UN Formation
After World War I, the allies met in Paris to form a world body to guarantee peace. The meeting resulted in the formation of a Joint Organisation of 42 nations, the League of Nations. In actuality, the US never joined the League. It began with four permanent members – the United Nations, France, Italy, and Japan. Even after the formation of the League, peace did not take place. Again, in 1939 war took place, and; League ended. In August 1941, Winston Churchill (Britain’s prime minister) and Franklin Roosevelt prepared the Atlantic Charter to set Objectives after the War. In London, a meeting had held on September 1941. Eight autonomous governments were under the Axis occupation. They jointly agreed to the principles of policy set by Britain and the United States.
The term United Nations was given by President Roosevelt and Britain Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the White House, USA. The term United Nations has been used for the Allied Nations. The Declaration of the United Nations was prepared on December 1941 by Roosevelt, Churchill, and Harry Hopkins. The UN declaration provides religious freedom. On 1 January 1942, the declaration was signed by USSR and China, and after one day 22 other nations signed it. At the time of the War, United Nations was the official term for the allies. Countries had to sign the Declaration, to declare war on the axis powers.
On October 1943, Moscow Declaration was announced at Moscow Conference. It was the first step to replace the League of Nations. Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Stalin met at Tehran Conference to discuss the formation of an international Organisation.
It was not easy to form an International Organisation and set out principles on everyone’s consent. It was only possible after the negotiations between the four Allied Powers at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference held from 21 September to 7 October 1944. One more Conference was held in Yalta on February 1945.
Another 21 Nations signed the Declaration on 1 March 1945. After a long struggle, UN Conference on International Organisation took Place in San Francisco on 25 April 1945. The Conference attendees were 50 governments and a few non-governmental Organisations. Britain also tried to restore France’s Status as a Major Power after the liberation of Paris in August 1944. The UN charter took two years to get drafted. On 26 June 1945, it was signed by 50 nations. Jan Smuts was the author of the draft. UN came into existence on 24 October 1945 and approved by five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and 46 other members. The five permanent members are – the US, the UK, France, the Soviet Union, and the Republic of China. The first meeting of the General Assembly and the Security Council took place, in London, on January 1946. New York City; was chosen as the site for the headquarters of the United Nations whose construction was completed on 9 October 1952. Trygve Lie turned into the main UN secretary-general.
Objectives and Principle
To establish international peace and security, to establish friendly relations between different nations, to increase international economic, social, cultural and human cooperation, and to create harmony among different nations were the main objectives of the Organization.
The United Nations is based on the principle of equal authority of all its members. All members must fulfill their obligations under the Charter in good faith. They have to settle their disputes peacefully so that peace, security and justice are not threatened. Force shall not be used against the independence or territory of any state. There shall be no assistance to any State against which the United Nations League is taking military action, and all members shall support the action taken by the League. Non-member states will be treated in such a way that they can act in accordance with these principles to maintain peace and security. This organization will not interfere in the domestic affairs of any state.
Presently, the UN has six organs. Five were; the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, and the Secretariat Located in New York. The sixth, the International Court of Justice, is located in The Hague in the Netherlands. The Trusteeship Council suspended its operations on 1 November 1994, just after the independence of Palau.
1. General Assembly
All the member countries of the United Nations are its members. Each nation can send five representatives and five alternates. But his vote is only one. Generally, its meeting is held once a year. But extraordinary sessions may also be convened on the recommendation of the Security Council or at the request of a majority of the members. Every year the General Assembly elects its President. Important matters are decided by a two-thirds vote and general questions are decided by a simple majority. Its main functions are as follows:–
It elects members of other organs of the Union, such as the Security Council’s executive members, all members of the Economic and Social Council, some members of the Trusteeship Council, judges of the International Court of Justice, and the Secretary-General. It can consider all matters to establish peace. But when the Security Council is considering a controversial subject, the General Assembly cannot consider it unless the Security Council requests it to do so. It can also use military force if necessary. Its duty is to promote the cooperation of all countries in economic, social, and educational activities, to provide basic human rights to the people of all countries without discrimination of caste, religion, sex, or language, to free all people from poverty, to raise the standard of living, to promote economic and social progress, to protect the interests of the population and to obtain the co-operation of all countries for the improvement of national laws.The General Assembly also approves the budget of the United Nations and determines the contributions to be paid by the members. It also monitors other organs and considers their special reports. It can make countries a member of the United Nations and remove a country from the Union. The General Assembly also has the right to amend the Charter.
