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The United Nations (UN) is an international organization with a primary objective of maintaining global peace.

The UN was formed in 1945 after the Second World War to stop wars between countries. Today, 193 nations are members of the United Nations.

Six Main Organs of the United Nations

The United Nations comprises six (6) main organs or bodies, along with fifteen (15) agencies to carry out its work.

The six (6) main organs or bodies of the United Nations that carry out the work of the UN are:

1. General Assembly,
2. Security Council,
3. The Economic and Social Council,
4. Secretariat,
5. Trusteeship Council,
6. International Court of Justice.

Six (6) main organs or bodies of the United Nations (UN), along with their headquarters

General Assembly

Among all other organs of the United Nations (UN), the General Assembly (UNGA) is the most important organ of the United Nations (UN). The main objective of this organ of the United Nations is policymaking for the work of the UN. It constitutes the representatives of all 193 Member States of the UN, therefore making it the only United Nations organ with universal representation. Therefore, we also call it the Parliament of the World. Each member nation has one vote. They meet once a year to discuss important international issues. Decisions on important questions, such as those on peace and security, admission of new members, and budgetary matters, require a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly. It is mandatory to take the views and opinions of each member nation before making any decision. The headquarters of the General Assembly is in New York, USA.

A view of the General Assembly of the United Nations

Security Council

The Security Council is the most important and the most powerful organ of the United Nations (UN). The main objective of the United Nations Security Council is to maintain international peace and security. It has fifteen members (five permanent members and ten non-permanent members). The five permanent members of the United Nations are the USA, the UK, Russia, France, and China. The General Assembly elects ten other non-permanent members for two years. The permanent members have the power to veto, i.e., to vote against the matter being discussed.

The power to veto is the most important power attributed to the permanent members. To understand its importance, consider this scenario. In the United Nations Security Council, decisions are made by a majority of 9 votes out of 15 votes. However, even if one of the five permanent members of the Security Council makes use of its veto, the division will be put to a halt.

The Security Council determines whether a threat to peace or an act of aggression exists. It calls upon the parties in a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorizing the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.

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Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council, established in 1945, looks after the programs of the United Nations related to health, education, social upliftment, culture, etc. The main objectives of this organ or body of the United Nations are policy review, policy dialogue, and recommendations on economic, social, and environmental issues, as well as the implementation of internationally agreed-upon development goals. Various agencies of the council help the poor, sick, and illiterate people all over the world to improve their standard of living. It has 54 Members, elected by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms. Its headquarters are in New York, USA & Geneva, Switzerland.

Secretariat

The Secretariat handles all the administrative work of the UN. It carries out the daily work of the UN. The Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat and the most powerful official of the UN. The General Assembly appoints the Secretary-General for five years. The first secretary-general was Trygve Lie. The office of the Secretary General of the United Nations comprises tens of thousands of international UN staff members. They carry out the day-to-day work of the United Nations as mandated by the General Assembly and the Organization’s other principal bodies or organs.

Two major organs of the United Nations – the Trusteeship Council and the Economic and Social Council

Trusteeship Council

The United Nations Trusteeship Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, established in 1945. The main objective of this organ of the United Nations is to ensure that trust territories are administered in the best interests of their inhabitants and of international peace and security. The trust territories – most of them former mandates of the League of Nations or territories taken from nations defeated at the end of World War II – have all now attained self-government or independence, either as separate nations or by joining neighboring independent countries. The last was Palau, formerly part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which became a member state of the United Nations in December 1994.

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice, established in 1945, is the chief court of the UN. The main objective of this organ of the United Nations is to settle all legal disputes between member nations peacefully. The court has fifteen judges elected for a term of nine years. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.  It is the only one of the six principal organs of the United Nations not located in New York (United States of America). The Court’s role is to settle, by international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States. The court also gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.

International Court of Justice

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Explore the complete breakdown of the United Nations (UN) – its history, core objectives, six principal organs, and specialized agencies.

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United Nations

The United Nations (UN) is an international organization with a primary objective of maintaining global peace.

