The History of UN - History of the United Nations (UN), oral topic in English with translation. Topic

April 25 marks 65 years since delegates from 50 countries gathered in San Francisco for the United Nations conference on the creation of an international organization - the UN. During the conference, delegates prepared a charter of 111 articles, which was adopted on June 25.

The United Nations (UN) is an international organization of states created to maintain and strengthen international peace, security, and develop cooperation between countries.

The name United Nations, proposed by United States President Franklin Roosevelt, was first used in the Declaration of the United Nations on January 1, 1942, when, during World War II, representatives of 26 states pledged on behalf of their governments to continue the joint struggle against the countries of the Nazi bloc.

The first contours of the UN were outlined at a conference in Washington at the Dumbarton Oaks mansion. In two series of meetings held from September 21 to October 7, 1944, the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and China agreed on the goals, structure, and functions of the world organization.

On February 11, 1945, after meetings in Yalta, the leaders of the United States, Great Britain and the USSR, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin, declared their determination to establish “a universal international organization for the maintenance of peace and security.”

On April 25, 1945, representatives from 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on the Establishment of an International Organization to develop the UN Charter.

Delegates from countries representing over 80% of the world's population gathered in San Francisco. The Conference was attended by 850 delegates, along with their advisors, delegation staff and the Conference secretariat total number the number of persons taking part in the work of the Conference reached 3,500. In addition, there were more than 2,500 representatives of the press, radio and newsreels, as well as observers from various societies and organizations. The San Francisco conference was not only one of the most important in history, but in all likelihood also the largest international gathering ever held.

The agenda of the Conference included proposals developed by representatives of China, Soviet Union, Great Britain and the United States in Dumbarton Oaks, on the basis of which the delegates were to develop a Charter acceptable to all states.

The Charter was signed on June 26, 1945 by representatives of 50 countries. Poland, not represented at the Conference, signed it later and became the 51st founding state.

The UN has officially existed since October 24, 1945. - to this day, the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, the United States and most of the other signatory states. October 24 is celebrated annually as United Nations Day.

The preamble to the Charter speaks of the determination of the peoples of the United Nations to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.”

The purposes of the UN, as enshrined in its Charter, are the maintenance of international peace and security, the prevention and elimination of threats to peace, and the suppression of acts of aggression, the settlement or resolution by peaceful means of international disputes, the development of friendly relations between nations based on respect for the principle of equality and self-determination of peoples; implementation of international cooperation in economic, social, cultural and humanitarian fields, promotion and development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of race, gender, language and religion.

UN members have pledged to act in accordance with the following principles: sovereign equality of states; resolution of international disputes by peaceful means; refusal in international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

192 states of the world are members of the UN.

Main organs of the UN:
- The UN General Assembly (UNGA) is the main deliberative body, consisting of representatives of all UN member states (each of them has 1 vote).
- The UN Security Council operates constantly. According to the Charter, the Security Council is entrusted with primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. If all ways of peaceful resolution of the conflict have been used, the Security Council is competent to send observers or troops to maintain peace in conflict areas in order to ease tension and separate the troops of the warring parties.

Throughout the existence of the UN peacekeeping forces The UN conducted about 40 peacekeeping operations.
- The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is authorized to conduct research and compile reports on international issues in the field of economic, social, culture, education, health, human rights, ecology, etc., and make recommendations to the General Assembly on any of them.
- The International Court of Justice, the main judicial body established in 1945, resolves legal disputes between states with their consent and gives advisory opinions on legal issues.
- The UN Secretariat was created to ensure proper conditions for the organization’s activities. The Secretariat is headed by the chief administrative official of the UN - the UN Secretary General (since January 1, 2007 - Ban Ki-moon (Korea).

The UN has a number of its own specialized agencies - international intergovernmental organizations on economic, social and humanitarian issues (UNESCO, WHO, FAO, IMF, ILO, UNIDO and others) associated with the UN, through ECOSOC, and international agreements. Most UN members are members of UN specialized agencies.