2. Security Council
This body has ten members in total. Britain, America, Russia, France and socialist China are its permanent members. The remaining five are temporary members. They are elected for two years by the General Assembly with a two-thirds majority. No country can become its member twice consecutively. Each of its members becomes the president in turn for one month. The council functions on a permanent basis. All its decisions are taken by a majority of seven members. Any seven votes are sufficient for ordinary business, but in urgent cases the votes of five permanent members are required in the seven votes. This is called Veto Power of Permanent Members. Countries that are not members of the Security Council can also be invited to participate in the proceedings.
This organization is a very important part of the United Nations. It considers all those matters which disturb the peace of the world. It can take any steps to prevent the things that are going to destroy peace and security. So it can get military assistance from all the member states. In serious disputes, it may recommend both parties to settle the dispute through negotiation and arbitration. It can ask for economic sanctions against the aggressor. The Security Council recommends the admission of new members of the Union and recommends the removal of old members to the General Assembly. It may convene a special session of the General Assembly. On its recommendation, the Secretary General and judges of the International Court of Justice are appointed.
3. Economic and Social Council
It consists of 27 members, who are elected for three years by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly. Before 1965, there were 18 members. The nine members have been increased so that seven more members represent African and Asian countries, one member represents a Latin-American state and one member represents Western Europe or another state. But they can be re-elected. Its decisions are made by general consensus. This council elects its president every year and holds at least two meetings in a year. The task of this council is to create mutual cooperation among nations to solve the economic, social and human problems of the world. It makes such recommendations to the United Nations that will improve education, culture and the standard of living of the people. It works through commissions, committees and agencies. It protects human rights and strives to eliminate the economic and social causes of war.
4. Trusteeship Council
The Trusteeship Council has been established for the administration and supervision of the non Self-Governing Territories. These areas are of three types. Territories under the Mandatory System of the National League, territories taken from enemy states after World War II and territories voluntarily handed over to the United Nations by a state. The members of the Trusteeship Council are of three types- One the States which administer the Trusteeship Territories, the second the permanent members of the Security Council who do not administer the Trusteeship Territories and the third is elected by the General Assembly for a term of three years. Three types of members have been appointed so that the number of administering and non-administering states under the trusteeship becomes equal. The Trusteeship Council is of the view that the areas under the Trusteeship are being managed properly and the people are being trained in responsible governance. This council considers the reports received from the managers of the areas under the trusteeship and sends missions to look after these areas. It submits a report of its work to the General Assembly every year.
5. Secretariat
It is headed by a General Secretary who is appointed by the General Assembly for five years on the recommendation of the Security Council. Today Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru is in this position. The rest of the staff is appointed according to the rules and by-laws made by the General Assembly. There are 11 Under Secretaries General and 5 Assistant Secretaries General to assist the Secretary-General. The Secretary keeps a record of the proceedings of the various organs of the Union, collects necessary material and information for them, and carries on correspondence with the various States. The main task of the Secretary-General is to report to the Security Council, if there is a threat to international peace and security. He submits annual reports on his work to the General Assembly.
6. International Court of Justice
It is the oldest organ of the United Nations and its meetings are held in the city of The Hague, Netherlands. It has a total of fifteen judges. They are elected at various functions of the General Assembly and the Security Council. No more than one judge can be drawn from any one country. Their term is nine years and can be re-elected. The court’s jurisdiction includes interpreting international law and treaties. Only disputes of states can be presented in it. This court can also give advice. English and French are the court languages.
The UN has many other agencies whose headquarter is in different nations Worldwide. International Labour Organisation is the world’s oldest International Organisation. The Treaty of Versailles resulted in the formation of ILO on 11 April 1911. It was formed after the Paris Harmony Conference. The headquarters of ILO is in Geneva, Switzerland. ILO also got Nobel Peace Prize in 1969. It is the first officially recognized agency of the UN. The UN has six official languages which have been used in meetings. These are Arabic, Chinese, French, English, Russian and Spanish. The UN and its organizations are insusceptible from the laws of the nations where they work that shields the UN’s fairness to host and part nations. At Present, the UN has 193 member States.
Antonio Guterres is currently the Secretary General of the United Nations who took charge on 1 January 2022.
