according to the UN. Note that Antarctica has no government; political control of Western Sahara is in dispute; and the territories administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Kosovo are considered by the UN to be provinces of the People's Republic of China and Republic of Serbia, respectively.

With the addition of Montenegro on 28 June 2006, there are currently 192 United Nations member states, including all fully recognized independent states^[18] apart from Vatican City (the Holy See, which holds sovereignty over the state of Vatican City, is a permanent observer).^[19]

The United Nations Charter outlines the rules for membership:

Membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving states which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.

The admission of any such state to membership in the United Nations will be effected by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

—United Nations Charter, Chapter 2, Article 4, http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/

Group of 77

The Group of 77 at the UN is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has since expanded to 130 member countries. The group was founded on 15 June 1964 by the "Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Countries" issued at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The first major meeting was in Algiers in 1967, where the Charter of Algiers was adopted and the basis for permanent institutional structures was begun.^[20]

Functions

Peacekeeping and security

Main article: History of United Nations Peacekeeping See also: List of United Nations peacekeeping missions UN peacekeeping missions. Dark blue regions indicate current missions , while light blue regions represent former missions.

The UN, after approval by the Security Council, sends peacekeepers to regions where armed conflict has recently ceased or paused to enforce the terms of peace agreements and to discourage combatants from resuming hostilities. Since the UN does not maintain its own military, peacekeeping forces are voluntarily provided by member states of the UN. The forces, also called the "Blue Helmets", who enforce UN accords are awarded United Nations Medals, which are considered international decorations instead of military decorations. The peacekeeping force as a whole received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.

The founders of the UN had envisaged that the organization would act to prevent conflicts between nations and make future wars impossible, however the outbreak of the Cold War made peacekeeping agreements extremely difficult because of the division of the world into hostile camps. Following the end of the Cold War, there were renewed calls for the UN to become the agency for achieving world peace, as there are several dozen ongoing conflicts that continue to rage around the globe.

A 2005 RAND Corp study found the UN to be successful in two out of three peacekeeping efforts. It compared UN nation-building efforts to those of the United States, and found that seven out of eight UN cases are at peace, as compared with four out of eight US cases at peace.^[21] Also in 2005, the Human Security Report documented a decline in the number of wars, genocides and human rights abuses since the end of the Cold War, and presented evidence, albeit circumstantial, that international activism—mostly spearheaded by the UN—has been the main cause of the decline in armed conflict since the end of the Cold War.^[22] Situations where the UN has not only acted to keep the peace but also occasionally intervened include the Korean War (1950–1953), and the authorization of intervention in Iraq after the Persian Gulf War in 1990.

A British armoured car painted as it appeared while deployed on a UN peacekeeping mission.

The UN has also drawn criticism for perceived failures. In many cases, member states have shown reluctance to achieve or enforce Security Council resolutions, an issue that stems from the UN's intergovernmental nature—seen by some as simply an association of 192 member states who must reach consensus, not an independent organization. Disagreements in the Security Council about military action and intervention are seen as having failed to prevent the 1994 Rwandan Genocide,^[23] failed to provide humanitarian aid and intervene in the Second Congo War, failed to intervene in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and protect a refugee haven by the authorizing the peacekeepers to use force, failure to deliver food to starving people in Somalia, failure to implement provisions of Security Council resolutions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and continuing failure to prevent genocide or provide assistance in Darfur. UN peacekeepers have also been accused of child rape, sexual abuse or soliciting prostitutes during various peacekeeping missions, starting in 2003, in the Congo,^[24] Haiti,^[25]^[26] Liberia,^[27] Sudan,^[28] Burundi and Côte d'Ivoire.^[29] In 2004, former Israeli ambassador to the UN Dore Gold criticized what it called the organization's moral relativism in the face of (and occasional support of)^[30] genocide and terrorism that occurred between the moral clarity of its founding period and the present day. Gold specifically mentions Yasser Arafat's 1988 invitation to address the General Assembly as a low point in the UN's history.^[31]

