United Nations

Historical Background:
1. World War II (1939-1945)
2. London Declaration (June 1941)___ avoiding dangers of war through mutual cooperation
3. Atlantic Charter (1941) _____Between PM Churchill of Great Britain and President Roosevelt of USA. Permanent system of general security.
4. United Nations Declaration (January 1942)
5. Moscow Conference (October 1943)
6. Tehran Conference (December 1943)
7. Dumbarton Oaks Conference (December 1944)
8. Yalta Conference (February 1945)
9. San Francisco Conference (1945)
10. Charter of UN (October 24, 1945)
11. Objectives:
• To maintain peace and security
• To develop friendly relations among nations
• To achieve international cooperation in solving economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems
• To promote human rights and fundamental freedom for the people of the world
• To act as a common platform for harmonizing the activities of various nations for the attainment of the objectives of the UN

Structure of UN:
1. The General Assembly
• Each member country can send five representatives in the assembly but has only one vote
• 2/3rd majority is required for decision making
2. The Security Council
• 5 permanent members (UK, USA, Russia, France and China)____ veto power
• 10 members are selected for 2 years
3. The Economic and Social Council
• 27 members elected by General assembly
• 1/3rd of members retire every year
4. The Trusteeship Council
• The Trusteeship Council suspended operation on 1 November 1994, with the independence of Palau, the last remaining United Nations trust territory, on 1 October 1994.
5. The International Court of Justice
• 15 judges
• Elected by General Assembly and Security Council at the recommendations of Secretary General of UN for nine years

6. The Secretariat
• Headed by Secretary General (Ban Ki-moon, the eight Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1 January 2007)
• Elected for five years

Specialized Agencies of UN

1. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
• Established in October 1945
• Headquarters in Rome, Italy
2. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO):
• Established in April 1947
• Headquarters in Montreal, Canada
3. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD):
• Established in December 1977
• Headquarters in Rome, Italy
4. International Labor Organization (ILO):
• Established in April 1919 and after WWII its constitution was amended and approved by general assembly in December 1946
• Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
5. International Maritime Organization (IMO):
• In 1982 International Maritime Consultative Organization was changed into IMO
• Headquarters in London, England
6. International Monetary Fund (IMF):
• Established in December 1945
• Headquarters in Washington D.C., USA
7. International Telecommunication Union (ITU):
• ITU was formed in 1932. It is a successor of International Telegraph Union which was established in 1865
• In 1947 it was given the status of organ of UN
• Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
8. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
• Established in November 1946
• Headquarters in Paris, France
9. United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO):
• Established in 1985
• Headquarters in Vienna, Austria
10. Universal Postal Union (UPU):
• Established in 1874 and in 1947 came under UN
• Headquarters in Berne, Switzerland
11. World Bank Group (WBG):
• Established in 1945
• Headquarters in Washington D.C., USA
12. World Health Organization (WHO):
• Established in 1946 in International Health Conference but in 1948 affiliated with UN.
• Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
13. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO):
• Established in April 1970
• Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
14. World Meteorological Organization (WMO):
• WMO is successor of International Meteorological Organization which was formed in 1878. In 1947 came under UN
• Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
15. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
• Established in 1957
• Headquarters in Vienna, Austria
16. World Trade Organization
• In 1948 General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) was formed.
• In 1995 WTO was created to supercede GATT
• Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
17. United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Refugees
• Established in 1950
• Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland