Organs of the United Nations (UN)

The following are the six organs of the United Nations :

1. General Assembly
2. Security Council
3. Economic and Social Council
4. Trusteeship Council
5. International Court of Justice
6. Secretariat
General Assembly
The most representative of the organs of the United Nations.
Composition
Consist of all the nation-members of the United Nations. Each member is entitled to
at least five representatives and five alternates such as technical staff as needed.
Pre - Function
The characterization of questions as to important or not important . Such that after
being determined the General Assembly proceeds to its vital functions and powers.
Functions and Powers
According to the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly may:
- Consider and make recommendations on the general principles of cooperation for
maintaining international peace and security, including disarmament;
- Discuss any question relating to international peace and security and, except
where a dispute or situation is currently being discussed by the Security Council,
make recommendations on it;
- Discuss, with the same exception, and make recommendations on any questions
within the scope of the Charter or affecting the powers and functions of any organ
of the United Nations;
- Initiate studies and make recommendations to promote international political
cooperation, the development and codification of international law, the realization
of human rights and fundamental freedoms and international collaboration in the
economic, social, humanitarian, cultural, educational and health fields;
- Make recommendations for the peaceful settlement of any situation that might
impair friendly relations among nations;
- Receive and consider reports from the Security Council and other United Nations
organs;
- Consider and approve the United Nations budget and establish the financial
assessments of Member States;
- Elect the non-permanent members of the Security Council and the members of
other - United Nations councils and organs and, on the recommendation of the
Security Council, appoint the Secretary-General.
Session
Regular annual session begins every third Tuesday of September, or can also
conduct special sessions at the call of the majority or upon request of the Security

Council.
Voting
Each member of the General Assembly has one vote.
(Vote Needed)
Important Questions - requires two-third votes of all the present and voting
members
Not Important Questions requires majority of those present and voting members
President of the General Assembly
A seasoned diplomat, economist, scholar and businessman, Dr. Kerim brings with
him a wealth of experience in international political and economic affairs and
extensive knowledge of the United Nations system. From 2000 to 2001, Dr. Kerim
was Foreign Minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, in which
capacity he also served as Chairman of the South-East European Cooperation
Process. He then became his country's Ambassador and Permanent Representative
to the United Nations, from 2001 to 2003, during which time he served as vicechairman both of the International Conference on Financing for Development
(Monterrey, 2002) and of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(Johannesburg, 2002). In addition, he was a member of the group of facilitators of
the President of the fifty-sixth UN General Assembly, focusing on UN reform, and
was a co-organizer of the Regional Forum on Dialogue of Civilizations (Ohrid, 2003).
Security Council
The key organ of the United Nation in the maintenance of peace and security
Composition
Consist of fifteen (15) members. Five permanent members and ten elective
members.
Five permanent members are the commonly known as UNs Big Five, these are :
1. China
2. France
3. United kingdom
4. Russia
5. United States
- the permanent members are given a preferred position because of their prestige
and power thus, can be called upon to provide leadership and physical force needed
to preserve peace of the world.
Ten elective members elected by the General Assembly :
1. Five from African and Asian states
2. Two from Latin American state
3. Two from Western European and other states
4. One from Eastern European states
Term/Re-election
Big Five : permanent
Ten elective members : elected for two years by the General Assembly and not
eligible for immediate re-election.

Chairmanship is rotated every calendar month on the basis of English alphabetical

