UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION

What is United Nations?

 an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain
international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations,
achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizing the
actions of nations. It is the world's largest and most familiar international
organization.
 It was entered into force on October 24, 1945 (San Francisco, California,
United States).
The Charter of the United Nations is the founding document of the United
Nations. It was signed on June 26, 1945 (in San Francisco) at the conclusion of the
United Nations Conference on International Organization, and came into force on
October 24 1945.
At the UN's founding in 1945, the five permanent members of the Security
Council were the French Republic, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the
United Kingdom, and the United States. Now, it has 193 member states and two
observer states.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER:

 António Guterres (present)
– A Portuguese politician and diplomat.
– He is the ninth person to hold this position.
– Began his first-year term on January 1, 2017.
Re-elected on 8 June 2021.
– (extra) He served as the prime minister of
Portugal from 1995 to 2002.
History of the UN

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.

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.

The work of the United Nations reaches every corner of the globe. Although best
known for peacekeeping, peacebuilding, 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.

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

UNITED NATIONS AFFILIATED COUNTRIES:

 As of now, there are 193 member states and two observer states.
Original 51 Members (1945):
Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist
Republic, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia,
Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France,
Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia,
Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, Philippine Republic, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Ukrainian
Soviet Socialist Republic, Union of South Africa, Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia

55 Members (1946)
Added: Afghanistan, Iceland, Siam, Sweden

57 Members (1947)
Added: Pakistan, Yemen

58 Members (1948)
Added: Burma

59 Members (1949)
Added: Israel

60 Members (1950)
Added: Indonesia
76 Members (1955)
Added: Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ceylon, Finland, Hungary, Ireland,
Italy, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal, Portugal, Romania, Spain

80 Members (1956)
Added: Japan, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia

82 Members (1957)
Added: Ghana, Federation of Malaya

82 Members (1958)
Added: Guinea

99 Members (1960)
Added: Cameroun, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo
(Leopoldville), Cyprus, Dahomey, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Malagasy Republic, Mali,
Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Togo, Upper Volta

104 Members (1961)

Added: Mauritania, Mongolia, Sierra Leone, Tanganyika

110 Members (1962)

Added: Algeria, Burundi, Jamaica, Rwanda, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda
113 Members (1963)
Added: Kenya, Kuwait, Zanzibar

115 Members (1964)

Added: Malawi, Malta, Zambia

117 Members (1965)

Added: The Gambia, Maldive Islands, Singapore

122 Members (1966)

Added: Barbados, Botswana, Guyana, Lesotho

123 Members (1967)

Added: Yemen

126 Members (1968)

Added: Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, Swaziland

127 Members (1970)

Added: Fiji

132 Members (1971)

Added: Bahrain, Bhutan, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates
135 Members (1973)
Added: Bahamas, Federal Republic of Germany, German Democratic Republic

138 Members (1974)

Added: Bangladesh, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau

144 Members (1975)

Added: Cape Verde, Comoros, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and
Principe, Suriname

147 Members (1976)

Added: Angola, Samoa, Seychelles

149 Members (1977)

Added: Djibouti, Viet Nam

151 Members (1978)

Added: Dominica, Solomon Islands

152 Members (1979)

Added: Saint Lucia

154 Members (1980)

Added: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Zimbabwe
157 Members (1981)
Added: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Vanuatu

158 Members (1983)

Added: Saint Christopher and Nevis

159 Members (1984)

Added: Brunei Darussalam

159 Members (1990)

Added: Liechtenstein, Namibia

166 Members (1991)

Added: Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Korea

179 Members (1992)

Added: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Slovenia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

184 Members (1993)

Added: Andorra, Czech Republic, Eritrea, Monaco, Slovakia, The former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia
185 Members (1994)
Added: Palau

188 Members (1999)

Added: Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga

189 Members (2000)

Added: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Tuvalu

191 Members (2002)

Added: Switzerland, Timor-Leste

192 Members (2006)

Added: Montenegro

193 Members (2011)

Added: South Sudan

Observer states:
Vatican City, Palestine

UNITED NATIONS OFFICIAL LANGUAGES:

 Arabic
 Chinese
 English
  French
 Russian
 Spanish

UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS:

 New York City
o Other main offices include:
o Geneva, Switzerland
o Nairobi, Kenya
o Vienna, Austria and
o The Hague/Peace Palace (home to the International Court of Justice).

