“UNITED NATIONS”
The United Nations is a worldwide intergovernmental organization founded at the close of World War II to maintain international peace and security. Although it has not often proved capable of prevention military conflict, it has expanded its functions and membership to become an influential force in all aspects of international relations.
The United Nations' system is based on five principal organs they are the General Assembly, the Security Council, Economic and Social Council ,the Secretariat, and International Court of Justice.
Four of the five principal organs are located at the main United Nations Headquarters located on international territory in New York City. The International Court of Justice is located in the Hague, while other major agencies are based in the UN offices at Geneva,Vienna , and Nairobi. Other UN institutions are located throughout the world.
The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the UN Charter had been ratified by a majority of the original 51 Member States. The day is now celebrated each year around the world as United Nations Day.
The purpose of the United Nations is to bring all nations of the world together to work for peace and development, based on the principles of justice, human dignity and the well-being of all people. It affords the opportunity for countries to balance global interdependence and national interests when addressing international problems.
There are currently 192 Members of the United Nations. They meet in the General Assembly, which is the closest thing to a world parliament. Each country, large or small, rich or poor, has a single vote, however, none of the decisions taken by the Assembly are binding. Nevertheless, the Assembly's decisions become resolutions that carry the weight of world governmental opinion.
The United Nations Headquarters is in New York City but the land and buildings are international territory. The United Nations has its own flag, its own post office and its own postage stamps. Six official languages are used at the United Nations - Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The UN European Headquarters is in the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. It has offices in Vienna, Austria and Economic Commissions in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Amman in Jordan, Bangkok in Thailand and Santiago in Chile. The senior officer of the United Nations Secretariat is the Secretary-General.
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 first 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.
The 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 Labour 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 a majority of other signatories. UNITED NATIONS DAY is celebrated on 24 October each year.
The UN has made agreements with a number of specialized agencies that perform task related to its work . Each is self –governing , with it sown staff , membership and finances, some have been in existence longer than the UN itself. Although all the specialized agencies serves the cause of peace , they can be divided into two groups according to their primary purposes. The first group , which seeks to facilitate international communication, includes the Universal Postal Union , the World Intellectual Property Organization , the International Civil Aviation Organization , the World Meteorological Organization , the International Telecommunication Union , and the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultation Organization. The second group deals generally with welfare issues and attempts to improve economic, social , and cultural conditions .Important organizations in this group are the International Labor Organization ,the Food and Agriculture Organization , the World Health Organization, the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development , the International Development Association, the International Monetary Fund , the International Finance Corporation , the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade, the International Atomic Energy Agency , and the Office of the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees.
Although disagreements among the great powers have prevented the UN from functioning as the instrument of collective security envisioned in the Charter, UN forces have been deployed successfully on several occasions to preserve or restore peace ,. When North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950, the Security Council absent the Soviet delegate called upon member nations to aid South Korea in repelling the attack . Sixteen nation furnished troops, which were unified under US command, and 37 others provided assistance. Because nearly 90 percent of the non- Korean troops were US forces, the Un unified action became primarily a US operation.
Although less dramatic and on a smaller scale , UN actions in the middle East have made an important contributions in the Middle East have made an important contributions to peacekeeping . During the Suez Crisis of 1956, the General Assembly voted to dispatch a UN Emergency Force to the troubled area. After Britain, France, and Israel withdrew from Egyptian territory, the 6,000 strong UN force provided a buffer in the contested boundary zones.
A second UN Emergency Force (UNEF II) was sent to the Middle East in the aftermath of the 1973 Arab-Israel- Li War. It was deployed by the Security Council along the disengagement line between Israel and Egypt . In 1974, when an arrangement was worked out between Israel ad Syria ,the Security Council established a small UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) with troops drawn from UNEF II.This force was eventually transferred to patrol the Golan Heights.
