We explain what the UN is, the origin and history of this international organization. Also, what it is for and the countries that make it up.
What is the UN?
The United Nations Organization (UN), also known as the United Nations (UN), It is the largest and most important international organizationmade up of most of the nations of the world. Its objective is to discuss and provide solutions to problems that afflict humanity or certain groups of people, and to promote international peace and security.
The UN It was born in 1945 and currently has 193 member countries. It has a diverse organizational structure, which allows the discussion of issues of international interest in spaces that have the representation of the interested States.
Thus, through a free voting system, At the UN, the execution of different types of actions can be decided: issue international requests of more or less mandatory compliance, intervene through an international coalition in a region of the world that presents conflicts, humanitarian crises or other needs, among others.
Key points
- The UN (United Nations Organization) is an international organization created with the objective of ensuring peace and cooperation among nations.
- It was created on October 24, 1945, after the end of the Second World War, when the Charter of the United Nations came into force, establishing its objectives and organizational bases.
- It is currently made up of 193 member countries and intervenes in matters of a social, political, economic, military, cultural, environmental and human rights nature.
See also: International organization
UN bodies
The main bodies of the UN are:
- The General Assembly. It is the main deliberative body of the UN, allowing debate among the 193 member countries. It is led by an assembly president elected for each session, in which issues of global importance are addressed, such as the recognition of new members or different problems.
- The Security Council. It is made up of five permanent members with veto power: China, Russia, the United States, France and the United Kingdom (the countries that led the Allies during World War II); and ten other non-permanent members, whose membership on the council is for two years and are elected by the General Assembly. The mission of this body is to maintain peace worldwide and decide when international intervention is justified and when it is not.
- The Economic and Social Council. It is made up of 54 member countries, along with representatives of the business and academic sectors and more than three thousand Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The purpose of this council is to discuss international episodes of migration, famine, health and other economic, environmental and social issues.
- The Trusteeship Council. It is the body that must ensure the correct management of the trust territories, that is, under the tutelage of the UN, to guarantee their development towards their own and independent government. It is made up of the five permanent members of the Security Council. However, it ceased its annual activities because there are no more UN trusts.
- The International Court of Justice. It is based in The Hague and is the judicial body of the UN, which hears legal disputes between the various States and issues advisory opinions. It is made up of fifteen judges elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council for nine-year terms.
- The Secretariat. It is the administrative body of the UN, serves the other councils and has an international staff of around 37,000 officials. It is headed by the Secretary General, elected by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for five-year terms.
See also: WTO
History and origin of the UN
The UN was created on October 24, 1945, thanks to the agreement of 51 founding countries that subscribed to the United Nations Charter signed in San Francisco (United States) on June 26, 1945. The governments of these countries were looking for a model of world order that would prevent the repetition of war atrocities such as those that had characterized the Second World War that had just ended. With this objective, The UN replaced the League of Nations founded in 1919 and which was considered unsuccessful.
Since then, the UN It reformed its operation and grew in terms of acceptance, importance and complexity. Since 1991, it carried out a large number of peace missions that not only pursued military objectives but also civil and humanitarian objectives.
However, He was also the subject of criticism and accusations of impotence or bias (for example, for favoring the powers that make up the Security Council).
What is the UN for?
The UN was founded with the main objective of prevent future wars and allow nations to resolve their conflicts through political and diplomatic means with the mediation of the other member countries and the collaboration of other members of the world scene. From them you can receive opinions, suggestions, offers of help and even organized multilateral demands and pressure. It is, broadly speaking, an attempt at a world assembly of nations.
On the other hand, the UN occupies a place of global importance in the fight for dhuman rights (HR)as it is the organization that proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This aspect of the UN consists of carrying out various educational, social, humanitarian and military initiatives, as well as forming judicial tribunals that act against crimes against humanity or war crimes.
Countries that make up the UN
Currently, the UN is made up of 193 recognized member states, which are:
| Afghanistan | Lebanon |
| Albania | Libya |
| Germany | Liberia |
| Andorra | Liechtenstein |
| Angola | Lithuania |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Luxembourg |
| Saudi Arabia | North Macedonia |
| Algeria | Madagascar |
| Argentina | Malaysia |
| Armenia | Malawi |
| Australia | Maldives |
| Austria | Mali |
| Azerbaijan | Malta |
| Bahamas | Morocco |
| Bangladesh | Mauritius |
| Barbados | Mauritania |
| Bahrain | Mexico |
| Belgium | Micronesia |
| Belize | Monaco |
| Benin | Montenegro |
| Belarus | Mongolia |
| Bolivia | Mozambique |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Myanmar |
| Botswana | Namibia |
| Brazil | Nauru |
| Brunei | Nicaragua |
| Bulgaria | Niger |
| Burkina Faso | Nigeria |
| Burundi | Norway |
| Bhutan | New Zealand |
| Cape Verde | Oman |
| Cambodia | Netherlands |
| Cameroon | Pakistan |
| Canada | Palau |
| Taste | Panama |
| Chad | Papua New Guinea |
| Chili | Paraguay |
| China | Peru |
| Cyprus | Poland |
| Colombia | Portugal |
| Comoros | United Kingdom |
| Congo | Russia |
| Ivory Coast | Syria |
| Costa Rica | Central African Republic |
| Croatia | Czech Republic |
| Cuba | North Korea |
| Denmark | South Korea |
| Dominica | Moldova |
| Ecuador | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Egypt | lao |
| El Salvador | Dominican Republic |
| United Arab Emirates | Nepal |
| Eritrea | Tanzania |
| Slovakia | Rwanda |
| Slovenia | Romania |
| Spain | Samoa |
| USA | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| Estonia | San Marino |
| Ethiopia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Philippines | Saint Lucia |
| Finland | Sao Tome and Principe |
| Fiji | Senegal |
| France | Serbia |
| Gabon | Seychelles |
| Gambia | Sierra Leone |
| Georgia | Singapore |
| Ghana | Somalia |
| Grenade | Sri Lanka |
| Greece | South Africa |
| Guatemala | Sudan |
| Guinea | South Sudan |
| Guinea-Bissau | Sweden |
| Equatorial Guinea | Swiss |
| Guyana | Surinam |
| Haiti | Swaziland |
| Honduras | Thailand |
| Hungary | Tajikistan |
| India | East Timor |
| Indonesia | Togo |
| Iraq | Tonga |
| Iran | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Ireland | Tunisia |
| Iceland | Turkmenistan |
| Marshall Islands | Türkiye |
| Solomon Islands | Tuvalu |
| Israel | Ukraine |
| Italy | Uganda |
| Jamaica | Uruguay |
| Japan | Uzbekistan |
| Jordan | Vanuatu |
| Kazakhstan | Venezuela |
| Kenya | Vietnam |
| Kyrgyzstan | Yemen |
| Kiribati | Djibouti |
| Kuwait | Zambia |
| Lesotho | Zimbabwe |
| Latvia |
See also:
References
- Fomerand, J. et al. (2024). United Nations. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
- Kennedy, P. M. (2007). The Parliament of Humanity: History of the United Nations. Debate.
- United Nations (sf). History of the United Nations. Official portal of the United Nations. https://www.un.org/
- UN official website. https://www.un.org/