In addition to peacekeeping, the UN is also active in encouraging disarmament. Regulation of armaments was included in the writing of the UN Charter in 1945 and was envisioned as a way of limiting the use of human and economic resources for the creation of them.^[32] However, the advent of nuclear weapons came only weeks after the signing of the charter and immediately halted concepts of arms limitation and disarmament, resulting in the first resolution of the first ever General Assembly meeting calling for specific proposals for "the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and of all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction".^[33] The principal forums for disarmament issues are the General Assembly First Committee, the UN Disarmament Commission, and the Conference on Disarmament, and considerations have been made of the merits of a ban on testing nuclear weapons, outer space arms control, the banning of chemical weapons and land mines, nuclear and conventional disarmament, nuclear-weapon-free zones, the reduction of military budgets, and measures to strengthen international security.

The UN is one of the official supporters of the World Security Forum, a major international conference on the effects of global catastrophes and disasters, taking place in the United Arab Emirates, in October 2008.

Human rights and humanitarian assistance

Eleanor Roosevelt with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1949.

The pursuit of human rights was a central reason for creating the UN. World War II atrocities and genocide led to a ready consensus that the new organization must work to prevent any similar tragedies in the future. An early objective was creating a legal framework for considering and acting on complaints about human rights violations. The UN Charter obliges all member nations to promote "universal respect for, and observance of, human rights" and to take "joint and separate action" to that end. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, though not legally binding, was adopted by the General Assembly in 1948 as a common standard of achievement for all. The Assembly regularly takes up human rights issues.

The UN and its agencies are central in upholding and implementing the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A case in point is support by the UN for countries in transition to democracy. Technical assistance in providing free and fair elections, improving judicial structures, drafting constitutions, training human rights officials, and transforming armed movements into political parties have contributed significantly to democratization worldwide. The UN has helped run elections in countries with little or no democratic history, including recently in Afghanistan and East Timor. The UN is also a forum to support the right of women to participate fully in the political, economic, and social life of their countries. The UN contributes to raising consciousness of the concept of human rights through its covenants and its attention to specific abuses through its General Assembly, Security Council resolutions, or International Court of Justice rulings.

The purpose of the United Nations Human Rights Council, established in 2006,^[34] is to address human rights violations. The Council is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which was often criticised for the high-profile positions it gave to member states that did not guarantee the human rights of their own citizens.^[35] The council has 47 members distributed by region, which each serve three year terms, and may not serve three consecutive terms.^[36] A candidate to the body must be approved by a majority of the General Assembly. In addition, the council has strict rules for membership, including a universal human rights review. While some members with questionable human rights records have been elected, it is fewer than before with the increased focus on each member state's human rights record.^[37]

The rights of some 370 million indigenous peoples around the world is also a focus for the UN, with a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples being approved by the General Assembly in 2007.^[38] The declaration outlines the individual and collective rights to culture, language, education, identity, employment and health, thereby addressing post-colonial issues which had confronted indigenous peoples for centuries. The declaration aims to maintain, strengthen and encourage the growth of indigenous institutions, cultures and traditions. It also prohibits discrimination against indigenous peoples and promotes their active participation in matters which concern their past, present and future.^[38]

In conjunction with other organizations such as the Red Cross, the UN provides food, drinking water, shelter and other humanitarian services to populaces suffering from famine, displaced by war, or afflicted by other disasters. Major humanitarian branches of the UN are the World Food Programme (which helps feed more than 100 million people a year in 80 countries), the office of the High Commissioner for Refugees with projects in over 116 countries, as well as peacekeeping projects in over 24 countries.

Social and economic development

Millennium Development Goals
eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development.

The UN is involved in supporting development, e.g. by the formulation of the Millennium Development Goals. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is the largest multilateral source of grant technical assistance in the world. Organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are leading institutions in the battle against diseases around the world, especially in poor countries. The UN Population Fund is a major provider of reproductive services.