order of the names of members.
Pre- Function
(Characterization of Questions)
Procedural matters includes questions relating to the organization and meeting of
the Security Council, establishment of subsidiary organs and the participation of
states paries to a dispute in the discussions of the organ
Non-procedural matters are those that may require the Security Council under its
responsibility of maintaining and restoring peace to invoke measures of
enforcement.
Functions and Powers
to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and
purposes of the United Nations;
to investigate any dispute or situation which mightlead 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 GeneralAssembly the appointment of the SecretaryGeneral and, together with the Assembly, to elect the Judges of the International
Court of Justice.
Voting : Yalta Formula
According to this formula, each member shall have one vote but distinction is made
between the Big Five and the non-permanent in resolution of substantive questions.
This formula was devised at the Crimea Conference and subsequently incorporated
in Article 27 of the UN Charter, which provides :
1. Each member of the Security Council shall have one vote.
2. Decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an
affirmative vote of nine members.
3. Decisions of the Security Council on all other matters shall be made by an
affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent
members; provided that, in decisions under Chapter VI and under paragraph 3 of
Article 52 a party to a dispute shall abstain from voting
Purpose of the Yalta Formula is to ensure the unity of permanent members in the
measures to be taken in the pursuit of its primary function of maintaining
international peace and security.
Procedural matters requires nine votes of any permanent members or more
Non-procedural matters requires nine votes but including concurrence of all the Big
Five

Veto : prevent agreement on a non-procedural question even if it is supported by all

the members of the Security Council
Double veto : by means of which it can disapprove any proposal to consider a
question merely procedural and threafter vote against the question itself on the
merits.
Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations assists
the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation
and development. ECOSOC has 54 members, all of whom are elected by the
General Assembly for a three-year term. The president is elected for a one-year
term and chosen amongst the small or middle powers represented on ECOSOC.
ECOSOC meets once a year in July for a four-week session. Since 1998, it has held
another meeting each April with finance ministers heading key committees of
the World Bank and theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF). Viewed separate from the
specialized bodies it coordinates, ECOSOCs functions include information gathering,
advising member nations, and making recommendations. In addition, ECOSOC is
well positioned to provide policy coherence and coordinate the overlapping
functions of the UNs subsidiary bodies and it is in these roles that it is most active.
Composition
Fifty-four (54) members elected by the General Assembly.
Term
Elected members serve for three years and maybe re-elected immediately. Terms
are staggered as to provide for replacement or re-election of one-third of the body
every year.
Session
Regular sessions as required in accordance with its rules. Special Sessions upon the
request of majority of its members.
Voting
Each member has one vote. Decisions are reached by a majority of those present
and voting.
Function
Exert efforts toward :
1. Higher standaards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and
social progress and development;
2. Solutions of international economic, social, health and related problems, and
international, cultural and educational cooperation , and;
3. Universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental
freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language and religion.
Trusteeship Council
The organ charged with the duty of assisting the Security Council and General
Assembly
The United Nations Trusteeship Council, one of the principal organs of theUnited

Nations, was established to help ensure that non-self-governing territories were

administered in the best interests of the 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 neighbouring independent countries. The last was Palau, which became
amember state of the United Nations in December 1994.
Compostion
1. Member of the UN administering trust terriories
2. Permanent members of the Security Council
3. As many other members (necessary) elected for three years by the General
Assembly
Session
Regular sessions as required in accordance with its rules. Special Sessions upon the
request of majority of its members.
Voting
Each member has one vote. Decisions are reached by a majority of those present
and voting.
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
The judicial organ of the United Nations which functions in accordance with the
Statute.
Composition of Court Members
Fifteen members elected by abosolute majority vote in the General Assembly and
Security Council.
Qualifications/Considerations
1. Judge must be of high moral character
2. Appointed in his/her country the highest judicial offices/ recognized competence
in international law.
3. No one should be of the same state
4. (in the event wherein more than one of them of the same nationals)
Eledest shall be considered elected
Position/Terms
Court shall elect President and Vice President : serve for three years and may be
re-elected
En banc or Chambers : three or more judges
Voting
All questions are decided by a majority of the judges present , the quorom being
nine when the full court is sitting.
Functions/Process
The functions of the court are to decide contentious cases and to render advisory
opinions.
(Contentious cases)
Only States (States Members of the United Nations and other States which have

