UNO: Objectives, Composition, Function

Notebook: GS3
Created: 02-09-2019 23:10 Updated: 03-09-2019 16:04
Author: kaberi nath
URL: http://www.english-for-students.com/objectives-and-principles-of-united-nations.html

The world witnessed two devastating wars in the 20th century. The First World War
broke out in 1914 and continued till 1918. Millions of people were killed, wounded,
maimed, crippled and rendered homeless.

The horror and tragedy of the First World War led to a universal desire for peace.

It was felt that some international organization should be created to prevent future
wars. Out of this desire was born the League of Nations. The primary aim of the
League of Nations was to preserve peace and promote international cooperation.
The League of Nations failed to maintain peace and the Second World War broke out in
1939. The outbreak of the Second World War revealed to the world the weaknesses of
the League of Nations. It was felt that a much stronger international organisation
should be created, if the world was to have peace. The Second World War which broke
out in 1939 came to an end in 1945.

The Atlantic charter:

Even before the end of the war, in August 1941, the U.S. President, Franklin
Roosevelt, and the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, met on a battleship, ‘the
Cruiser’, in the mid-Altantic and drew up the Atlantic Charter which was released on
14 August, 1941.

The Charter had the following objectives:

(1) To maintain international peace and security;

(2) To encourage international cooperation in the spheres of social, economic and

cultural developments;

(3) To develop friendly relations among nations on principles of equal rights and self-
determination;

(4) To recognise the fundamental rights of all people.

United Nations declaration or the Washington declaration:

On 1 January, 1942, representatives of 26 Allied countries met in Washington and
signed a Declaration of United Nations. The signatories endorsed the principles of the
Atlantic Charter. This was the first time that the term ‘United Nations’ was used.

The UN Charter finally emerged after three major conferences—the Dumbarton Oaks
Conference (1944), the Yalta Conference (1945) and the San Francisco Conference
(1945). At the Dumbarton Oaks Conference the representatives of four major powers
(Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union and China) agreed on proposals for the
aims, structure and functioning of the United Nations. They voted for an Assembly, a
Security Council, a Secretariat and an International Court. The Yalta Conference
decided on the voting procedure to be followed by the Security Council.
Membership of the United Nations was to be opened to all peace- loving states.
Representatives of fifty nations met at San Francisco to sign the Atlantic Charter.
Poland signed it later and became one of the original 51 member states.

The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October, 1945. The Charter
had been ratified by the five big powers Britain, China, France, the Soviet Union, and
the United States and by a majority of the other signatories.

The 24th of October is celebrated as United Nations Day. Today, the organization has
192 members.

The headquarters of the United Nations is located in New York, USA. The organization
has six official languages- English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic. Its
flag bears its emblem, a map of the world encircled by two bent olive branches.

Aims of the United Nations:

The objectives of the United Nations, according to its Charter, are:

(1) To maintain international peace and security.

(2) To develop friendly relations among nations on the basis of equality and the
principle of self-determination.

(3) To foster worldwide cooperation in solving economic, social, cultural and

humanitarian problems.

(4) To promote human rights and fundamental freedom for the people of the world.

(5) To serve as a centre where various nations can coordinate their activities towards
the attainment of the objectives of the United Nations.

(6) To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.

The organs of the United Nations:

The UN has six principal organs to carry out its functions:

1. The General Assembly,

2. The Security Council,

3. The Economic and Social Council,

4. The Trusteeship Council,

5. The International Court of Justice and

6. The Secretariat.

The General Assembly:

The General Assembly is the largest organ of the UN. All members of the UN are
members of the General Assembly. Each state can send up to five representatives but
is entitled to one vote in the Assembly. This ensures that all the member states have
equal status.
The General Assembly meets once a year for three months. But special sessions may
be held during times of crisis. At the beginning of every session, the Assembly elects a
new President.

The functions of the General Assembly are as follows:

1. It can discuss any matter affecting international peace and security.

2. It makes recommendations for peaceful settlements of disputes.

3. It passes the budget of the UN.

4. It elects the non-permanent members of the Security Council.

5. It also elects the members of the Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship
Council.

6. It admits new members to the UN on the recommendation of the Security Council.

7. The Security Council and the General Assembly elect the members of the
International Court of Justice.

8. In recent years the General Assembly has increased its power through a resolution
called Uniting for Peace Resolution. The General Assembly can make recommendations
for “collective measures, including the use of armed forces”, in case the Security
Council is unable to take a decision during a crisis.

Decisions are taken in the General Assembly by a simple majority vote. In some
important cases a two-thirds majority vote is required for taking a decision.

The Security Council:

The Security Council is the most important and effective organ of the UN. It is the
executive wing of the UN. The Security Council consists of 15 members. Five of them
are permanent members, namely Britain, China, France, Russia and the USA. The ten
non-permanent members are elected by the General Assembly for a term of two
years.

Each member has one vote. Decisions are taken by a majority vote of at least nine
members including the five permanent members. Each permanent member has the
power to reject or veto a decision. This means a negative vote by any one of the
permanent members would lead to a cancellation of the resolution. The Council is
powerless to act if there is such a veto by any permanent member although it may be
supported by all other permanent members.

The Security Council has the basic responsibility of maintaining peace and security in
the world. The Security Council meets once a month but in the event of an emergency,
a meeting may be held whenever required.

