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UNO And Its Various Bodies, Their Organizational Structure And
Functioning
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 United Nations was the second multipurpose international organization

established in the 20th century that was worldwide in scope and membership. Its
predecessor, the League of Nations, was created by the Treaty of Versailles in
1919 and disbanded in 1946.

Due to its unique international character, and the powers vested in its founding
Charter, the Organization can take action on a wide range of issues, and provide a
forum for its 193 Member States to express their views, through the General
Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and other bodies
and committees.

UN TIMELINE :
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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 others rights
and freedoms;
To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals.

How UN gets Funded :

The United Nations (UN) is funded by its member states through compulsory and
voluntary contributions. The size of each states compulsory contribution
depends mainly on its economic strength, though its state of development and
debt situation are also taken into account.

Over and above their compulsory contributions, member states also make
voluntary contributions to:

The Specialized Agencies of the UN System such as the UN Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Health
Organization (WHO)
UN Programmes and Funds such as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF).

Organisation Structure of UN :

The Charter of United Nations established six main bodies of the United Nations
Organisation: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and
Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, The International Court of Justice and the
Secretariat. Sixth principal organ, the Trusteeship Council, suspended operations
in 1994, upon the independence of Palau, the last remaining UN trustee territory
and now it has five Principal Organs.

Four of the five principal organs are located at the main UN Headquarters in New
York City. The International Court of Justice is located in The Hague. The six
official languages of the United Nations, used in intergovernmental meeti ngs and
documents, are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. On
the basis of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United
Nations, the UN and its agencies are immune from the laws of the countries where
they operate, safeguarding the UN's impartiality with regard to the host and
member countries.
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Source: http://newint.org/

1. General Assembly:

The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and

representative organ of the United Nations.

It is Comprise of all 193 Members of the United Nations.

It provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of

international issues covered by the Charter.
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Decisions on important questions, such as those on peace and security,
admission of new members and budgetary matters, require a two-thirds
majority. Decisions on other questions are by simple majority.
Each country has one vote in General Assembly.
It also plays a significant role in the process of standard-setting and
the codification of international law.
The assembly is led by a president, elected from among the member states on
a rotating regional basis.

Function & Powers of Assembly:

Consider and approve the United Nations budget and establish the financial
assessments of Member States;
Elect the non-permanent members of the Security Council and the
members of other United Nations councils and organs and, on the
recommendation of the Security Council, appoint the Secretary-General;
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 nations;
Consider reports from the Security Council and other United Nations
organs.

2. Security Council:

IT has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and

security.
It has 15 Members, consisting of 5 permanent membersChina, France,
Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United Statesand 10 non-permanent
members.
Non Permanent seats are held for two-year terms, with member states voted
in by the General Assembly on a regional basis
Five permanent members hold veto power over UN resolutions, allowing a
permanent member to block adoption of a resolution, though not debate.
The presidency of the Security Council rotates alphabetically each month
The Security Council also recommends to the General Assembly the
appointment of the Secretary-General and the admission of new Members to
the United Nations.
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Together with the General Assembly, it elects the judges of the International
Court of Justice.

3. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) :

It is the principal organ to coordinate the economic, social and related work of
the United Nations and the specialized agencies and institutions.
Voting in the Council is by simple majority; each member has one vote.
The president is elected for a one-year term and chosen amongst the small or
middle powers represented on ECOSOC.
ECOSOC has 54 members, which are elected by the General Assembly for a
three-year term.
Seats on the Council are allotted based on geographical representation with
fourteen allocated to African States, eleven to Asian States, six to Eastern
European States, ten to Latin American and Caribbean States, and thirteen to
Western European and other States.
The work of specialised agencies and programmes of UN like WHO, FAO,
UNESCO etc. is coordinated by ECOSOC.

4. Trusteeship Council :

It was established in 1945 by the UN Charter to provide international

supervision for 11 Trust Territories placed under the administration of 7
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.
Its work completed, the Council has amended its rules of procedure to meet as
and where occasion may require.

5. The International Court of Justice:

It is the UNs main judicial organ.

It is located at the Hague in the Netherlands
It settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions to the UN
and its specialized agencies. Its Statute is an integral part of the United
Nations Charter.
ICJ has 15 judges, who serve 9-year terms; each from a different nation,
elected by the General Assembly and Security Council.
The Court settles legal disputes between nations only and not between
individuals, in accordance with international law. If a country does not wish to
take part in a proceeding it does not have to do so, unless required by special
treaty provisions. Once a country accepts the Court's jurisdiction, it must
comply with its decision.
The Court can only hear a dispute when requested to do so by one or more
States. It cannot deal with a dispute of its own motion.
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Difference between the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the
International Criminal Court (ICC)
1. The International Court of Justice has no jurisdiction to try individuals
accused of war crimes or crimes against humanity. As it is not a criminal
court, it does not have a prosecutor able to initiate proceedings.
2. International Criminal Court set up under the Rome Statute. It was
established as an independent international organization in 2002 and is not
governed by the UN.
3. All UN member states are automatically members of the ICC; Nations must
individually become members of the ICJ.
4. The ICJ settles disputes between member states, with their consent, on
issues of sovereignty, trade, natural resources, treaty violations, treaty
interpretation, and etc.
5. The ICC tries individual people for genocide, crimes against humanity, war
crimes, and crimes of aggression, according to the Rome Statute.
6. The ICJ issues both binding judgments and advisory opinions. Its judgments
may then be enforced by the Security Council if the state fails to comply. The
ICC, on the other hand, hands down criminal prosecutions or acquittals.

6. Secretariat:

It carries out the day-to-day work of the Organization.

It services the other principal organs and carries out tasks as varied as the
issues dealt with by the UN: administering peacekeeping operations, surveying
economic and social trends, preparing studies on human rights, among others.
It is headed by the Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international civil
servants worldwide.
Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, after being
recommended by the Security Council, where the permanent members have
veto power.