IN common system The UN also includes autonomous organizations, such as World trade organization(WTO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The official languages ​​of the UN and its organizations are English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and French.

The UN headquarters is located in New York.

The UN is a Nobel Peace Prize winner. In 2001, the award “For contribution to the creation of a more organized world and the strengthening of world peace” was awarded jointly to the organization and its Secretary General Kofi Annan. In 1988 Nobel Prize peace received the UN Peacekeeping Forces.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

The term "United Nations" was coined by Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II, to refer to the Allies. Its first formal use was in the January 1, 1942 Declaration by the United Nations, which committed the Allies to the principles of the Atlantic Charter and pledged them not to seek a separate peace with the Axis powers. Thereafter, the Allies used the term "United Nations Fighting Forces" to refer to their alliance.

The idea for the United Nations was elaborated in declarations signed at the wartime Allied conferences in Moscow, Cairo, and Tehran in 1943. From August to October 1944, representatives of France, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the USSR met to elaborated the plans in Washington, D.C. Those and later talks produced proposals outlining the purposes of the organization, its membership and organs, as well as arrangements to maintain international peace and security and international economic and social cooperation. These proposals were discussed and debated by governments and private citizens worldwide.

On April 25,1945, the United Nations Conference on International Organizations began in San Francisco. In addition to the Governments, a number-of non-government organizations were invited to assist in the drafting of the charter. The 50 nations represented at the conference signed the Charter of the United Nations two months later on June 26. Poland, which was not represented at the conference, but for which a place among the original signatories had been reserved, added its name later, bringing the total of original signatories to 51. The UN came into existence on October 24,1945, after the Charter had been ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council - Republic of China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States — and by a majority of the other 46 signs.

The United Nations headquarters building was constructed in New York City in 1949 and 1950 beside the East River on land purchased by an 8.5 million dollar donation from John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer. UN headquarters officially opened on January 9, 1951. While the principal headquarters of the UN are in New York, there are major agencies located in Geneva, The Hague, Vienna, Montreal, Bonn.

UN membership is open to all peace-loving states that accept the obligations of the UN Charter and, in the judgment of the organization, are able and willing to fulfill these obligations.

Text translation: The History of UN - History of the United Nations (UN)

The term "United Nations" (UN) was coined by Franklin Roosevelt in his addresses to his allies. The first formal use of the term was on January 1, 1942. The 1942 United Nations Declaration bound the Allies to the principles of the Atlantic Treaty and committed them to achieving a separate peace with the Axis powers. The Allies then used the term "United Nations fighting force" to refer to their allies.

The idea of ​​the United Nations was developed in declarations signed during the war at the Allied conferences in Moscow, Cairo and Tehran in 1943. From August to October 1944, representatives of France, the Republic of China, Great Britain, the USA and the USSR met in Washington, D.C.
Colombia, to develop plans. These, as well as subsequent negotiations and proposals, built the goals of the organization, its bodies and members of this organization, as well as agreements to maintain peace and security, international economic and social cooperation. These proposals have been discussed and contested by governments and individuals around the world.

On April 25, 1945, the UN conference began in San Francisco. In addition to governments, numerous non-governmental organizations were invited to draft the UN Charter. Fifty states present at the conference signed the UN Charter two months later, on June 26. Poland, which was not present at the conference but for which a place among the founding countries was reserved, added its name later, thus bringing the number of founding countries to 51 states. The UN came into existence on October 24, 1945, following the ratification of the UN Charter by the five permanent members of the Security Council - the Republic of China, the USSR, Great Britain, France and the United States - and most of the other founding countries.

The UN headquarters building was built in New York in 1949-50 near the East River on land purchased for $8.5 million donated by D. Rockefeller Jr. The building was designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer. The headquarters officially opened on January 9, 1951. While the main UN headquarters is in New York, there are also main agencies in Geneva, The Hague, Vienna, Montreal, Bonn.

Membership in the UN is open to any peace-loving country that accepts the requirements of the Charter of the United Nations and, in the judgment of that organization, is able and willing to fulfill those obligations.

Used literature:
1. 100 topics of English oral (Kaverina V., Boyko V., Zhidkikh N.) 2002
2. English for schoolchildren and those entering universities. Oral examination. Topics. Texts for reading. Exam questions. (Tsvetkova I.V., Klepalchenko I.A., Myltseva N.A.)
3. English, 120 Topics. English language, 120 conversation topics. (Sergeev S.P.)

The United Nations (UN) is an international organization created to maintain and strengthen international peace and security and develop cooperation between states.

The foundations of its activities and structure were developed during the Second World War by the leading participants in the Anti-Hitler Coalition. The name "United Nations", proposed by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was first used on January 1, 1942 in the Declaration of the United Nations, when, during World War II, representatives of 26 nations pledged on behalf of their governments to continue the common fight against the Axis powers.

It is noteworthy that earlier the first international organizations were created for cooperation in certain areas: the International Telegraph Union (1865), the Universal Postal Union (1874), etc. Both organizations are today specialized institutions UN.

The First International Peace Conference was convened in The Hague in 1899 to develop agreements on the peaceful resolution of crises, the prevention of war, and the rules of warfare. The conference adopted the Convention for the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes and established the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which began its work in 1902.

World Food Program (WFP);

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD);

United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP);

United Nations Program for settlements(UN-Habitat; UNGNA);

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP);

United Nations Volunteers (UNV);

United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF);

International Trade Center (ITC);

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Educational and research institutions:

United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR);

United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI);

United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD);

United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Other UN divisions:

United Nations System Staff College (UNSC);

International Computing Center (ICC);

Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS);

United Nations University (UNU);

United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), UN Women.

Commission on Narcotic Drugs;

Commission on Population and Development;

Commission on Science and Technology for Development;

Commission on the Status of Women;

Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice4

Commission on Sustainable Development;

Commission for Social Development;

Statistical Commission;

United Nations Forum on Forests.

Regional commissions of ECOSOC:

Economic Commission for Europe (ECE);

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP);

Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA);

Economic Commission for Africa (ECA);

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

ECOSOC Standing Committees: Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, Committee on Negotiations with Intergovernmental Institutions, Committee on Program and Coordination.

ECOSOC Special Bodies: Ad Hoc Open Working Group on Informatics.

Expert bodies consisting of government experts:

United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names;

United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management;

Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals;

Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on international standards accounting and reporting.

Expert bodies consisting of members serving in their personal capacity: Committee on Development Policy, Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Committee of Experts on Public Administration, Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Taxation, Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Bodies associated with the Council: Executive Board of the International Institute for the Advancement of Women, United Nations Population Prize Committee, Coordinating Council of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, International Narcotics Control Board.

When the international trusteeship system was created, the UN Charter established the Trusteeship Council as one of the main organs of the United Nations, which was entrusted with the task of overseeing the administration of trust territories falling under the trusteeship system.

The main objectives of the system were to promote the improvement of the conditions of the population of the Trust Territories and their progressive development towards self-government or independence. The Trusteeship Council consists of five permanent members of the Security Council - the Russian Federation, the United States, Great Britain, France and the People's Republic of China. The objectives of the trusteeship system were achieved when all trust territories achieved self-government or independence, either as independent states or through unification with neighboring independent countries.

In accordance with the Statute, the Trusteeship Council is empowered to examine and discuss reports of the Administering Authority relating to the political, economic and social progress of the peoples of the Trust Territories and educational progress, and, in consultation with the Administering Authority, to consider petitions coming from the Trust Territories and to arrange periodic and other special visits to trust territories.

The Trusteeship Council suspended its work on November 1, 1994, after the last remaining United Nations Trust Territory, Palau, gained independence on October 1, 1994. By resolution adopted on 25 May 1994, the Council amended its rules of procedure to remove the obligation to hold annual meetings and agreed to meet as often as necessary, either by its decision or by its President, or at the request of a majority of its members or the General Assembly, or the Security Council.

