United Nations Organization

The United Nations:

The United Nations is an international organization designed to make the enforcement of
international law, security, economic development, social progress, and human rights easier for
countries around the world. The United Nations includes 193 member countries and its
main headquarters are located in New York City.
History:
The name "United Nations", coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt was first used in the
Declaration by United Nations of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when representatives of
26 nations pledged their Governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers.
States first established international organizations to cooperate on specific matters. The International
Telecommunication Union was founded in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union, and the Universal
Postal Union was established in 1874. Both are now United Nations specialized agencies.
In 1899, the International Peace Conference was held in The Hague to elaborate instruments for settling
crises peacefully, preventing wars and codifying rules of warfare. It adopted the Convention for the Pacific
Settlement of International Disputes and established the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which began
work in 1902.
he forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations, an organization conceived in similar
circumstances during the first World War, and established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles "to
promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security." The International Labor
Organization was also created under the Treaty of Versailles as an affiliated agency of the League. The
League of Nations ceased its activities after failing to prevent the Second World War.
In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on
International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. Those delegates deliberated on the
basis of proposals worked out by the representatives of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and
the United States at Dumbarton Oaks, United States in August-October 1944. The Charter was signed on
26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50 countries. Poland, which was not represented at the
Conference, signed it later and became one of the original 51 Member States.
The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter had been ratified
by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other
signatories. United Nations Day is celebrated on 24 October each year.
The United Nations Today:
In order to handle the complex task of getting its member states to cooperate most efficiently, the UN
today is divided into five branches. The first is the UN General Assembly. This is the main decision-
making and representative assembly in the UN and is responsible for upholding the principles of the
UN through its policies and recommendations. It is composed of all member states, is headed by a
president elected from the member states, and meets from September to December each year.
The UN Security Council is another branch in the organization of the UN and is the most powerful of all
the branches. It has power to authorize the deployment UN member states' militaries, can mandate a
cease-fire during conflicts, and can enforce penalties on countries if they do not comply with given
mandates. It is composed of five permanent members and ten rotating members.
The next branch of the UN is the International Court of Justice, located in The Hague, Netherlands.
This branch is responsible for the judicial matters of the UN. The Economic and Social Council is a
branch that assists the General Assembly in promoting economic and social development as well as
cooperation of member states. Finally, the Secretariat is the branch UN headed by the Secretary
General. Its main responsibility is providing studies, information, and other data when needed by
other UN branches for their meetings.
United Nations Membership
Today, almost every fully recognized independent states are member states in the UN. As outlined in
the UN Charter, to become a member of the UN a state must accept both peace and all obligations
outlined in Charter and be willing to carry out any action to satisfy those obligations. The final decision
on admission to the UN is carried out by the General Assembly after recommendation by the Security
Council.

Successes of the United Nations
The First and foremost it has prevented the occurrence of any further world wars. Instrumental
in the maintenance of international balance of power.
It played a Significant role in disarming the world and making it nuclear free. Various treaty
negotiations like 'Partial Test Ban Treaty' and 'Nuclear non-proliferation treaty' have been
signed under UN.
Demise of colonialism and imperialism on one hand and apartheid on the other had UN
sanctions behind them.
UN Acted as vanguard for the protection of human rights of the people of the world, Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.
Despite crippled by Bretton Woods Institutions, UN has played limited but effective role on
economic matters. Supported the North-South dialogue and aspired for emergence of new
international economic order.
Agencies of United Nations like WHO, UNICFF, UNESCO have keenly participated in the
transformation of the international social sector.
Peace keeping operations, peaceful resolution of disputes and refugee concerns had always
been on the list of core issues.
Since 1945, the UN has been credited with negotiating 172 peaceful settlements that have
ended regional conflicts.
The world body was also instrumental in institutionalization of international laws and world legal
frame work.
Passage of various conventions and declarations on child, women, climate, etc, highlights the
extra-political affairs of the otherwise political world body.
It has successfully controlled the situation in Serbia, Yugoslavia and Balkan areas.
A number of peace missions in Africa has done reasonably well to control the situation.

Failures of the United Nations
UN opinion on Hungary and Czechoslovakia were ignored by the erstwhile Soviet Union in
1950s.
Israel had been taking unilateral action through decades in its geographical vicinity and nothing
substantial has come out even by September 2010.
No emphatic role in crisis of worst kinds like the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam crisis etc.
UN was nowhere in the picture when the NATO rained bombs over former Yugoslavia.
Uni-polarity and unilateralism has shaken the relevance of the world body. Unilateral action in
Iraq was bereft of UN sanction.
Failed to generate a universal consensus to protect the deteriorating worldclimate, even at
Copenhagen in 2009.
Number of nuclear powers in the world has kept on increasing. UN Could not control the
horizontal expansion and proliferation of weapons and arms.
Financial dependence on the industrialized nations has at times deviated UN from neutrality
and impartiality.
The world body has failed to reflect the democratic aspiration of the world. Without being
democratic itself, it talks of democratization of the world.
Aids is crossing regions and boundaries both in spread and intensity.
Domestic situation of near anarchy in Iraq and many regions of Afghanistan, despite on active
UN. The US President scheme of withdrawal has not able to bring any specific solutions in the
region. In fact, the situation has been further aggravated.
The UN totally exposed in the case of US invasion on Iraq in name for the search weapon of
mass destruction. US has withdrawn its combat forces but the law and order and mutual
distrust has worsened and at this juncture UN seems to be clueless.
It is the most representative inter-governmental organization of the world today, the United Nations'
role in world affairs is irreplaceable by any other international or regional organizations. The United
Nations has made enormous positive contributions in maintaining international peace and security,
promoting cooperation among states and international development. Today, people of the world still
face the two major issues of peace and development. Only by international cooperation can mankind
meet the challenges of the global and regional issues. The United Nations can play a pivotal and
positive role in this regard. Strengthening the role of the United Nations in the new century and
promoting the establishment of a just and reasonable international political and economic order goes
along with the trend of history and is in the interest of all nations.
In order to strengthen the role of the United Nations, efforts should be made to uphold the purposes
and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The authority of the Security Council in
maintaining international peace and security must be preserved and role of the United Nations in
development area should be strengthened. To strengthen the role of the United Nations, it is essential
to ensure to all Member States of the United Nations the right to equal participation in international
affairs and the rights and interests of the developing countries should be safeguarded.