The UN also promotes human development through various related agencies. The World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF), for example, are independent, specialized agencies and observers within the UN framework, according to a 1947 agreement. They were initially formed as separate from the UN through the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1944.^[39]

The UN annually publishes the Human Development Index (HDI), a comparative measure ranking countries by poverty, literacy, education, life expectancy, and other factors.

The Millennium Development Goals are eight goals that all 192 United Nations member states have agreed to try to achieve by the year 2015.^[40] This was declared in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, signed in September 2000.

Mandates

From time to time the different bodies of the United Nations pass resolutions which contain operating paragraphs that begin with the words "requests", "calls upon", or "encourages", which the Secretary-General interprets as a mandate to set up a temporary organization or do something. These mandates can be as little as researching and publishing a written report, or mounting a full scale peace-keeping operation (usually the exclusive domain of the Security Council).

Although the specialized institutions, such as the WHO, were originally set up by this means, they are not the same as mandates because they are permanent organizations that exist independently of the UN with their own membership structure. One could say that original mandate was simply to cover the process of setting up the institution, and has therefore long expired. Most mandates expire after a limited time period and require renewal from the body which set them up.

One of the outcomes of the 2005 World Summit was a mandate (labelled id 17171) for the Secretary-General to "review all mandates older than five years originating from resolutions of the General Assembly and other organs". To facilitate this review and to finally bring coherence to the organization, the Secretariat has produced an on-line registry of mandates to draw together the reports relating to each one and create an overall picture.^[41]

Other

Over the lifetime of the UN, over 80 colonies have attained independence.^[42] The General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in 1960 with no votes against but abstentions from all major colonial powers. Through the UN Committee on Decolonization,^[43] created in 1962, the UN has focused considerable attention on decolonization. It has also supported the new states that have arisen as a result self-determination initiatives. The committee has overseen the decolonization of every country larger than 20,000 km² and removed them from the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, besides Western Sahara, a country larger than the UK only relinquished by Spain in 1975.

The UN declares and coordinates international observances, periods of time to observe some issue of international interest or concern. Using the symbolism of the UN, a specially designed logo for the year, and the infrastructure of the United Nations System, various days and years have become catalysts to advancing key issues of concern on a global scale. For example, World Tuberculosis Day, Earth Day and International Year of Deserts and Desertification.

Funding

Top 10 donators to the UN budget, 2009^[44]
Member state	Contribution (% of UN budget)
United States	22.00%
Japan	16.624%
Germany	8.577%
United Kingdom	6.642%
France	6.301%
Italy	5.079%
Canada	2.977%
Spain	2.968%
China	2.667%
Mexico	2.257%
Other member states	23.908%

The UN is financed from assessed and voluntary contributions from member states. The regular two-year budgets of the UN and its specialized agencies are funded by assessments. The General Assembly approves the regular budget and determines the assessment for each member. This is broadly based on the relative capacity of each country to pay, as measured by their Gross National Income (GNI), with adjustments for external debt and low per capita income.^[45]

The Assembly has established the principle that the UN should not be overly dependent on any one member to finance its operations. Thus, there is a 'ceiling' rate, setting the maximum amount any member is assessed for the regular budget. In December 2000, the Assembly revised the scale of assessments to reflect current global circumstances. As part of that revision, the regular budget ceiling was reduced from 25% to 22%. The U.S. is the only member that has met the ceiling. In addition to a ceiling rate, the minimum amount assessed to any member nation (or 'floor' rate) is set at 0.001% of the UN budget. Also, for the least developed countries (LDC), a ceiling rate of 0.01% is applied.^[45]

The current operating budget is estimated at $4.19 billion for the 2-year (biennial)period of 2008 to 2009, or a little over 2 billion dollars a year^[45] (refer to table for major contributors).

