The United Nations Organization

Q.1. What are the main objectives of the UN?

Ans.i. The United Nations Organization, popularly known as the United Nations or UN, is an international
organization that works to maintain peace, protect human rights, provide humanitarian aid, uphold international
law and promote sustainable development.

ii. Its member-countries have pledged to maintain worldwide peace and to cooperate in solving international
problems.

Q.2. Why was the United Nations formed? How did it come into existence?

Ans.a.i. The First World War caused enormous loss of life and property. After the War, the League of Nations was
formed to maintain peace among nations.

ii. However, it failed to prevent the Second World War which caused even greater destruction and suffering.

iii. The world leaders realized that wars had to be prevented at any cost. They realized that a stronger organization
was needed for world peace.

b.i. While the Second World War was on, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the President of the USA, and Winston Churchill, the
Prime Minister of Britain, initiated the idea of forming a powerful international organization that would work
towards world peace.

ii. They were supported by other countries. In October 1944, representatives from some countries met at
Dumbarton Oaks (in the USA) to prepare a draft proposal. In April 1945, a conference was held in San Francisco.

iii. The Charter for a permanent international organization for peace was drafted and ratified at this conference.
Later, it was signed by many countries.

iv. Finally, on 24 October 1945, the United Nations Organization came into being. This day is celebrated as the 'UN
Day' every year.

Q.3. With reference to the UN, discuss the UN's (a) headquarters (b) membership (c) official languages (d)
objectives (e) principles?

Ans.a. The headquarters of the UN are in New York City, the USA. All the organs of the UN, except the International
Court of Justice, function out of here.

b. The original membership of the UN was 51. Today, 193 countries are members of the UN. The membership is
open to all nations who agree to abide by the UN Charter.

c. There are six official languages of the UN - Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The
proceedings of the UN are translated in all these languages.

d.i. To maintain peace and security in the world.

ii. To develop friendly relations among countries.

iii. To promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

iv. To achieve worldwide cooperation in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems.

v. To provide a common platform to countries for coordinating their actions towards achieving common ends.

e.i. All member-countries have sovereign equality, that is, all nations are equal.

ii. All member-countries must obey the UN Charter.

iii. All member-countries must settle their mutual disputes through peaceful means. No member-country shall use
force or threaten to use force.

iv. All member-countries must offer unconditional support to the UN.

vi. The UN shall ensure that even non-member countries work for world peace.

Q.4. Write a short note on the main organs of the UN.

Ans.a. General Assembly: The General Assembly is like the ‘World Parliament'. All members of the UN are members
of the General Assembly. Each member-country can send a delegation of a maximum of five members to it.
However, each member-country has one vote only. Thus, all member-countries are equal. The Assembly generally
meets once a year to discuss issues of international importance. In times of crisis, however, special sessions are
held.

b. Security Council: The Security Council is the most important and powerful organ of the UN. It is the executive
wing of the UN. It has two types of members -- permanent and non-permanent. The five permanent members are
China, France, Russia, the UK and the USA. They have the veto power. The ten non-permanent members are
elected for a term of two years. The Security Council meets once a month or as and when required.

c. ECOSOC: The ECOSOC's main objective is to free the world from ‘want'. The Council has 54 members, with one-
third retiring every three years and being replaced by new members.

d. Trusteeship Council: The Trusteeship Council was set up to work for the eleven trust territories formed after the
Second World War. Its aim was to make them self-sufficient for independence. Now all these countries are free.
Hence this organ is now redundant.

e. International Court of Justice: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the judicial wing of the UN. It has fifteen
judges, all from different countries. The judges are elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council. Their
term is for nine years, with one-third retiring every there years. The headquarters of the ICJ are at the Hague, in
Netherlands.

f. Secretariat: The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day work of the UN. The Secretariat is headed by the
Secretary-General. She/He is elected for a five-year term and may be re-elected. Antonio Guterres is the present
Secretary-General of the UN.

Q.5. What do you mean by ‘veto power'?

Ans. The decisions in the Security Council are taken by a majority vote. However, if any permanent member
disagrees to a decision and gives a negative vote, then no decision can be taken even if all the other 14 members
agree. This is called veto power of the Big Five permanent members.

Q.6. What are the functions of each organ of the UN?

Ans.a. General Assembly:

i. To admit new members on the recommendation of the Security Council.

ii. To appoint the Secretary-General on the recommendation of the Security-Council.

iii. To elect ten temporary member-countries to the Security Council, and members of the other organs of the UN.

iv. To discuss the reports put forth by the main organs and agencies of the UN, and take decisions on them.

v. To draw the attention of the Security Council whether it finds that world peace is endangered by the actions of
one or more countries.

vi. To discuss any matter falling within the Charter of the UN, for example, security, international cooperation and
development.

vii. To consider and pass for the annual budget of the UN.

b. Security Council:

i. It maintains international peace by examining and settling disputes between countries.

ii. It can impose economic sanctions against countries that do not act on its directions.
iii. It can order military action against a country which proves to be a threat to world peace.

iv. It can ask the General Assembly to expel a country from the membership of the UN if that country fails to act
according to the UN Charter.

v. It recommends the name of the person for appointment as the Secretary-General.

vi. It recommends the names of new members for admission to the UN.

c. Economic and Social Council:

i. It coordinates and supervises the work of the UN specialized agencies such as the WHO, UNICEF and UNESCO.

ii. It organizes projects, initiates studies and submits reports concerned with health, education and other social,
economic and cultural issues.

iii. It promotes economic and social progress.

iv. It encourages cultural and educational cooperation, and promotes universal respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms.

d. International Court of Justice:

i. It settles disputes between member-countries.

ii. It also provides legal advice to other UN organs.

e. Secretariat:

i. It prepares the minutes of the meetings.

ii. It translates speeches and other documents into the official languages of the UN.

iii. It organizes international conferences.

iv. It prepares reports on issues of international concern. monitors the extent to which the decisions of the different
UN bodies are being carried out.

