United Nations
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UN in Brief
The United Nations is central to global efforts to solve problems that challenge humanity. Cooperating in this effort are more than 30 affiliated organizations, known together as the UN system. Day in and day out, the UN and its family of organizations work to promote respect for human rights, protect the environment, fight disease and reduce poverty.
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. Due to its unique international character, and the powers vested in its founding Charter, the Organization can take action on a wide range of issues, and provide a forum for its 192 Member States to express their views, through the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and other bodies and committees.
The work of the United Nations reaches every corner of the globe. Although best known for peacekeeping, peacebuilding, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance, there are many other ways the United Nations and its System (specialized agencies, funds and programmes) affect our lives and make the world a better place. The Organization works on a broad range of fundamental issues, from sustainable development, environment and refugees protection, disaster relief, counter terrorism, disarmament and non-proliferation, to promoting democracy, human rights, governance, economic and social development and international health, clearing landmines, expanding food production, and more, in order to achieve its goals and coordinate efforts for a safer world for this and future generations.
Quick Facts
- Membership: 192 Member States
- Established: 24 October 1945
- Secretariat staffing as of 30 June 2009 (Secretary-General's report "Composition of the Secretariat" - A/64/352: about 40,000
- Budget for 2008-2009: USD 4.171 billion (peacekeeping operations not included)
- Official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
UN Observances - The first day approved by the UN General Assembly was United Nations Day, 24 October (by resolution 168 (II) of 31 October 1947).
See also: www.un.org/
United Nations Member States
Full list of 192 UN Member States (October 3, 2006)
UN member states in the Americas (37) and date on which they joined:
• Antigua and Barbuda (11 November 1981)
• Argentina (24 October 1945)
• Bahamas (18 September 1973)
• Barbados (9 December 1966)
• Belize (25 September 1981)
• Bolivia (14 November 1945)
• Brazil (24 October 1945)
• Canada (9 November 1945)
• Chile (24 October 1945)
• Colombia (5 November 1945)
• Costa Rica (2 November 1945)
• Cuba (24 October 1945)
• Dominica (18 December 1978)
• Dominican Republic (24 October 1945)
• Ecuador (21 December 1945)
• El Salvador (24 October 1945)
• Grenada (17 September 1974)
• Guatemala (21 November 1945)
• Guyana (20 September 1966)
• Haiti (24 October 1945)
• Honduras (17 December 1945)
• Jamaica (18 September 1962)
• Maldives (21 September 1965)
• Mexico (7 November 1945)
• Nicaragua (24 October 1945)
• Panama (13 November 1945)
• Paraguay (24 October 1945)
• Peru (31 October 1945)
• Saint Kitts and Nevis (23 September 1983)
• Saint Lucia (18 September 1979)
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (16 September 1980)
• Suriname (4 December 1975)
• Swaziland (24 September 1968)
• Trinidad and Tobago (18 September 1962)
• United States of America (24 October 1945)
• Uruguay (18 December 1945)
• Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of... (15 November 1945)
UN system
The United Nations system is made up of the organizations established by the Charter of the United Nations, that is, the United Nations proper, the specialized agencies provided for in Article 57 of the Charter and a number of programmes established by the General Assembly under its authority derived from Article 22 of the Charter. To this must be added the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which is not a specialized agency in the strict legal sense.
The agencies, which are legally independent international organizations with their own rules, membership, organs and financial resources, were brought into relationship with the United Nations through negotiated agreements. Some of the agencies existed before the First World War, some were associated with the League of Nations, others were created almost simultaneously with the United Nations and yet others were created by the United Nations itself to meet emerging needs. Given the diversity of their respective fields of action, history and experience, each agency has its own needs and concerns, not to speak of "corporate culture".
United Nations Secretariat:
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)
Department of Political Affairs (DPA)
Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) pending
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS)
Office of the Special Advisor on Africa (OSAA)
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Regional Commissions:
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)
Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC)
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
United Nations Funds and Programmes:
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
- United Nations Development Group Office (UNDGO)
- United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
- United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
World Food Programme (WFP)
Other UN Entities:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) pending
United Nations Staff College (UNSSC)
United Nations University (UNU)
Research and Training Institutes:
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW)
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
Specialized agencies:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
International Monetary Fund (IMF) not submitted
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Universal Postal Union (UPU)
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
World Bank (WB)
World Health Organization (WHO)
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Related Organizations:
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
World Trade Organization (WTO)
More information: UN System Organizations (PDF)
http://www.unsystemceb.org/reference/system
Membership of Principal United Nations Organs in 2005
General Assembly
The General Assembly is made up of 191 Member States. The States and the dates on which they became Members are listed in Press Release ORG/1360 issued 4 October 2002.
Security Council
The Security Council has 15 members. The United Nations Charter designates five States as permanent members and the General Assembly elects 10 other members for two-year terms. The term of office for each non-permanent member of the Council ends on 31 December of the year indicated in parentheses next to its name.
The five permanent members of the Security Council are China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States.
The 10 non-permanent members of the Council in 2005 are Algeria (2005), Argentina (2006), Benin (2005), Brazil (2005), Denmark (2006), Greece (2006), Japan (2006), Romania (2005), Philippines (2005) and the United Republic of Tanzania (2006).
Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council has 54 members, elected for three-year terms by the General Assembly. The term of office for each member expires on 31 December of the year indicated in parentheses next to its name. In 2005, the Council is composed of the following:
Albania (2007), Armenia (2006), Australia (2007), Azerbaijan (2005), Bangladesh (2006), Belgium (2006), Belize (2006), Benin (2005), Brazil (2007), Canada (2006), Chad (2007), China (2007), Colombia (2006), Congo (2005), Costa Rica (2007), Cuba (2005), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2007), Denmark (2007), Ecuador (2005), France (2005), Germany (2005), Guinea (2007), Iceland (2007), India (2007), Indonesia (2006), Ireland (2005), Italy (2006), Jamaica (2005), Japan (2005), Kenya (2005), Lithuania (2007), Malaysia (2005), Mauritius (2006), Mexico (2007), Mozambique (2005), Namibia (2006), Nicaragua (2005), Nigeria (2006), Pakistan (2007), Panama (2006), Poland (2006), Republic of Korea (2006), Russian Federation (2007), Saudi Arabia (2005), Senegal (2005), South Africa (2007), Spain (2005), Thailand (2007), Tunisia (2006), Turkey (2005), United Arab Emirates (2006), United Kingdom (2007), United Republic of Tanzania (2006), United States (2006).
Trusteeship Council
The Trusteeship Council is made up of the five permanent members of the Security Council -– China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States. With the independence of Palau, the last remaining UnitedNationsTrustTerritory, the Council formally suspended operations on 1 November 1994. The Council amended its rules of procedure to drop the obligation to meet annually and agreed to meet as the occasion required, by its decision or the decision of its President or at the request of a majority of its members or the General Assembly or the Security Council.