A large share of UN expenditures addresses the core UN mission of peace and security. The peacekeeping budget for the 2005–2006 fiscal year is approximately $5 billion (compared to approximately $1.5 billion for the UN core budget over the same period), with some 70,000 troops deployed in 17 missions around the world.^[46] UN peace operations are funded by assessments, using a formula derived from the regular funding scale, but including a weighted surcharge for the five permanent Security Council members, who must approve all peacekeeping operations. This surcharge serves to offset discounted peacekeeping assessment rates for less developed countries. As of 1 January 2008, the top 10 providers of assessed financial contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations were: the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, China, Canada, Spain, and the Republic of Korea.^[47]

Special UN programmes not included in the regular budget (such as UNICEF, the WFP and UNDP) are financed by voluntary contributions from other member governments. Most of this is financial contributions, but some is in the form of agricultural commodities donated for afflicted populations.

Because their funding is voluntary, many of these agencies suffer severe shortages during economic recessions. In July 2009, the World Food Programme reported that it has been forced to cut services because of insufficient funding.^[48] It has received barely a quarter of the total it needs for the 09/10 financial year.

Personnel policy

The UN and its agencies are immune to the laws of the countries where they operate, safeguarding UN's impartiality with regard to the host and member countries.^[49]

Despite their independence in matters of human resources policy, the UN and its agencies voluntarily apply the laws of member states regarding same-sex marriages, allowing decisions about the status of employees in a same-sex partnership to be based on nationality. The UN and its agencies recognize same-sex marriages only if the employees are citizens of countries that recognize the marriage. This practice is not specific to the recognition of same-sex marriage but reflects a common practice of the UN for a number of human resources matters. It has to be noted though that some agencies provide limited benefits to domestic partners of their staff and that some agencies do not recognise same-sex marriage or domestic partnership of their staff.

Reform

Main article: Reform of the United Nations Proposed logo for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, which would involve direct election of a country's representative by its citizens.

Since its founding, there have been many calls for reform of the United Nations, although little consensus on how to do so. Some want the UN to play a greater or more effective role in world affairs, while others want its role reduced to humanitarian work.^[50] There have also been numerous calls for the UN Security Council's membership to be increased, for different ways of electing the UN's Secretary-General, and for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly.

The UN has also been accused of bureaucratic inefficiency and waste. During the 1990s the United States withheld dues citing inefficiency, and only started repayment on the condition that a major reforms initiative was introduced. In 1994, the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) was established by the General Assembly to serve as an efficiency watchdog.^[51]

An official reform programme was begun by Kofi Annan in 1997. Reforms mentioned include changing the permanent membership of the Security Council (which currently reflects the power relations of 1945), making the bureaucracy more transparent, accountable and efficient, making the UN more democratic, and imposing an international tariff on arms manufacturers worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

In September 2005, the UN convened a World Summit that brought together the heads of most member states, calling the summit "a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take bold decisions in the areas of development, security, human rights and reform of the United Nations."^[52] Kofi Annan had proposed that the summit agree on a global "grand bargain" to reform the UN, renewing the organisation's focus on peace, security, human rights and development, and to make it better equipped at facing 21st century issues. The World Summit Outcome Document delineated the conclusions of the meeting, including: the creation of a Peacebuilding Commission, to help countries emerging from conflict; a Human Rights Council and a democracy fund; a clear and unambiguous condemnation of terrorism "in all its forms and manifestations"; agreements to devote more resources to the Office of Internal Oversight Services; agreements to spend billions more on achieving the Millennium Development Goals; the dissolution of the Trusteeship Council, because of the completion of its mission; and, the agreement that individual states, with the assistance of the international community, have the "responsibility to protect" populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity- with the understanding that the international community is prepared to act "collectively" in a “timely and decisive manner” to protect vulnerable civilians should a state "manifestly fail" in fulfilling its responsibility.^[53]

