The
United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the
Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace
and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social
progress, better living standards and human rights.
The UN has 4 main
purposes
·
To
keep peace throughout the world;
·
To
develop friendly relations among nations;
·
To
help nations work together to improve the lives of poor people, to conquer
hunger, disease and illiteracy, and to encourage respect for each other’s rights
and freedoms;
·
To
be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals.
There
are 193 member states, including every internationally recognized sovereign
state in the world but Vatican City. From its offices around the world, the UN
and its specialized agencies decide on substantive and administrative issues in
regular meetings held throughout the year. The organization has six principal organs:
the General Assembly; the Security Council; the Economic and Social Council ;
the Secretariat; the International Court of Justice; and the United Nations
Trusteeship Council . Other prominent UN System agencies include the World
Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF). The UN's most prominent position is Secretary-General
which has been held by Ban Ki-moon of South Korea since 2007. The United
Nations Headquarters resides in international territory in New York City, with
further main offices at Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is
financed from assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states, and
has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and
Spanish.
The
work of the United Nations reaches every corner of the globe. Although best
known for peacekeeping, peace building, conflict prevention and humanitarian
assistance, there are many other ways the United Nations and its System
(specialized agencies, funds and programmes) affect our lives and make the
world a better place. The Organization works on a broad range of fundamental
issues, from sustainable development, environment and refugees protection,
disaster relief, counter terrorism, disarmament and non-proliferation, to
promoting democracy, human rights, gender equality and the advancement of
women, governance, economic and social development and international health,
clearing landmines, expanding food production, and more, in order to achieve
its goals and coordinate efforts for a safer world for this and future
generations.
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 Methodist
Central Hall Westminster 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.
Security Council: The United Nations Security
Council (UNSC) 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 action. Its powers are exercised through United
Nations Security Council resolutions. The Security Council held its first
session on 17 January 1946 at Church House, Westminster, London. Since its
first meeting, the Council, which exists in continuous session, has travelled
widely, holding meetings in many cities, such as Paris and Addis Ababa, as well
as at its current permanent home at the United Nations Headquarters in New York
City. There are 15 members of the Security Council, consisting of five
veto-wielding permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and
the United States—based on the great powers that were the victors of World War
II, and 10 elected non-permanent members with two-year terms. This basic
structure is set out in Chapter V of the UN Charter. Security Council members
must always be present at UN headquarters in New York so that the Security
Council can meet at any time. This requirement of the United Nations Charter
was adopted to address a weakness of the League of Nations since that
organization was often unable to respond quickly to a crisis.
UN Secretariat: The United Nations Secretariat is
one of the principal organs of the United Nations, an intergovernmental
organization charged with the promotion of aiding states to collectively
maintain international peace and security; it serves as a forum for
member-states to discuss and resolve pressing issues in the international field
through primarily diplomatic resources. The Secretariat is composed of a
Secretary General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants
worldwide. The Secretary General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the
recommendation of the Security Council. It services the other principal organs
of the United Nations and administers the programs and policies laid down by
them. The Secretariat carries out myriad duties ranging from the administration
of peacekeeping operations to making surveys/studies about different countries'
economic and social trends.
UN Economic and
Social Council: The
United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) constitutes one of the principal organs of the
United Nations. It is responsible for coordinating the economic, social and
related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, their functional commissions and
five regional commissions. ECOSOC has 54 members; it holds a four-week session
each year in July. Since 1998, it has also held a meeting each April with
finance ministers heading key committees of the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF). The ECOSOC serves as the central forum for
discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy
recommendations addressed to member states and the United Nations system.
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, the Netherlands. Its
main functions are to settle legal disputes submitted to it by states and to
provide advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized
international organs, agencies, and the UN General Assembly.
UN Trusteeship
Council: The
United Nations Trusteeship Council, one of the principal organs of the United
Nations, was established to help ensure that trust territories were
administered in the best interests of their inhabitants and of international peace
and security. The trust territories—most of them former mandates of the League
of Nations or territories taken from nations defeated at the end of World War
II—have all now attained self-government or independence, either as separate
nations or by joining neighbouring independent countries. The last was Palau,
formerly part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which became a
member state of the United Nations in December 1994.
कोई टिप्पणी नहीं:
एक टिप्पणी भेजें