PURPOSES OF UNITED NATIONS
Keeping peace Fighting Poverty
Protecting environment Helping in emergencies
Standing up for human rights
Improving health and educations
Building democracies
Maintain international peace and security
Develop friendly relations among nations
Achieve international cooperation among nations
Be a center of harmonizing nations
| Honduras | 17 December 1945 |
| Hungary | 14 December 1955 |
| Iceland | 19 November 1946 |
| India | 30 October 1945 |
| Indonesia | 28 September 1950 |
| Iran | 24 October 1945 |
| Iraq | 21 December 1945 |
| Ireland | 14 December 1955 |
| Israel | 11 May 1949 |
| Italy | 14 December 1955 |
| Jamaica | 18 September 1962 |
| Japan | 18 December 1956 |
| Jordan | 14 December 1955 |
| Kazakhstan | 2 March 1992 |
| Kenya | 16 December 1963 |
| Kiribati | 14 September 1999 |
| Kuwait | 14 May 1963 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2 March 1992 |
| Lao People’s Democratic Republic | 14 December 1955 |
| Latvia | 17 September 1991 |
| Lebanon | 24 October 1945 |
| Lesotho | 17 October 1966 |
| Liberia | 2 November 1945 |
| Libya | 14 December 1955 |
| Liechtenstein | 18 September 1990 |
| Lithuania | 17 September 1991 |
| Luxembourg | 24 October 1945 |
| Madagascar | 20 September 1960 |
| Malawi | 1 December 1964 |
| Malaysia | 17 September 1957 |
| Maldives | 21 September 1965 |
| Mali | 28 September 1960 |
| Malta | 1 December 1964 |
| Marshall Islands | 17 September 1991 |
| Mauritania | 27 October 1961 |
| Mauritius | 24 April 1968 |
| Mexico | 7 November 1945 |
| Micronesia | 17 September 1991 |
| Monaco | 28 May 1993 |
| Mongolia | 27 October 1961 |
| Montenegro | 28 June 2006 |
| Morocco | 12 November 1956 |
| Mozambique | 16 September 1975 |
| Myanmar | 19 April 1948 |
| Namibia | 23 April 1990 |
| Nauru | 14 September 1999 |
| Nepal | 14 December 1955 |
| Netherlands | 10 December 1945 |
| New Zealand | 24 October 1945 |
| Nicaragua | 24 October 1945 |
| Niger | 20 September 1960 |
| Nigeria | 7 October 1960 |
| Norway | 27 November 1945 |
| Oman | 7 October 1971 |
| Pakistan | 30 September 1947 |
| Palau | 15 December 1994 |
| Panama | 13 November 1945 |
| Papua New Guinea | 10 October 1975 |
| Paraguay | 24 October 1945 |
| Peru | 31 October 1945 |
| Philippines | 24 October 1945 |
| Poland | 24 October 1945 |
| Portugal | 14 December 1955 |
| Qatar | 21 September 1971 |
| Republic of Korea | 17 September 1991 |
| Republic of Moldova | 2 March 1992 |
| Romania | 14 December 1955 |
| Russian Federation | 24 October 1945 |
| Rwanda | 18 September 1962 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 23 September 1983 |
| Saint Lucia | 18 September 1979 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 16 September 1980 |
| Samoa | 15 December 1976 |
| San Marino | 2 March 1992 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 16 September 1975 |
| Saudi Arabia | 24 October 1945 |
| Senegal | 28 September 1960 |
| Serbia | 1 November 2000 |
| Seychelles | 21 September 1976 |
| Sierra Leone | 27 September 1961 |
| Singapore | 21 September 1965 |
| Slovakia | 19 January 1993 |
| Slovenia | 22 May 1992 |
| Solomon Islands | 19 September 1978 |
| Somalia | 20 September 1960 |
| South Africa | 7 November 1945 |
| South Sudan | 14 July 2011 |
| Spain | 14 December 1955 |
| Sri Lanka | 14 December 1955 |
| Sudan | 12 November 1956 |
| Suriname | 4 December 1975 |
| Swaziland | 24 September 1968 |
| Switzerland | 10 September 2002 |
| Sweden | 19 November 1946 |
| Syria | 24 October 1945 |
| Tajikistan | 2 March 1992 |
| Thailand | 16 December 1946 |
| The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia | 8 April 1993 |
| Timor Leste | 27 September 2002 |
| Togo | 20 September 1960 |
| Tonga | 14 September 1999 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 18 September 1962 |
| Tunisia | 12 November 1956 |
| Turkey | 24 October 1945 |
| Turkmenistan | 2 March 1992 |
| Tuvalu | 5 September 2000 |
| Uganda | 25 October 1962 |
| Ukraine | 24 October 1945 |
| United Arab Emirates | 9 December 1971 |
| United Kingdom | 24 October 1945 |
| United of Republic of Tanzania | 14 December 1961 |
| United States | 24 October 1945 |
| Uruguay | 18 December 1945 |
| Uzbekistan | 2 March 1992 |
| Vanuatu | 15 September 1981 |
| Venezuela | 15 November 1945 |
| Viet Nam | 20 September 1977 |
| Yemen | 30 September 1947 |
| Zambia | 1 December 1964 |
| Zimbabwe | 25 August 1980 |