The Office of Internal Oversight Services is being restructured to more clearly define its scope and mandate, and will receive more resources. In addition, to improve the oversight and auditing capabilities of the General Assembly, an Independent Audit Advisory Committee (IAAC) is being created. In June 2007, the Fifth Committee created a draft resolution for the terms of reference of this committee.^[54]^[55] An ethics office was established in 2006, responsible for administering new financial disclosure and whistleblower protection policies. Working with the OIOS, the ethics office also plans to implement a policy to avoid fraud and corruption.^[56] The Secretariat is in the process of reviewing all UN mandates that are more than five years old. The review is intended to determine which duplicative or unnecessary programmes should be eliminated. Not all member states are in agreement as to which of the over 7000 mandates should be reviewed. The dispute centres on whether mandates that have been renewed should be examined. As of September 2007, the process is ongoing.^[57]

Relations between specific states and the United Nations

References

^ "The World Today" (PDF). http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/world00.pdf. Retrieved 18 June 2009. "The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country"
^ ^a ^b "FAQ: What are the official languages of the United Nations?". UN Department for General Assembly and Content Management. http://www.un.org/Depts/DGACM/faq_languages.htm. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
^ David, Wilton. "United Nations". Etymologies & Word Origins: Letter U. WordOrigins.org. http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/site/comments/united_nations/.
^ "Milestones in United Nations History". Department of Public Information, United Nations. http://www.un.org/aboutun/milestones.htm. Retrieved 17 July 2008.
^ Gerbet, Pierre (1995). "Naissance des Nations Unies" (in French). Espoir (102). http://www.charles-de-gaulle.org/pages/l-homme/dossiers-thematiques/1944-1946-la-liberation/restaurer-le-rang-de-la-france/analyses/naissance-des-nations-unies.php.
^ "Membership of Principal United Nations Organs in 2005". United Nations. 15 March 2005. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/org1436.doc.htm.
^ "UN Charter: Chapter V". United Nations. http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/chapter5.htm. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
^ "UN Security Council Members". United Nations. http://www.un.org/sc/members.asp. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
^ ^a ^b Office of the Secretary-General - United Nations.
^ Charter of the United Nations, Article 97.
^ Charter of the United Nations, Article 99.
^ United Nations - Appointment Process of the Secretary-General.
^ ^a ^b "An Historical Overview on the Selection of United Nations Secretaries-General" (PDF). UNA-USA. http://www.unausa.org/atf/cf/%7B49C555AC-20C8-4B43-8483-A2D4C1808E4E%7D/SG%20Reform%20Fact%20Sheet-fina-logol.pdf. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
^ Former Secretaries-General - United Nations.
^ "Statute of the International Court of Justice". International Court of Justice. http://www.icj-cij.org/documents/index.php?p1=4&p2=2&p3=0. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
^ "The Court". International Court of Justice. http://www.icj-cij.org/court/index.php?p1=1&PHPSESSID=26e84ff7b1a8f1f3edf82cf94f3a7d68. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
^ "Agreement Between the International Criminal Court and the United Nations". International Criminal Court. 4 October 2004. http://www.icc-cpi.int/pressrelease_details&id=47&l=en.html.
^ Kosovo and Taiwan are only partially recognized, and are not recognized by the UN.
^ "United Nations Member States". United Nations. http://www.un.org/members/. Retrieved 5 May 2007.
^ "About the G77". Group of 77. http://www.g77.org/doc/. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
^ RAND Corporation. "The UN's Role in Nation Building: From the Congo to Iraq" (PDF). http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2005/RAND_MG304.sum.pdf. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
^ Human Security Centre. "The Human Security Report 2005". http://www.humansecurityreport.info/. Retrieved 8 February 2007.
^ "Book Review: A People Betrayed, the Role of the West in Rwanda's Genocide". Human Rights Watch. http://www.hrw.org/community/bookreviews/melvern.htm.
^ Colum Lynch (16 December 2004). "U.N. Sexual Abuse Alleged in Congo". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3145-2004Dec15.html.
^ "UN troops face child abuse claims". BBC News. 30 November 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6195830.stm.
^ "108 Sri Lankan peacekeepers in Haiti to be repatriated after claims they paid prostitutes". International Herald Tribune. 2 November 2007. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/02/news/UN-GEN-UN-Haiti-Sexual-Exploitation.php.