International Court of Justice.

It is the main judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the UN Charter to achieve one of the main purposes of the UN: “to carry out by peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of justice and international law, the settlement or settlement of international disputes or situations which may lead to a breach of the peace.” The Court functions in accordance with the Statute, which is part of the Charter, and its Rules of Procedure. It began operating in 1946, replacing the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ), which was established in 1920 under the auspices of the League of Nations. The seat of the Court is the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands).

Secretariat.

The Secretariat is an international staff located in agencies around the world and carrying out the varied day-to-day work of the Organization. It serves other main UN bodies and implements the programs and policies adopted by them. The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary General, who is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a period of 5 years with the possibility of re-election for a new term.

The responsibilities performed by the Secretariat are as varied as the issues the UN deals with, from leading peacekeeping operations to mediating international disputes, from compiling surveys of economic and social trends and issues to preparing studies on human rights and sustainable development. In addition, Secretariat staff guide and inform the world's media about the work of the UN; organizes international conferences on issues of global importance; monitors the implementation of decisions of UN bodies and translates speeches and documents into the official languages ​​of the Organization.

UN specialized agencies and related bodies. UN specialized agencies are independent international organizations linked to the United Nations by a special cooperation agreement. Specialized institutions are created on the basis of intergovernmental agreements.

Specialized institutions:

Universal Postal Union (UPU);

World Bank Group;

International Development Association (IDA);

International Finance Corporation (IFC);

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD);

International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID);

Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA);

World Meteorological Organization (WMO);

World Health Organization (WHO);

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO);

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO);

International Maritime Organization (IMO);

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO);

International Labor Organization (ILO);

International currency board(IMF);

International Telecommunication Union (ITU);

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD);

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO);

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

UN related organizations:

World Trade Organization (WTO);

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA);

Comprehensive Ban Treaty Organization nuclear tests(CTBTO);

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Convention secretariats:

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Severe Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD);

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

UN Trust Funds:

United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF);

United Nations Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP).

The leadership of the UN is represented by the Chairman of the General Assembly and the Secretary General.

President of the General Assembly. Opens and closes each plenary meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations, completely directs the work of the General Assembly and maintains order at its meetings.

Secretary General. The chief administrative officer is a symbol of the United Nations and a spokesman for the interests of the peoples of the world.

According to the Charter, the Secretary-General performs the functions assigned to him by the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and other bodies of the United Nations.

The Secretary General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a period of 5 years with the possibility of re-election for a new term.

Currently, there is a gentlemen's agreement in force according to which a citizen of a state that is a permanent member of the UN Security Council (Russia, USA, Great Britain, France and China) cannot be UN Secretary-General.

UN Secretaries General:

UN member states.

The original members of the UN included the 50 states that signed the UN Charter at the San Francisco Conference on June 26, 1945, as well as Poland. Since 1946, about 150 states have been admitted to the UN (but a number of states, such as Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, have split into independent states). On July 14, 2011, with the admission of South Sudan to the UN, the number of UN member states was 193.

Only internationally recognized states that are subjects of international law can be members of the UN. According to the UN Charter, membership of the UN is open to all “peace-loving states which accept the obligations contained in the Charter and which, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to fulfill these obligations.” “The admission of any such state to Membership of the Organization shall be effected by resolution of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.”

To admit a new member, the support of at least 9 of the 15 member states of the Security Council is required (while 5 permanent members - Russia, USA, Great Britain, France and China - can veto the decision). Once the recommendation is approved by the Security Council, the matter is referred to the General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority is required to pass an accession resolution. The new state becomes a member of the UN from the date of the General Assembly resolution.

Among the original members of the UN were countries that were not full-fledged internationally recognized states: along with the USSR, its two union republics - the Belarusian SSR and the Ukrainian SSR; British colony - British India (divided into now independent members - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar); US-Philippines protectorate; as well as the virtually independent dominions of Great Britain - Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand, Union of South Africa.