• The UN was formed in 1945 after the Second World War to stop wars between countries.
• Although the United Nations was founded in 1945, its history dates back to 1914 when the First World War broke out.
• The United Nations comprises six (6) main organs or bodies, along with fifteen (15) agencies to carry out its work.
• Today, 193 nations are members of the United Nations. The latest State to join the United Nations was South Sudan (in 2011).
• Every year, we celebrate October 24th as United Nations Day.
• The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan, New York.
• The UN flag is light blue with the UN logo in the center.
• The logo is an olive branch surrounding the globe. Olive symbolizes peace and harmony.
• There are six official languages of the United Nations: English, French, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic.

Topics Covered:

• History of the United Nations (UN)
• The objective of the United Nations (UN)
• Principles of the United Nations (UN)
• Six (6) main organs or bodies of the United Nations (UN)
• Fifteen (15) specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN).

United Nations (UN) Flag, logo, and headquarters

History, objective, organs, and agencies of the United Nations (UN)

HISTORY OF THE UNITED NATIONS (UN)

There were two major wars among the nations of the world in the last century. It started when many of the industrialized nations of the world, like Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, came into conflict with each other. Each nation wanted to show its supremacy over the other. This conflict turned into a major war. This was the First World War, which broke out in August 1914. It caused great destruction. Millions of people were killed, and many were left homeless. A huge amount of money was spent on these wars. All over the world, there was a shortage of food, and people suffered. The First World War ended in 1918.

After the end of the war, many nations realized that there should be peace. This led to the creation of the League of Nations to establish world peace and prevent wars. But it failed in doing so. Another war, the Second World War, broke out in September 1939 and ended in 1945 with the US dropping atom bombs on two cities of Japan – Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The destruction caused was much more than that in World War I.

The huge destruction of the two wars made the nations of the world think about how to maintain peace in the world and prevent any further wars in the future. The need to replace the League of Nations with a more effective organization was felt. This resulted in the formation of the United Nations Organization in 1945. The charter of the UN was signed by 50 members on 24 October 1945 in San Francisco, USA. The charter describes the objective and the principles of the United Nations (UN).

OBJECTIVE OF THE UNITED NATIONS (UN)

The main objectives of the United Nations (UN) are:

Objectives of the United Nations (UN)

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PRINCIPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations has set the following principles, which all member countries must follow.

Principles of the United Nations (UN)

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Six (6) MAIN ORGANS OR BODIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations has six (6) main organs or bodies that carry out the work of the UN. They are:

1. General Assembly,
2. Security Council,
3. The Economic and Social Council,
4. Secretariat,
5. Trusteeship Council,
6. International Court of Justice.

Six (6) main organs or bodies of the United Nations (UN), along with their headquarters

General Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly is the main organ of the United Nations (UN). The main objective of this body, or the organ of the United Nations, is policymaking for the work of the UN. It constitutes the representatives of all 193 Member States of the UN, therefore making it the only UN body with universal representation. Therefore, we also call it the Parliament of the World. To know more about the General Assembly, click here.

Security Council

The United Nations Security Council is the most important and the most powerful organ of the United Nations (UN). The main objective of the Security Council is to maintain international peace and security. It has fifteen members (five permanent members and ten non-permanent members). To know more about the Security Council, click here.

Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council looks after the programs of the United Nations related to health, education, social upliftment, culture, etc. The main objectives of this organ or body of the United Nations are policy review, policy dialogue, and recommendations on economic, social, and environmental issues, as well as the implementation of internationally agreed-upon development goals. To know more about the Economic and Social Council, click here..

Secretariat

The Secretariat handles all the administrative work of the UN. It carries out the daily work of the UN. To know more about the Secretariat, click here.

Trusteeship Council

The United Nations Trusteeship Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, established in 1945. The main objective of this organ of the United Nations is to ensure that trust territories are administered in the best interests of their inhabitants and of international peace and security. To know more about the Trusteeship Council, click here.

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice is the chief court of the UN. It was established in 1945. The main objective of this organ of the United Nations is to settle all legal disputes between member nations peacefully. To know more about the International Court of Justice, click here.

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FIFTEEN (15) SPECIALIZED AGENCIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS (UN)

Apart from the five main organs of the United Nations, fifteen (15) specialized agencies carry out the work of the UN. These are:

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