become parties to the Statute of the Court or which have accepted its jurisdiction
under certain conditions) may be parties to contentious cases.
The Court is competent to entertain a dispute only if the States concerned have
accepted its jurisdiction in one or more of the following ways:
by entering into a special agreement to submit the dispute to the Court;
by virtue of a jurisdictional clause, i.e., typically, when they are parties to a treaty
containing a provision whereby, in the event of a dispute of a given type or
disagreement over the interpretation or application of the treaty, one of them may
refer the dispute to the Court;
through the reciprocal effect of declarations made by them under the Statute
whereby each has accepted the jurisdiction of the Court as compulsory in the event
of a dispute with another State having made a similar declaration. A number of
these declarations, which must be deposited with the United Nations SecretaryGeneral, contain reservations excluding certain categories of dispute.
Proceedings may be instituted in one of two ways:
through the notification of a special agreement: this document, which is of a
bilateral nature, can be lodged with the Court by either of the States parties to the
proceedings or by both of them. A special agreement must indicate the subject of
the dispute and the parties thereto. Since there is neither an applicant State nor a
respondent State, in the Courts publications their names are separated by an
oblique stroke at the end of the official title of the case, e.g., Benin/Niger;
by means of an application: the application, which is of a unilateral nature, is
submitted by an applicant State against a respondent State. It is intended for
communication to the latter State and the Rules of Court contain stricter
requirements with respect to its content. In addition to the name of the party
against which the claim is brought and the subject of the dispute, the applicant
State must, as far as possible, indicate briefly on what basis - a treaty or a
declaration of acceptance of compulsory jurisdiction - it claims the Court has
jurisdiction, and must succinctly state the facts and grounds on which it bases its
claim. At the end of the official title of the case the names of the two parties are
separated by the abbreviation v. (for the Latin versus), e.g., Nicaragua v.
Colombia.
Jurisdiction
The International Court of Justice acts as a world court. The Court has a dual
jurisdiction : it decides, in accordance with international law, disputes of a legal
nature that are submitted to it by States (jurisdiction in contentious cases); and it
gives advisory opinions on legal questions at the request of the organs of the United
Nations or specialized agencies authorized to make such a request (advisory
jurisdiction).
Secretariat
The chief administrative organ of the United Nation.
Compostion
Headed by Secretary General chosen by the General Assembly upon the

recommendation of the Security Council.

Secretary General is the highest representative of the United Nation. He/She is
entitled to full diplomatic immunities and privileges.
Term
Secretary General has a fixed term of five years and he may be re-elected.
Functions
His primary duty is to bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter
which in his opinion may threaten international peace and security.
Acts as secretary in all meeting of th General Assembly, Security Council, Economic
and Social Council and Trusteeship Council (any may perform other functions as
may be assigned to him by theses organs)
Prepares budget of the UN for submission to the General Assembly
Provides technical facilities and in general coordinates its vast administrative
machinery.
The duties carried out by the Secretariat are as varied as the problems dealt with by
the United Nations. These range from administering peacekeeping operations to
mediating international disputes, from surveying economic and social trends and
problems to preparing studies on human rights and sustainable development.
Secretariat staff also inform the world's communications media about the work of
the United Nations; organize international conferences on issues of worldwide
concern; and interpret speeches and translate documents into the Organization's
official languages.
The Secretariat has a staff of about 8,900 under the regular budget drawn from
some 170 countries. As international civil servants, staff members and the
Secretary-General answer to the United Nations alone for their activities, and take
an oath not to seek or receive instructions from any Government or outside
authority. Under the Charter, each Member State undertakes to respect the
exclusively international character of the responsibilities of the Secretary-General
and the staff and to refrain from seeking to influence them improperly in the
discharge of their duties.
The United Nations, while headquartered in New York, maintains a significant
presence in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Beirut, Geneva, Nairobi, Santiago and Vienna,
and has offices all over the world.
The Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea, the eighth Secretary-General of the United
Nations, brings to his post 37 years of service both in government and on the global
stage. At the time of his election as Secretary-General, Mr. Ban was his countrys
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. His long tenure with the ministry included
postings in New Delhi, Washington D.C. and Vienna, and responsibility for a variety
of portfolios, including Foreign Policy Advisor to the President, Chief National
Security Advisor to the President, Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and DirectorGeneral of American Affairs. Throughout this service, his guiding vision was that of a
peaceful Korean peninsula, playing an expanding role for peace and prosperity in
the region and the wider world.