Q.7. List the achievements of the UN.

Ans.i. The UN Peacekeeping Forces have been part of numerous peace-keeping operations in different regions of
thr world. They have ended many regional conflicts and often prevented disputes from escalating into wars. In
1988, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the UN Peace-Keeping Forces, for its peacekeeping operations.

ii. Through its sustained efforts, the UN brought an end to apartheid in South Africa. The General Assembly
described the policy of apartheid as ‘a crime against humanity'.

iii. The UN has helped many countries to secure independence. It has also conducted free and fair elections in
many countries.

iv. The UN is working to end the nuclear arms race and to end the possibility of another world war.

v. The specialized agencies of the UN have made a tremendous contribution to the economic and social
development of nations - providing aid to victims of conflict, improving health care, ensuring the welfare of women
and children, and so on.

Q.8. How has India contributed to the United Nations since becoming a member?

Ans. India officially became a member of the UN on 30 October 1945. Since then she has always given active
support to the programmes of the UN and has been keenly involved in the programmes of the UN agencies.

i. India has actively supported all peacekeeping efforts of the UN. Time and again, she has sent troops and medical
teams to the troubled areas. Indian troops are currently serving in many countries.
ii. India is against war and accumulation of weapons of mass destruction. She has supported the UN in its efforts
towards nuclear disarmament.

iii. India has opposed racial discrimination. She has always supported the cause of human rights.

iv. India has supported freedom movements of other countries.

v. Many Indians have served on important positions in the UN. Shashi Tharoor served as the Under Secretary-
General for Communications and Public Information at the UN.

Agencies of the United Nations

Q.1. How does the United Nations promote economic and social progress?

Ans. The United Nations seeks to promote economic and social progress. It promotes better standard of living,
employment, observance of human rights and freedom for all.

Q.2. Write a short note on the agencies of the UN.

Ans.a. WHO The World Health Organization was established in 1948. It is one of the most important agencies of the
UN. It aims to improve health care facilities throughout the world. Its headquarters are in Geneva.

b. ILO The International Labour Organization was set up in 1919 as an autonomous wing under the League of
Nations. In 1946, it became the first specialized agency of the UN. It seeks to promote social justice for workers
and ensures decent working and living conditions for them. Its headquarters are in Geneva.

c. FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization was established in 1945. It fights hunger and malnutrition by
improving the agricultural output. Its headquarters are in Rome.

d. UNICEF The United Nations Children's Fund was established in 1946 to provide relief to children affected by the
Second World War. It was intended to be an emergency organization. That is why the acronym originally stood for
‘United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund'. It, however, continued even after the War. It strives ro
improve the quality of life of education and women all over the world. It's headquarters are in New York.

e. UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was founded in 1945. Its primary
objective is to promote cooperation among nations, particularly in the field of education, science and culture. Its
headquarters are in Paris.

f. UNDP The United Nations Development Programme came into being in 1965. It promotes cooperation among
nations to help people lead a better life. It also provides assistance to countries in different fields such as
eradication of poverty and reduction of inequalities. It seeks to ensure the most effective use of international aid
resources. Its headquarters are in New York.

Q.3. What are the functions of each UN agency?

Ans.a. WHO:

i. To promote and coordinate research in the field of health.

ii. To prevent the spread of diseases.

iii. To bring improvement in standards of nutrition, housing, sanitation and hygiene.

iv. To set international standards for food, water, medicines and vaccines.

v. To organize seminars, conferences and workshops to train people in issues related to health.

b. ILO:

i. To create international labour standards for wages, working hours, working conditions, insurance, safety,
employment service and so on.

ii. To encourage research in the field of social and labour policies.

iii. To create awareness among workers about their rights and role in economic development.
iv. To assist member-countries in labour-related issues.

c. FAO:

i. To provide assistance to member-countries to improve agriculture and increase the output.

ii. To act as an international forum for debate on food and agriculture-related issues.

iii. To provide relief to member-countries in times of food crisis.

d. UNICEF:

i. To create awareness against child labour and discrimination against the girl child.

ii. To immunize children against preventable diseases.

iii. To conduct research in areas related to children's health and development.

iv. To help children and women during epidemics, war or natural disasters.

e. UNESCO:

i. To work towards achieving education for all, particularly universal primary education.

ii. To provide financial assistance to underprivileged children, and fellowships and study grants to deserving
teachers.

iii. To provide information about the latest researches in science through bulletins, exhibitions and journals.

iv. To help member-countries preserve their cultural heritage.

f. UNDP:

i. To promote cooperation among countries in economic and technical fields.

ii. To help countries increase their agricultural and industrial output.

iii. To promote scientific research and discoveries.