^ "Aid workers in Liberia accused of sex abuse". International Herald Tribune. 8 May 2006. http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/08/news/abuse.php.
^ Holt, Kate (4 January 2007). "UN staff accused of raping children in Sudan". London: Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/03/wsudan03.xml. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
^ "UN staff accused of raping children in Sudan". BBC. 28 May 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7420798.stm.
^ Gold, 216–217
^ Gold, 38
^ United Nations Charter, Article 26.
^ "Resolutions Adopted by the General Assembly During its First Session". United Nations. http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/1/ares1.htm. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
^ United Nations General Assembly Resolution 251 session 60 on 15 March 2006 (retrieved 19 September 2007)
^ "The Shame of the United Nations". New York Times. 26 February 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/26/opinion/26sun2.html?_r=1&n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fEditorials&oref=slogin. Retrieved 15 August 2006.
^ "UN Human Rights Council Elections". United Nations. http://www.un.org/ga/61/elect/hrc/. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
^ "Successful UN Human Rights Council Elections Demonstrate UN Members are Taking Reform Effort Seriously.". Open Society Policy Center. 9 May 2006. http://www.opensocietypolicycenter.org/news/article.php?docId=110.
^ ^a ^b UN General Assembly - 61st session - United Nations adopts Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
^ "About Us - United Nations". The World Bank. 30 June 2003. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/0,,contentMDK:20040610~menuPK:41691~pagePK:43912~piPK:44037,00.html. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
^ "The UN Millennium Development Goals". United Nations. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
^ The Secretary-General (30 March 2006). "Mandating and Delivering - Executive Summary". United Nations. http://www.un.org/mandatereview/executive.html.
^ "Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories, 1945-1999". Un.org. http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/decolonization/trust2.htm. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
^ the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization - Official Website.
^ "Assessment of Member States' contributions to the United Nations regular budget for the year 2009" (PDF). UN Secretariat. 24 December 2008. http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=ST/ADM/SER.B/755. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Fifth Committee Approves Assessment Scale for Regular, Peacekeeping Budgets, Texts on Common System, Pension Fund, as it Concludes Session (Press Release)". United Nations. 22 December 2006. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/gaab3787.doc.htm.
^ "United Nations Peacekeeping Operations". United Nations. 31 December 2007. http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/bnote.htm. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
^ "Financing of UN Peacekeeping Operations". Un.org. http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/contributors/financing.html. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
^ "BBC News, 'Dire shortage' at UN food agency". BBC. 31 July 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/8179250.stm. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
^ "Jerusalem Court: No Immunity for UN Employee for Private Acts—Diplomatic/Consular Law and Sovereign Immunity in Israel". Diplomaticlaw.com. 23 March 2009. http://diplomaticlaw.com/blog/2009/03/23/jerusalem-court-no-immunity-for-un-employee-for-private-acts/. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
^ The Future of the United Nations: Understanding the Past to Chart a Way Forward / Joshua Muravchik (2005) ISBN 978-0-8447-7183-0.
^ Reddy, Shravanti (29 October 2002). "Watchdog Organization Struggles to Decrease UN Bureaucracy". Global Policy Forum. http://www.globalpolicy.org/ngos/ngo-un/rest-un/2002/1029watchdog.htm. Retrieved 21 September 2006.
^ "The 2005 World Summit: An Overview" (PDF). United Nations. http://www.un.org/ga/documents/overview2005summit.pdf.
^ "2005 World Summit Outcome" (PDF). United Nations. http://www.un.org/summit2005/presskit/fact_sheet.pdf.
^ Irene Martinetti (1 December 2006). "Reforming Oversight and Governance of the UN Encounters Hurdles". http://www.centerforunreform.org/node/226.
^ "Oversight and Governance". Center for UN Reform Education. http://www.centerforunreform.org/node/31.
^ "Ethics Office". Center for UN Reform Education. http://www.centerforunreform.org/node/32.
^ "Mandate Review". Center for UN Reform Education. http://www.centerforunreform.org/node/30.

