UN Purposes, Structure, and Peacekeeping

UN Overview

  • The UN was created to address global crises and promote peace.

  • 193 member states with offices and missions worldwide.

UN Purposes and Principles

  • Comprehensive purposes outlined in the UN Charter.

  • Key areas of work: International peace & security, human rights, humanitarian aid, sustainable development, international law.

  • Development goals are interlinked with peace.

UN Structure and Main Bodies

  • Principal organs of the UN (Art. 7 UNC):

    1. Secretariat

    2. General Assembly (GA)

    3. Security Council (SC)

    4. Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC)

    5. Trusteeship Council

    6. International Court of Justice (ICJ)

  • The Secretariat administers the UN and employs independent staff.

  • The GA consists of all member states and operates on majority voting for decisions (Art. 18 UNC).

  • The SC has primary responsibility for international peace (Art. 24(1) UNC), with binding decisions for member states (Art. 25 UNC).

  • ECOSOC coordinates UN agencies and promotes economic/social cooperation.

UN Peacekeeping

  • Multinational personnel under UN command help in conflict prevention and resolution.

  • Two types of operations: unarmed observer missions and armed peacekeeping forces.

  • Established by the SC with principles of impartiality and consent from conflict parties.

  • Evolved into more robust missions requiring civil-military cooperation and comprehensive approaches post-Cold War.