United
Nations (UN)
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; 193 nations are now members of
the organization. The mission and work of the United Nations are guided by the
purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.
Due to the powers vested in its Charter and its
unique international character, the United Nations can take action on the
issues confronting humanity in the 21st century, such as peace and security,
climate change, sustainable development, human rights, disarmament, terrorism,
humanitarian and health emergencies, gender equality, governance, food
production, and more.
The UN also provides a forum for its members to express
their views in the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and
Social Council, and other bodies and committees. By enabling dialogue between
its members, and by hosting negotiations, the Organization has become a
mechanism for governments to find areas of agreement and solve problems
together.
The UN's Chief Administrative Officer is
the Secretary-General.
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).
Role of
United Nations
As the most representative inter-governmental organization
of the world today, the United Nations' role in world affairs is irreplaceable
by any other international or regional organizations. The United Nations has
made enormous positive contributions in maintaining international peace and
security, promoting cooperation among states and international development.
Today, people of the world still face the two major issues of peace and
development. Only by international cooperation can mankind meet the challenges
of the global and regional issues. The United Nations can play a pivotal and
positive role in this regard. Strengthening the role of the United Nations in
the new century and promoting the establishment of a just and reasonable
international political and economic order goes along with the trend of history
and is in the interest of all nations.
In order to strengthen the role of the United Nations,
efforts should be made to uphold the purposes and principles of the Charter of
the United Nations. The authority of the Security Council in maintaining
international peace and security must be preserved and role of the United
Nations in development area should be strengthened. To strengthen the role of
the United Nations, it is essential to ensure to all Member States of the
United Nations the right to equal participation in international affairs and
the rights and interests of the developing countries should be safeguarded.
The work of the UN is global, touching the lives of billions of people. The work of the Organization is, however, mostly done locally, within regions and countries. In order to accomplish this, the UN and the many entities comprising the “UN system” have created a presence in every region of the world, so the people most in need of help can be reached quickly. The UN’s work is divided into five geographical regions: Africa, Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and the Middle East.
United Nation Job
The work of the UN is global, touching the lives of billions of people. The work of the Organization is, however, mostly done locally, within regions and countries. In order to accomplish this, the UN and the many entities comprising the “UN system” have created a presence in every region of the world, so the people most in need of help can be reached quickly. The UN’s work is divided into five geographical regions: Africa, Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and the Middle East.
United Nation Job
Maintain international peace and security
The United Nations came into being in 1945, following the
devastation of the Second World War, with one central mission: the maintenance
of international peace and security. The UN does this by working to prevent
conflict; helping parties in conflict make peace; peacekeeping; and creating
the conditions to allow peace to hold and flourish. These activities often
overlap and should reinforce one another, to be effective. The UN Security
Council has the primary responsibility for international peace and security.
The General Assembly and the Secretary-General play major, important, and
complementary roles, along with other UN offices and bodies.
Promote
sustainable development
From the start in 1945, one of the main priorities of the
United Nations was to “achieve international co-operation in solving
international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character
and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental
freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or
religion.” Improving people’s well-being continues to be one of the main
focuses of the UN. The global understanding of development has changed over the
years, and countries now have agreed that sustainable development – development
that promotes prosperity and economic opportunity, greater social well-being,
and protection of the environment – offers the best path forward for improving
the lives of people everywhere.
Protect
the Human rights
The term “human rights” was mentioned seven times in the
UN's founding Charter, making the promotion and protection of human rights
a key purpose and guiding principle of the Organization. In 1948,
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights brought human rights into
the realm of international law. Since then, the Organization has
diligently protected human rights through legal instruments and on-the-ground
activities.
Deliver
the Humanitarian aid
One of the purposes of the United Nations, as stated in its
Charter, is "to achieve international co-operation in solving
international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian
character." The UN first did this in the aftermath of the Second
World War on the devastated continent of Europe, which it helped to
rebuild. The Organization is now relied upon by the international
community to coordinate humanitarian relief operations due to natural and man-made
disasters in areas beyond the relief capacity of national authorities alone.
Uphold
the international law
The UN Charter, in its Preamble, set an objective:
"to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the
obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be
maintained". Ever since, the development of, and respect for international
law has been a key part of the work of the Organization. This work is
carried out in many ways - by courts, tribunals, multilateral treaties - and by
the Security Council, which can approve peacekeeping missions, impose
sanctions, or authorize the use of force when there is a threat to
international peace and security, if it deems this necessary. These
powers are given to it by the UN Charter, which is considered an international
treaty. As such, it is an instrument of international law, and UN Member
States are bound by it. 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.
Main
Organs
The main organs of the UN are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, Secretariat and others.
General Assembly
General Assembly
The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative
organ of the UN. All 193 Member States of the UN are represented in the General Assembly, making it
the only UN body with universal representation. Decisions on important
questions, such as those on peace and security, admission of new members and
budgetary matters, require a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly.
Security Council
The Security Council has
primary responsibility, under the UN Charter, for the maintenance of
international peace and security. 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.
Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social
Council is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue
and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as
implementation of internationally agreed development goals. It serves as the
central mechanism for activities of the UN system and its specialized agencies
in the economic, social and environmental fields, supervising subsidiary and
expert bodies.
Secretariat
The Secretariat comprises the Secretary-General and tens of thousands of international UN staff members who carry out the day-to-day work of the UN as mandated by the General Assembly and the Organisation's other principal organs. UN staff members are recruited internationally and locally, and work in duty stations and on peacekeeping missions all around the world. But serving the cause of peace in a violent world is a dangerous occupation.
References
United Nations (2016) [ONLINE] Available at: ://www.un.org/en/index.html [Accessed 5 May 2016]
The role of the United Nations in Middle East (2015) [ONLINE] Available at: http://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/role-united-nations-middle-east-conflict-prevention [Accessed 5 May 2016]
The United Nations' History & Role in International Politics. (2015) [ONLINE] Available at: http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-united-nations-history-role-in-international-politics.html [Accessed 5 May 2016]
The Secretariat comprises the Secretary-General and tens of thousands of international UN staff members who carry out the day-to-day work of the UN as mandated by the General Assembly and the Organisation's other principal organs. UN staff members are recruited internationally and locally, and work in duty stations and on peacekeeping missions all around the world. But serving the cause of peace in a violent world is a dangerous occupation.
References
United Nations (2016) [ONLINE] Available at: ://www.un.org/en/index.html [Accessed 5 May 2016]
The role of the United Nations in Middle East (2015) [ONLINE] Available at: http://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/role-united-nations-middle-east-conflict-prevention [Accessed 5 May 2016]
The United Nations' History & Role in International Politics. (2015) [ONLINE] Available at: http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-united-nations-history-role-in-international-politics.html [Accessed 5 May 2016]
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