External links

Find more about United Nations on Wikipedia's sister projects:

	Definitions from Wiktionary
	Textbooks from Wikibooks
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Images and media from Commons
	News stories from Wikinews
	Learning resources from Wikiversity

Official websites

Other

United Nations Rule of Law, the United Nations' centralised website on the rule of law.
Documents and Resources on UN, War, War Crimes and Genocide
Eye on the U.N. – A Project of the Hudson Institute New York and the Touro Law Center Institute for Human Rights
History of the United Nations – UK Government site
Inner City Press – UN related news.
Outcomes of the 2005 World SummitPDF (82.9 KB)
Permanent Missions To The United Nations
Searchable archive of UN discussions and votes
List of UN datasets on CKAN, a registry of open data
Task Force on United Nations – U.S. Institute of Peace
U.N. watch – non-governmental organization based in Geneva whose mandate is to monitor the performance of the United Nations by the yardstick of its own Charter.
United Nations Association of the UK: independent policy authority on the UN
United Nations: Inside the Glass House – Independent news reports by the news agency Inter Press Service
United Nations eLearning Unit created by ISRG – University of Innsbruck
Website of the Global Policy Forum, an independent think-tank on the UN
United Nations Offices Worldwide
(English) (French) EQUITAS, the Authority on Judicial Morality providing legal resources helpful in aid for the better advancement of the Rule of Law.

United Nations (UN)

UN System	Member states · Observers · General Assembly · Security Council · Economic and Social Council · Secretariat (Secretary-General) · Trusteeship Council · International Court of Justice

Major offices	New York (Headquarters) · Geneva (Office) · Nairobi (Office) · Vienna (Office)

Programmes and agencies	FAO · ICAO · ILO · IMO · IPCC · IAEA · UNIDO · ITU · UNAIDS · SCSL · UNCTAD · UNCITRAL · UNDCP · UNDP · UNEP · UNESCO · UNODC · UNFIP · UNIFEM · UNFPA · OHCHR · UNHCR · UNHRC · UN-HABITAT · UNICEF · UNITAR · UNOSAT · UNRWA · UNWTO · UPU · WFP · WHO · WMO

Resolutions	General Assembly (UDHR) · Security Council

Related topics	Bretton Woods system · Charter · Enlargement · Flag · Global Compact · History · ICC · Laissez-Passer · League of Nations · OPCW · Peacekeeping missions · Treaty Series · UN Day

Category · Portal

World government

History	Holy Roman Empire · League of Nations · Permanent Court of International Justice · Nuremberg Trials · Tokyo trials · Permanent Court of Arbitration · Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

Concept (proposal)	United Nations Parliamentary Assembly · Central Asian Union · Commonwealth Union · Pacific Union · North American Union · East African Federation · Arab Union · Federal Europe · East Asian Community · United States of Africa · United States of Europe

Theory (practice)	Alter-globalization · Commonwealth · Confederation · Cosmopolitanism · Federalism · Global governance · Globalization · Intergovernmentalism · Mundialization · Supranationalism · Pax · Planetary management · New World Order

Global body	United Nations · Interpol · International Monetary Fund · World Bank Group · World Trade Organization · Commonwealth of Nations