In September 2011, the Palestinian Authority (the partially recognized State of Palestine) submitted an application for membership in the UN, but the satisfaction of this application was postponed until the Palestinian-Israeli settlement and general international recognition of Palestine.

In addition to member status, there is UN observer status, which may precede accession to full membership. Observer status is assigned by voting in the General Assembly, the decision is made by a simple majority. UN observers, as well as members of UN specialized agencies (for example, UNESCO), can be both recognized and partially recognized states and government entities. Thus, the observers at the moment are the Holy See and the State of Palestine, and for some time there were, for example, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Finland, and other countries that had the right to join, but temporarily did not use it for various reasons.

To organize the work of bodies in the UN system, official and working languages ​​have been established. The list of these languages ​​is defined in the rules of procedure of each body. On official languages All major UN documents are published, including resolutions. Verbatim reports of meetings are published in working languages ​​and speeches delivered in any official language are translated into them.

The official languages ​​of the United Nations are: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic. If a delegation wishes to speak in a language that is not an official one, it must provide oral or written translation into one of the official languages.

Calculating the UN budget is a process in which all members of the organization are involved. The budget is put forward by the UN Secretary-General after agreement with the divisions of the organization and based on their requirements. The proposed budget is subsequently reviewed by the 16-member Administrative and Budgetary Advisory Committee and the 34-member Program and Coordination Committee. The committees' recommendations are forwarded to the General Assembly's Committee on Management and Budget, which includes all member states, which again carefully reviews the budget. Finally, it is submitted to the General Assembly for final consideration and approval.

The main criterion used by member states in the General Assembly is the country's solvency. Solvency is determined based on the gross national product (GNP) and a number of adjustments, including adjustments for external debt and per capita income.

"History and goals of the UN"

• Historical summary
• European summary
• UN goals
• Human rights
• Economic development and humanitarian assistance
• A few more words about the UN

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental system of association in order to create comfortable international communication. It replaced the ineffective League of Nations. This formation began to exist October 24, 1945, in order to prevent the recurrence of such an incident as a global war. Its membership is slightly less than 200 states.

The location of the headquarters of the interethnic association settled in Manhattan. Other important consulates are located in Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna. The budget is financed from the resources of the participating states. Contributions are both mandatory and voluntary. The objectives of this association are to promote global harmony and security, respect for human rights, help social and economic development, nature conservation, as well as providing humanitarian support in the event of famine, natural disasters and armed conflicts.

During World War II, Roosevelt initiated negotiations on a successor to the League of Nations. The new body's charter was developed at a meeting in April–June 1945. This charter came into force on October 24, 1945, and the UN came into existence. UN Mission for World Peace was a challenge in the first decades. A cold war broke out in the world between the USSR and the USA and their allies, respectively.
The organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, and a number of its officials and institutions have also been awarded the prize. Other assessments of the UN's effectiveness have been mixed. Some commentators believe that the organization is an important factor in peace and human development, while others call the organization ineffective, corrupt.

Historical summary
Before the creation of the UN, a number of international institutions and conferences were formed to resolve conflicts between countries: International Committee Red Cross and the Hague Convention of 1899 and 1907 respectively. After the catastrophic loss of life in World War I, the Paris Peace Conference created the League of Nations to maintain harmony between countries. However, the League lacked representation for the colonial peoples (then half the world's population) and significant participation from several major powers, including the USA, USSR, Germany and Japan. The authority could not impose restrictions on the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, the Japanese invasion of China, or stop Adolf Hitler's German plans that ended in World War II.

United Nations Declaration
The initial organizational plan for the newly formed international association began under the auspices of the US State Department in 1939. Roosevelt authored the "Declaration of the United Nations", together with Churchill and Hopkins. During a meeting at the White House on December 29, 1941, Soviet proposals were included, but there was no role left for France. Roosevelt became the founder of the term United Nations.

UN goals
Peacekeeping and security operations.
The UN, after approval by the Security Council, sends peacekeepers to regions where armed conflicts have recently stopped or paused. This was done in order to ensure compliance with the terms of the peace agreements and prevent a resumption of hostilities. The world association does not have at its disposal personal army. Peacekeeping operations produced by borrowing from states within the represented community.

Human rights.
The UN is considered the main community that aims to promote and develop respect for human rights, excluding various kinds discrimination. Member states are required to make decisions, both general and individual, in order to protect their rights as people.
In 1948, the General Assembly established the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, prepared by a committee headed by Franklin D. Roosevelt's widow Eleanor and French lawyer Cassin. The document proclaims the basic civil, political and economic rights, common to all people, although its effectiveness in achieving these goals has been debated since its composition. The Declaration serves as a common standard for all peoples and all countries.

In 1979, the General Assembly established the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against the Fairer Sex, followed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.
Happy ending cold war, the impetus for action in the field of human rights has received new impulse. Human Rights was established in 1993 to monitor human rights issues.

Economic development and humanitarian assistance.
Another main goal The UN serves to control and organize cooperation between states and solve their problems among themselves. Numerous bodies have been created to work towards this goal. In 2000, 192 United Nations member states agreed to achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), a grant-based technical assistance organization founded in 1945, is one of the leading bodies in the field of transnational formation. The organization also monitors the Human Capability Index, a comparative measure of countries ranking by poverty, literacy, education, average duration life and other factors. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), also founded in 1945, promotes agricultural development and food security. UNICEF dates back to 1946 to help European children after the end of hostilities. The Foundation has expanded its mission to provide assistance worldwide and support the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The assistance between the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund is an independent, specialized institution and plays an observer role, according to the text of the 1947 agreement. They were originally formed separately from the UN through the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1944. World Bank provides loans for global development, and in parallel, the IMF helps strengthen interethnic interaction in the economy and provides emergency loans to debtor countries.
Within the framework of interethnic cooperation, there is an association related to public health. In which key importance is given to international health problems and the elimination of diseases. It is one of the largest UN agencies. In 1980, the agency announced that smallpox eradication had been completed. In the decades that followed, WHO largely eradicated polio and leprosy. The United Interethnic Community Project on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), launched in 1996, coordinates the issue of the AIDS epidemic.

Along with the international association - the Red Cross, the UN often plays a major role in providing emergency assistance in extreme situations. The World Food Program (WFP), established in the early 60s, provides food support as a result of “hunger” times, natural disasters and military contradictions. The association reports that it feeds an average of 90 million people in 80 countries each year. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), established in 1950, works to protect those in need within the authority's mandate. UNHCR and WFP activities are financed through voluntary contributions from states, corporations and individuals, although UNHCR administrative costs are paid from the UN core budget.

A few more words about the UN
Since the creation of the UN, more than 80 colonies have gained independence. The UN is working towards decolonization.

Since their inception, UN programs have been aimed at protecting and improving the environment. The UN oversees environmental issues. Initially, this program was not very successful. In the late 1980s, UNEP and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) became another part of the UN. WOM evaluates research reports related to global warming.
The General Assembly sets the amount of the regular contribution. This amount is based on each country's capacity (GNI), adjusted for external debt and low per capita income. That is, for each individual state the amount of contributions varies. The two-year budget for 2012–13 was $5.512 billion in total.

The Assembly established the principle that the UN should not be overly dependent on any one member to finance its activities. Thus, there is a cap, a maximum amount that any member can allocate to the regular budget. In December 2000, the Assembly revised the scale of assessments in response to pressure from the United States. As part of this review, the budget ceiling was reduced from 25% to 22%. For least developed countries (LDCs), a maximum rate of 0.01% applies.

A significant portion of the UN's expenditures address its core mission of peace and security, and this budget is assessed separately from the main one. Maintaining a peaceful existence cost for 2015-16 financial years at 827 billion $.

The United Nations is the center for solving the problems facing all humanity. These activities are carried out jointly by more than 30 associated organizations that make up the United Nations system. Every day, the United Nations and other organizations in its system work to promote human rights, protect the environment, fight disease and reduce poverty.

