The United Nation Introduction and Info.ppt

An Informative Introduction to the United Nations and it's Goals

1. UNITED NATIONS

2. What is the UN? The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. It is mainly concerned with global issues and has a primary objective of maintaining peace and security , cooperation and maintaining friendly relations among the nations. Currently made up of 193 Member States , the UN and its work are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter. The term “United Nations” was coined by United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941 . The UN Headquarters at New York City

3. The UN Charter The Charter of the United Nations is the founding document of the United Nations. It was signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization, and came into force on 24 October 1945. The United Nations can take action on a wide variety of issues due to its unique international character and the powers vested in its Charter, which is considered an international treaty . The UN Charter codifies the major principles of international relations, from sovereign equality of States to the prohibition of the use of force in international relations. The Preamble of the UN Charter describes four areas that are the pillars of the UN: Peace and Security; Human Rights; The Rule of Law; and, Development .

4. The Role of the UN Now T he UN is the only international organization with universal membership and with all its specialized agencies and development funds, the UN has extended its scope of action. Thus, its role as a stage is particularly important. Climate change, famines, poverty - a ll of these are problems that no one country, however powerful, can solve on its own and which are the shared responsibility of humankind. T his international body is needed as never before since the world became interconnected where current global problems such as hunger and climate change emerged, thus the UN’s collective efforts are essential in order to tackle these modern challenges . The United Nations Office at Geneva (Switzerland) is the second biggest UN centre, after the United Nations Headquarters (New York City).

5. The World Food Programme (WFP) distributing food in El Salvador. The second of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals is to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. An example of these efforts is the outstanding attempts and capacity of the World Food Programme (W FP) to combat hunger and ensure human security by distributing lifesaving food as well as promoting the growth of economy by introducing the Purchase for Progress project . These indicate that the UN has an exceptionally wide scope of action than any other international body has or has attempted to have. When there is a will by the member states to address global concerns, the UN becomes a vital catalyst of action . So, why do we need an organization like the UN? The answer is simple: global challenges demand global solutions. It is the one place where the world's nations can gather  together,  discuss  common problems and  find shared solutions .

6. Five of the six principal organs of the UN are based at UN Headquarters in New York. The sixth, the International Court of Justice, is located at The Hague in the Netherlands. Structure of the UN T he United Nations is neither a supra-State nor a government of governments. It does not have an army and it imposes no taxes. It depends on the political will of its Member States to have its decisions put into action and relies on the contributions of its Members to carry out its activities. Thus, the Charter establishes six principal organs of the UN: Th e General Assembly T he Security Council T he Economic and Social Council T he Trusteeship Council T he International Court of Justice T he Secretariat

7. But the UN family is much larger than the six principal organs discussed above. It encompasses 15 specialised agencies and numerous programmes and funds as well as other entities. The separately administered funds and programmes are autonomous subsidiary organs of the United Nations. They are a part of the UN. They address particular humanitarian and development concerns . These are financed through voluntary rather than assessed contributions. These bodies usually report to the General Assembly through an executive board. The UNDP (United Nations Development Programme ), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), WFP (World Food Programme ) are examples of these subsidiary bodies. The specialized agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations and each other through the co-ordinating machinery of the Economic and Social Council and the Chief Executives Board for Coordination. These are independent organisations , with their own boards and funding. Each was integrated into the UN System by way of an agreement with the UN under UN Charter Article 57. Some examples are International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Health Organisation (WHO), World Bank Group (WBG), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

8. General Assembly Subsidiary Bodies Security Council Secretariat International Court of Justice Trusteeship Council Subsidiary Bodies Programmes and Funds Research and Training Institutes Specialised Committees Functional Bodies Peacebuilding Commission Economic and Social Council Regional Commissions Departments and Offices The UN System

9. UN General Assembly The deliberative assembly of all UN Member States May resolve non-compulsory recommendations to states or suggestions to the Security Council (UNSC) Decides on the admission of new members , following proposal by the UNSC Adopts the budget Elects the non-permanent members of the UNSC, all members of ECOSOC, the UN Secretary General (following their proposal by the UNSC), and the fifteen judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Each country has one vote. The Assembly has four types of committees: Main Committees Procedural committees Standing committees Subsidiary and ad hoc bodies UN General Assembly Hall

10. By resolution 47/233, the General Assembly rationalized its Main Committee structure as follows: • Disarmament and International Security Committee (First Committee) • Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee) • Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (Third Committee) • Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) • Administrative and Budgetary Committee (Fifth Committee) • Legal Committee (Sixth Committee) As delineated in the Charter of the United Nations, the function of the General Assembly is to discuss, debate, and make recommendations on subjects pertaining to international peace and security, including development, disarmament, human rights, international law, and the peaceful arbitration of disputes between nations. UN emblem and podium in the General Assembly Hall.

11. UN Security Council For international security issues Responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security ; May adopt compulsory resolutions ; Has fifteen members : five permanent members with veto power and ten elected members. The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security. Security Council Hall at the UN Headquarters in New York CIty

12. UN Economic and Social Council For global economic and social affairs The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has a powerful mandate to promote international cooperation on economic social and cultural issues. Specifically it is tasked with the promotion of: Higher standards of living, full employment and conditions of economic and social progress and development . Solutions of international economic, social, health and related problems, international cultural and education cooperation. Universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion. The UN ECOSOC Hall The UN ECOSOC has 54 members, elected by the General Assembly to serve staggered three-year mandates.

13. Ambassador Vixen Kelapile is currently the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Botswana to the United Nations in New York and also the President of ECOSOC. He aims to maximise “reach, relevance and impact”. The functions of ECOSOC involve: Assist the General Assembly Assist the Security Council when requested Create commissions Convenes international conferences Conduct follow-up and review the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other UN Summits and Conferences. Coordinate the work of specialised agencies along with the funds and programmes . Provide a platform for engagement with non-governmental organisations. Issue studies and reports. Make r ecommendations .

14. UN Trusteeship Council For administering Trust territories It was established on the premise that colonial territories taken from countries defeated in war should not be annexed by the victorious powers but should be administered by a trust country under supervision until their future status was determined. But the aims of the Trusteeship System have been fulfilled to the extent that all Trust Territories have attained self-government or independence , either as separate States or by joining neighbouring independent countries. T he Trusteeship Council suspended its operations on 1 November 1994, a month after the independence of Palau, the last remaining United Nations trust territory.

15. International Court of Justice Universal Court for International Law The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. The Court is composed of 15 judges , who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. It is assisted by a Registry, its administrative organ. The Court has two functions: To settle in accordance with international law , legal disputes submitted by States and To give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized UN organs and specialized agencies. The ICJ at The Hague, Netherlands

16. UN Secretariat Administrative Organ of the UN The UN Secretariat, consisting of staff representing all nationalities working in duty stations all over the world, carries out the day to day work of the Organization. The Secretariat services the other principal organs of the United Nations and administers the programmes and policies established by them. The Secretariat Supports the other UN bodies administratively (for example, in the organization of conferences, the writing of reports and studies and the preparation of the budget ) Its chairperson, the UN Secretary General, is elected by the General Assembly for a five-year mandate and is the UN's foremost representative . António Guterres is the current and ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations.