Indian Polity - International Organizations

Introduction

• The United Nations Organization or simply UNO/UN is regarded as the most important international organization in today's world.

• International organizations help with matters of war and peace as well as help countries create better living conditions for us all.

• An international organization can help to produce information and ideas about how to cooperate each other experience overall growth.

• An international organization can also provide mechanisms, rules, and a bureaucracy, to help members have more confidence that the costs will be shared properly and to benefit governments.

• In 1945, the UN was founded as a successor to the League of Nations.

• The UN's perspective is to bring countries together to improve the prospects of social and economic development all over the world.

Structure of the UNO

• There are five important bodies of UNO, as shown in the following diagram −

• In the UN Security Council, there are fivepermanent members and ten non-permanent members.

• The five permanent members are −

  • The United States,
  • Russia,
  • The United Kingdom,
  • France, and
  • China.

• All these five members have the veto power.

• The non-permanent members serve for only two years at a time and give way to newly elected members.

• The non-permanent members are elected in a manner so that they represent all continents of the world.

• In the UN General Assembly, all members have one vote each.

• The Secretary-General is the head of the UN.

Functions of UN

• The major functions of the UN are −

  • Creation of a Peacebuilding Commission.

  • Acceptance of the responsibility to the international community in case of failures of national governments to protect their own citizens from atrocities.

  • Establishment of a Human Rights Council (operational since 19 June 2006).

  • Condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, etc.

Agencies of UN

• The UN consists of many different structures and agencies (collectively known as UN Family – shown in the map given below) and they have specialized role to play. For example −

  • World Health Organization (WHO),

  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),

  • United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC),

  • United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR),

  • United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF),

  • United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), etc.