|
|
United Nations
United Nations (UN), international organization established immediately after
World War II. It replaced the League of Nations. In
1945, when the UN was founded, there were 51 members;
192 nations are now members of the organization (see
table entitled United Nations Members).
Organization and Principles
The Charter of the United Nations comprises a
preamble and 19 chapters divided into 111 articles. The
charter sets forth the purposes of the UN as: the
maintenance of international peace and security; the
development of friendly relations among states; and the
achievement of cooperation in solving international
economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems.
It expresses a strong hope for the equality of all
people and the expansion of basic freedoms.
The principal organs of the UN, as specified in
the charter, are the General Assembly, the Security
Council, the Economic and Social Council, the
Trusteeship Council (see trusteeship, territorial), the
International Court of Justice, and the Secretariat.
Other bodies that function as specialized agencies of
the UN but are not specifically provided for in the
charter are the Food and Agriculture Organization, the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
and the associated International Finance Corporation and
International Development Association, the International
Civil Aviation Organization, the International Labor
Organization, the International Maritime Organization,
the International Monetary Fund, the International
Telecommunication Union, the United Nations Children's
Fund, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization, the Universal Postal Union, the
World Health Organization, the World Intellectual
Property Organization, and the World Meteorological
Organization. Temporary agencies have included the
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration,
the International Refugee Organization (whose
responsibilities were later assumed by the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), and the
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East, which is still in existence.
The official languages of the UN are Arabic,
Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. The
working languages of the General Assembly are English,
French, and Spanish (in the Security Council only
English and French are working languages).
The Secretariat and the Secretary-General
All UN administrative functions are handled by
the Secretariat, with the secretary-general at its head.
The charter does not prescribe a term for the
secretary-general, but a five-year term has become
standard. Trygve Lie, the first secretary-general, was
succeeded by Dag Hammarskjöld (1953–61), who served
until his death. U Thant, acting secretary-general, was
elected secretary-general (1962), was reelected in 1966,
and served through 1971. Succeeding secretaries-general
were: Kurt Waldheim (1972–81); Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
(1982–91), Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1992–96), Kofi Annan
(1997–2006), and Ban Ki-Moon (2007–). (See also the
table entitled United Nations Secretaries-General.) The
secretary-general transcends a merely administrative
role by his authority to bring situations to the
attention of various UN organs, by his position as an
impartial party in effecting conciliation, and
especially by his power to “perform such … functions as
are entrusted to him” by other UN organs. Also
strengthening the office of secretary-general is the
large Secretariat staff, which is recruited on a wide
geographic basis and is required to work exclusively in
the interests of the organization.
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7
|
