short note on UN system
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The United Nations System consists of the United Nations, and the six principal organs of the United Nations: the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the UN Secretariat, specialized agencies, and affiliated organizations. The executive heads of some of the United Nations System organizations and the World Trade Organization, which is not formally part of the United Nations System, have seats on the United Nations System Chief Executives' Board for Coordination (CEB). This body, chaired by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, meets twice a year to co-ordinate the work of the organizations of the United Nations System.
The United Nations System includes the United Nations and its subsidiary bodies (such as the separately-administered funds and programmes, research and training institutes, and other subsidiary entities), specialized agencies, and affiliated organizations. Some of the organizations of the United Nations System predate the founding of the United Nations in 1945 and were inherited after the dissolution of the League of Nations.
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The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization formed to promote international cooperation. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was established on 24 October, 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; currently there are 193 nations. The headquarters of the United Nations is in Manhattan, New York City, and experiences extraterritoriality.
Further main offices are situated in Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states.
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.
Organs of the United Nations
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a. The United Nations General Assembly
The General Assembly (GA) is the main body of the United Nations and every member of the UN is a member of the UNGA. Each member possesses one vote within the committee. It is the pre-eminent, deliberative and policy-making body that is a representative of the UN. The GA has a President who is the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and it works through a plenary of six main committees, a general and a credential committee. The 6 main committees are:
- First Committee - Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC)
- • Second Committee - Economic and Financial Committee (ECOFIN)
- Third Committee - Social, Humanitarian and cultural Committee (SOCHUM)
- Fourth Committee - Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL)
- Fifth Committee - Administrative and Budgetary Committee (ABC)
- Sixth Committee - Legal Committee
b. The United Nations Security Council
The UN Security Council, or the SC, is a committee that deals with matters that threaten international peace and security. It consists of 15 members, of which 5 are permanent and 10 are non-permanent members that rotate on a two-year basis. The 5 permanent members are i) the United States of America, ii) the United Kingdom, iii) France, iv) the Russian Federation, and v) the Peoples Republic of China. Each of these 5 permanent members holds the veto power over substantive but not procedural resolutions. While other organs of the United Nations can merely make recommendations to various countries on certain issues, the Security Council’s decisions and resolutions are binding on all members under Article 25 of the UN Charter.
c. The United Nations Economic and Social Council
The ECOSOC helps the UNGA in promoting international economic, social and environmental cooperation and development. It has 54 members that are elected for three-year terms, while a president is elected for a one-year term from among the presiding members. Unlike the Security Council, the ECOSOC is a deliberative committee, created to help other parts of the UN system to shape and examine their programs. This body also deals with implementation of internationally agreed development goals such as the Millennium Development Goals of 2015 and the recently launched Global Goals for Sustainable Development, 2030.
d. The Secretariat
With about 9000 staff members from over 150 countries, the Secretariat is one of the most important organs of the United Nations. All operations of the Secretariat are conducted by the Secretary-General. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for their meetings. It also carries out tasks as directed by the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council, and other UN bodies.
e. The International Court of Justice
As the only organ of the United Nations that does not have it’s headquarters at the Secretariat, The International Court of Justice or the ICJ is the primary judicial organ of the UN. It has jurisdiction over states only, not organisations and individuals. It works towards settlement of all legal matters concerning the United Nations.
f. The Trusteeship Council
When the United Nations was set up in 1945, eleven territories known as trust territories existed; that were placed under international supervision till their independence. With the independence of Palau in 1995, the Trusteeship Council suspended activity as Palau was the last trust territory that was under the supervision of the council.