The functions and powers of the Security Council are:

to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and
purposes of the United Nations;
to investigate any dispute or situation which might lead to international friction;
to recommend methods of adjusting such disputes or the terms of settlement;
to formulate plans for the establishment of a system to regulate armaments;
to determine the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression and to
recommend what action should be taken;
 to call on Members to apply economic sanctions and other measures not involving
the use of force to prevent or stop aggression;
to take military action against an aggressor;
to recommend the admission of new Members;
to exercise the trusteeship functions of the United Nations in "strategic areas";
to recommend to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary-
General and, together with the Assembly, to elect the Judges of the International
Court of Justice.

Functions of the Security Council:

1. To maintain international peace and security in the world.

2. To investigate international disputes and recommend appropriate methods of

settling them.

3. To call on member states to apply economic sanctions against the aggressor and
thus to put pressure on the guilty state to stop aggression.

4. The Security Council may take military action against the aggressor, if required.

The International Court of Justice:

The International Court of Justice, located in The Hague, Netherlands, is the principal
judicial organ of the United Nations.

The Court consists of 15 Judges from different countries elected by the General
Assembly and the Security Council. They are elected for a nine-year term. No two
judges can be citizens of the same country.

Functions of the International Court of Justice:

(1) To settle disputes brought to it by member nations.

(2) To provide legal advice to any organ of the UN on request.

The Trusteeship Council:

The Trusteeship Council was set up immediately after the Second World War. It was
set up to ensure the proper administration and development of those areas of the
world that were under foreign rule. The Council was also to take steps to help them
attain self- government. By 1994, all Trust Territories had attained self-government.
The Council will now meet only if required to do so.

The Economic and Social Council:

The Economic and Social Council consists of 54 members elected by the General
Assembly for a three-year term.

The ECOSOC discusses major economic and social issues. It is mainly concerned with
the management of the UN’s social, economic, cultural and humanitarian activities.

Its main functions are as follows:

1. To promote economic and social progress.

2. To solve problems relating to health, illiteracy, unemployment, etc.

3. To coordinate the functions of the agencies of the UN like the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Food and
Agricultural Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations
International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), etc.

The Secretariat:
The Secretariat is the principal administrative department of the UN. It is headed by
the Secretary-General appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of
the Security Council for a term of five years. He can be re-elected.

The staff of the Secretariat is appointed by the Secretary-General. They are chosen
from among the 192 member countries. The Secretary- General holds a key position
in the administration of the affairs of the UN. He organises conferences, oversees
peacekeeping operations, drafts reports on economic and social trends, prepares
studies on human rights, mediates in international disputes and prepares budget
estimates.

It is to be noted that the United Nations can achieve success only if the member
states cooperate with it. All member countries must abide by the policies and
programmes of the United Nations, if the latter is to succeed as a peace-keeping
organisation.

Objectives and Principles of United Nations:

The objectives of the United Nations as set forth in the Charter are…

(i) to maintain international peace and security based on respect for the principle of
equal human rights and self-determination of peoples.

(ii) to develop friendly relations among nations.

(iii) to cooperate in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or

humanitarian character.

(iv) to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in achieving these ends.

(v) to protect environment & to justify use of natural resource.

The United Nations act in accordance with the following Principals.

1. All member states are sovereign and equal.

2. All are pledged to fulfill their obligations under the Charter in good faith.

3. All are pledged to settle their international disputes by peaceful means and without
endangering international peace, security and justice.

4. They are to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force
against any other state.

5. They are to give the UN every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with
the Charter.
6. The United Nations shall not intervene in matters which are essentially domestic
ones of any state except when it is acting to enforce international peace.

How does the UN maintain international peace and security?

Preventive Diplomacy and Mediation
The most effective way to diminish human suffering and the massive economic costs of conflicts
and their aftermath is to prevent conflicts in the first place. The United Nations plays an important
role in conflict prevention, using diplomacy, good offices and mediation. Among the tools the
Organization uses to bring peace are special envoys and political missions in the field.

Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping has proven to be one of the most effective tools available to the UN to assist host
countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace. Today's multidimensional peacekeeping
operations are called upon not only to maintain peace and security, but also to facilitate political
processes, protect civilians, assist in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former
combatants; support constitutional processes and the organization of elections, protect and
promote human rights and assist in restoring the rule of law and extending legitimate state
authority. Peacekeeping operations get their mandates from the UN Security Council; their troops
and police are contributed by Members States; and they are managed by the Department of Peace
Operations and supported by the Department of Operational Support at the UN Headquarters in
New York. There are 14 UN peacekeeping operations currently deployed and there have been a
total of 71 deployed since 1948.

Peacebuilding
United Nations peace building activities are aimed at assisting countries emerging from conflict,
reducing the risk of relapsing into conflict and at laying the foundation for sustainable peace and
development. The UN peacebuilding architecture comprises the Peacebuilding Commission,
the Peacebuilding Fund and the Peacebuilding Support Office. The Peacebuilding Support Office
assists and supports the Peacebuilding Commission with strategic advice and policy guidance,
administers the Peacebuilding Fund and serves the Secretary-General in coordinating United
Nations agencies in their peacebuilding efforts.

Countering Terrorism
The United Nations is being increasingly called upon to coordinate the global fight against
terrorism. Eighteen universal instruments against international terrorism have been elaborated
within the framework of the United Nations system relating to specific terrorist activities. In
September 2006, UN Member States adopted the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy. This was the first time that Member States agreed to a common strategic and operational
framework against terrorism.

Disarmament
The General Assembly and other bodies of the United Nations, supported by the Office for
Disarmament Affairs, work to advance international peace and security through the pursuit of the
elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and the regulation of
conventional arms.