The Journey of the United Nations, writes Subhash Choudhury

Oct. 28: The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that aims to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. The UN Day is celebrated on 24 October every year. To commemorate this day, Lion Subhas Choudhury provided a birds eye view of the UN in this write up.

UN Day marks the anniversary of the UN Charter which came into force on 24 October 1945. The ‘Day’ celebrates the works of this organization.

The Beginning of UN: League of Nations was formed in 1919 after the World War- I; followed by the formation of United Nations in 1945 after the World War II. The UN logo comprises of all 6 continents except Antarctica. UN official languages are English, French, Russian, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. There are 193 member nations & decision makers; the latest nation being South Sudan. Five permanent members are USA, Russia, Britain, France & China.

Main organs of United Nations are:

Security Council (SC) is the most powerful of the 6 main organs of the United Nations. It consists of 5 permanent members and 10 other members with 2 years term. In addition, Vatican City and Palestine known as Observer States are also in the Security Council.There are 6 other countries that are not members of the U.N. but are recognized by at least one country that is a U.N. member. These countries are: Taiwan, Western Sahara, Kosovo, South Ossetia, Abkhazia & Northern Cyprus. Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is for the Security Council to determine when and where a UN Peacekeeping operation should be deployed. There are about 85,000 troops in UN Peace Keeping Force (UNPKF) and UN Guards deployed in different missions. UNPKF has an annual budget of about $9bn.

General Assembly (GA) is the main deliberative, policy making and representative organ of the UN. Decisions on important questions, such as those on peace and security, admission of new members and budgetary matters, require a two-thirds majority. Decisions on other questions are by simple majority. It consists of all members of UN; each having 5 representatives and each having 1 vote.

Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC) has 54 members and coordinates the work of the UN specialized agencies, ten functional commissions and five regional commissions; receives reports from UN funds and programmes and issues policy recommendations to the UN system and to the Member States.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the UN engaged in handling all Legal Matters. The International Court of Justice, sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. It settles disputes between the member states in accordance with international law and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues. The famous trial between India vs Pakistan on Kulbhusan Yadav case is fresh in our memory. The verdict was in favour of India.

The Secretariat is the executive arm of the UN. The Secretariat has an important role in setting the agenda for the deliberative and decision-making bodies of the General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, and Security Council and the implementation of the decision of these bodies

Specialised Agencies:

The UN maintains close working relationships with 15 international organizations that have been designated as “specialized agencies” of the UN, even though they are independent legal entities. Each specialized agency as detailed below operates autonomously under the UN umbrella, with its own governing body, procedural rules, membership, and funding mechanisms.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Bank Group (WBG), World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), World Tourism Organization (UNWTO or WTO) and former specialised agencies & related organisations like:

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Preparatory Commission (CTBTO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), World Trade Organization (WTO).

Funding of United Nations:

The UN is funded in two ways; through mandatory payments and voluntary contributions. These assessed contributions are determined through a complex formula that ultimately requires the United States to pay 22 percent of the general budget and 28 percent of the peacekeeping budget. Country wise contributions are: USA -22% , Japan -10%, China – 8% Germany – 7.5%, France – 5% and UK – 4.5%, The combined contribution of other 187 member nations including India is 43.27%. (India’s contribution is 0.73% of the general budget).

Diplomatic Immunities & Privileges:

All UN offices and missions including all International Staff are accorded Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities by the member states. Diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity that ensures diplomats are accorded safe passage and other privileges under the Vienna Convention.

(Source Credit: Google)