What is the UN? The UN is an international organisation of sovereign states, containing nearly every country in the world. Only independent states may become members of the UN. It was created in the wake of World War II – in 1945, 51 states (including the UK) signed the UN Charter, and became the founding members of the UN. Because of the end of colonialism and the break-up of countries such as the USSR and Yugoslavia, the number of independent countries grew. At the start of 2008, the UN had 192 member states. The UN provides an opportunity for the independent states of the world to discuss global issues which affect them both individually and collectively. The UN aims to seek solutions to issues, conflicts and crises in a peaceful manner. The UN Charter is a set of guidelines which explains the rights and responsibilities of member states. The UN has four purposes, which are contained in Article 1 of the UN Charter. The purposes are upheld by certain principles, contained in Article 2 of the UN Charter, which apply to the UN as an organisation and to the individual member states. The UN Charter provides for the suspension or expulsion of a member state which does not adhere to the Charter principles. This has not happened so far, but South Africa ‘suspended itself’ by withdrawing when the country was run under the apartheid system. The UN’s Cyberschoolbus website provides information about the UN for young people and their teachers. Click here for more information. Finance The work of the UN is financed by member countries through three budgets: the regular budget, the peacekeeping budget and ‘voluntary funding’. For more information on UN funding, click here. Payments towards the regular budget are compulsory for all nations, although these differ widely. For example, in 2006, the UK was assessed at 6.13% of the annual budget, whereas Liberia was assessed at 0.001%. Payments towards the peacekeeping budget are not required for the poorest nations; to make up for this, the five permanent members of the Security Council make extra payments. If a member state becomes two years behind with these compulsory dues, it loses its vote in the General Assembly (although the General Assembly can vote to relax this requirement in individual cases). Many states routinely make late payments, making it very hard for the UN to carry out its work. ‘Voluntary funding’ is used to finance the UN’s development and humanitarian programmes, such as the UN Development Programme and the UN Children’s Fund. Countries may choose which, if any, of these programmes they wish to fund. Main UN bodies The main UN bodies are established by the UN Charter. Underneath these bodies are many subsidiary organs.
Secretary-General and Secretariat
Economic and Social Council (‘ECOSOC’)
International Court of Justice (‘ICJ’)
A number of other international bodies are not strictly UN bodies, but were established within the UN family. These include the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and International Criminal Court. For basic information on the UN, click here. For more in-depth information, click here or here. Glossary of terms The following glossaries of terms may be useful:
Other international organisations States may be members of many different international organisations. Here are a few of the most important ones:
|
|