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

 the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
 functions in accordance with the Statute of the International Court of
Justice, which is annexed to the UN Charter.

THE UN’S SIX PRINCIPLE ORGANS:

 the General Assembly;
 the Security Council;
 the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC);
– non-governmental organizations may be granted consultative status with
ECOSOC and other agencies to participate in the UN's work.
 the Trusteeship Council;
 the International Court of Justice; and the
 UN Secretariat.
UN SPECIALIZED AGENCIES
FAO
Headquarters: Rome, Italy
The Food and Agriculture Organization leads international efforts to fight hunger.
It is both a forum for negotiating agreements between developing and developed
countries and a source of technical knowledge and information to aid
development.

ICAO
Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
The International Civil Aviation Organization develops standards for global air
transport and assists its 192 Member States in sharing the world’s skies to their
socio-economic benefit.

IFAD
Headquarters: Rome, Italy
The International Fund for Agricultural Development, since it was created in 1977,
has focused exclusively on rural poverty reduction, working with poor rural
populations in developing countries to eliminate poverty, hunger and
malnutrition; raise their productivity and incomes; and improve the quality of
their lives.

ILO
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
The International Labor Organization promotes international labor rights by
formulating international standards on the freedom to associate, collective
bargaining, the abolition of forced labor, and equality of opportunity and
treatment.
IMF
Headquarters: Washington, DC, USA
The International Monetary Fund fosters economic growth and employment by
providing temporary financial assistance to countries to help ease balance of
payments adjustment and technical assistance. The IMF currently has $28 billion
in outstanding loans to 74 nations.

IMO
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
The International Maritime Organization has created a comprehensive shipping
regulatory framework, addressing safety and environmental concerns, legal
matters, technical cooperation, security, and efficiency.

ITU
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
The International Telecommunication Union is the United Nations specialized
agency for information and communication technologies. It is committed to
connecting all the world's people – wherever they live and whatever their means.
Through our work, we protect and support everyone's fundamental right to
communicate

UNESCO
Headquarters: Paris, France
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization focuses on
everything from teacher training to helping improve education worldwide to
protecting important historical and cultural sites around the world.
UNIDO
Headquarters: Vienna, Austria
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization is the specialized agency
of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty
reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability.

UNWTO
Headquarters: Madrid, Spain
The World Tourism Organization is the United Nations agency responsible for the
promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

UPU
Headquarters: Bern, Switzerland
The Universal Postal Union is the primary forum for cooperation between postal
sector players. It helps to ensure a truly universal network of up-to-date products
and services.

WHO
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
The World Health Organization is the directing and coordinating authority on
international health within the United Nations system. The objective of WHO is
the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health, as
defined in the WHO Constitution, is a state of complete physical, mental and
social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
WIPO
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
The World Intellectual Property Organization protects intellectual property
throughout the world through 23 international treaties.

WMO
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
The World Meteorological Organization facilitates the free international exchange
of meteorological data and information and the furtherance of its use in aviation,
shipping, security, and agriculture, among other things.

World Bank
Headquarters: Washington, DC, USA
The World Bank focuses on poverty reduction and the improvement of living
standards worldwide by providing low-interest loans, interest-free credit, and
grants to developing countries for education, health, infrastructure, and
communications, among other things. The World Bank works in over 100
countries.
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)*
International Development Association (IDA)
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)*
* International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) are not specialized agencies in
accordance with Articles 57 and 63 of the Charter, but are part of the World Bank
Group.

FUNDS AND PROGRAMMES

UNDP Headquarters: New York City, USA
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works in nearly 170
countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and
build resilience so countries can sustain progress. As the UN’s development
agency, UNDP plays a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals.

UNEP Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established in 1972, is the
voice for the environment within the United Nations system. UNEP acts as a
catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator to promote the wise use and
sustainable development of the global environment.

UNFPA Headquarters: New York City, USA

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the lead UN agency for delivering
a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every young
person's potential is fulfilled.

UN-HABITAT Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya

The mission of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements
development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.

UNICEF
Headquarters: New York City, USA

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in 190 countries and
territories to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil
their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

WFP Headquarters: Rome, Italy

The World Food Programme aims to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. The
world’s largest humanitarian agency, WFP helps almost 100 million people in
approximately 88 countries with assistance every year through food or cash
distributions and more. The World Food Programme was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize in 2020.