Regional body	Economic Cooperation Organization · European Union · Latin Union · Council of Europe · Caribbean Community · Arab League · African Union · Union of South American Nations · Shanghai Cooperation Organisation · Association of Southeast Asian Nations · Association of Caribbean States · Central American Integration System · Commonwealth of Independent States · Melanesian Spearhead Group · Organization of American States · South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation · Pacific Islands Forum · North Atlantic Treaty Organization · Mercosur

International parliament	European Parliament · Arab Parliament · Pan-African Parliament · Latin American Parliament · South American Parliament · Mercosur Parliament · Inter-Parliamentary Union

International court	International Criminal Court · International Court of Justice · International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia · International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda · African Court of Justice · Caribbean Court of Justice · Inter-American Court of Human Rights · European Court of Justice · European Court of Human Rights

Law and treaty	International law (Public · Private · Supranational) · International legal theory · United Nations Charter · Universal Declaration of Human Rights · Geneva Conventions · Rome Statute of the ICC · Kyoto Protocol · European Union treaties · European Union law · Treaty of Chaguaramas

Movements	Federal Union · World Federalist Movement

Category · Portal

Laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize

Kofi Annan / United Nations (2001) · Jimmy Carter (2002) · Shirin Ebadi (2003) · Wangari Maathai (2004) · International Atomic Energy Agency / Mohamed ElBaradei (2005) · Grameen Bank / Muhammad Yunus (2006) · Al Gore / Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007) · Martti Ahtisaari (2008) · Barack Obama (2009)

· ·

The above information uses material from Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Some facts may not have been fully verified for accuracy. [Disclaimers]
This page was last archived by our server on Tue Jul 27 02:40:10 2010. [ refresh local cache ]
Displaying this page or its contents does not use any Wikimedia Foundation's resources.
The owners of this site proudly support the Wikimedia Foundation.

[Hide]▼

'United Nations' News

mainjustice.com

UN Appoints New Top Internal Watchdog - Main Justice
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:47:57 GMT+00:00
Appoints New Top Internal Watchdog Main Justice The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday approved the appointment of the Canadian Carmen Lapointe-Young ... UN Appoints New Director of Troubled Watchdog Group New York Times UN - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary ... ISRIA (registration) Canadian named as head of UN internal oversight unit afp the Associated Press - RTT News - Reuters Canada

Google News Search: United Nations,
Thu Jul 29 11:18:02 2010

'United Nations' Images

marciescudderphotography.com

United Nations
533px x 800px | 98.10kB

[source page]

Home | Browse | About Previous

Yahoo Images Search: United Nations,
Sun Jul 18 14:48:33 2010

'United Nations' Blogs

ecodirt.com

Carbon2Green: Report of the Organization of the United Nations on ...

editor

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:25:00 GM

Its main business activities are under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol monitored by the . United Nations. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The first business initiative of ...

Google Blogs Search: United Nations,
Fri Jul 30 06:09:30 2010

'United Nations' Answers

What were the differences between the League of Nations and the United Nations?
Q. Please compare and contrast the differences between the league of nations and the united nations. I know that the United nations has the United States, but I dont know what else.
Asked by yubtub - Tue Mar 17 16:25:10 2009 - - 5 Answers - 1 Comments

A. A primary contributor to the failure of the League was that the USA did not participate. Senator Lodge was responsible for that travesty.
Answered by mike y - Tue Mar 17 19:31:27 2009

Yahoo Answers Search: United Nations,
Wed Jul 21 16:17:52 2010

[Hide]▲

or search for "United Nations" in:	Web:	The Entire Web	Related Sites	Web Directories
	This Site:	Page Titles	Karr Network Sites*
	News:	Headlines	Weather	Events	Blogs
	Reference:	Encyclopedia	Dictionary	eTexts	Quotes
		Local Map	Answers
	Multimedia:	Images	Videos
	People:	Discussion Groups	Social Networking
	Shopping:	General Merch.	Consumer Opinion	Auctions	Classifieds

Contents