The United Nations was created on October 24, 1945 by fifty-one countries who were determined to preserve peace through international cooperation and collective security. Today, 191 countries are members of the United Nations, that is, almost all countries in the world. When states become members of the United Nations, they accept the obligations set out in the Charter of the United Nations, which is an international treaty that sets out the basic principles of international relations.

According to the Charter, the United Nations pursues four goals in its activities: to maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations between nations, to carry out international cooperation in resolving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights, and to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in achieving these common goals.

History of the United Nations

The emergence of the UN was due to a number of objective factors in the military-strategic, political, and economic development of human society at the end of the second millennium. The creation of the UN was the embodiment of mankind’s eternal dream of such a structure and organization of international society that would save humanity from an endless series of wars and ensure peaceful living conditions for peoples, their progressive advancement along the path of socio-economic progress, prosperity and development, free from fear for the future .

The discussion and development of the problem of the universal organization of labor and safety began with the Atlantic Party, signed by US President F.D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Gergel on August 14, 1941, and the Declaration of the USSR Government at the inter-union conference in London on September 24, 1941, in which The first to formulate an extremely important task facing peace-loving states, namely “to determine ways and means for organizing international relations and the post-war structure of the world.”

The first intergovernmental document adopted during the Second World War, which put forward the idea of ​​​​creating a new international security organization, was the Declaration of the Government of the Soviet Union and the Government of the Polish Republic on Friendship and Mutual Assistance, signed in Moscow on December 4, 1941. It indicated that ensuring a lasting and just world could only be achieved by a new organization of international relations, not based on the unification of democratic countries into a lasting union. When creating such an organization, the decisive point should be “respect for international law, supported by the collective armed force of all Union States.”

January 1, 1942 The Declaration of the United Nations was signed by 26 participating states in Washington anti-Hitler coalition, including the USSR, on joint efforts in the fight against Hitler's Germany, fascist Italy and militaristic Japan. Later, the name “united nations” was proposed for the new organization by US President R.D. Roosevelt and was officially used for the UN Charter.

At the proposal of the US government, in August - September 1944, a conference of four powers - the USSR, Great Britain, the USA and China - was held in Dumbarton Oaks, on the outskirts of Washington, at which the agreed text of the final document was signed: “Proposal for the creation of a General International Security Organization.” These proposals served as the basis for the development of the UN Charter.

During the Conference in San Francisco on April 25, 1945. The text of the UN Charter was prepared, which was signed on June 26, 1945. From the date of entry into force of the UN Charter on October 24, 1945, when the last 29th instrument of ratification of the USSR was deposited with the US Government, the beginning of the existence of the UN is officially counted. By decision of the General Assembly adopted in 1947. The day the UN Charter came into force was officially declared “United Nations Day,” which is solemnly celebrated annually in UN member countries.

The UN Charter embodies democratic ideals, which is expressed, in particular, in the fact that it affirms faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equality of men and women, and enshrines the equality of large and small nations. The UN Charter establishes as its main objectives the maintenance of international peace and security, the settlement by peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of justice and international law, of international disputes and situations. It defines that the UN is founded on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its members, that all members fulfill in good faith the obligations under the Charter so as to secure to them all the rights and benefits arising from membership in the Organization, that all members must resolve by and refrain from the threat of force or its application and that the UN has the right to intervene in matters essentially within the domestic competence of any state. The UN Charter emphasizes the open nature of the Organization, whose members can be all peace-loving states.

How the UN works

The United Nations is not a world government and does not make laws. However, it does provide tools that help resolve international conflicts and develop policy on issues that affect us all. In the United Nations, all member states - large and small, rich and poor, holding different political views and social systems, - have the right to express their opinions and take part in voting within this process.

The United Nations has six main organs. Five of them - the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council and the Secretariat - are located at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Sixth organ - International Court of Justice- located in The Hague, the Netherlands.

UN General Assembly

This is a body in which all UN member states are represented. The General Assembly is endowed with a number of very important functions: the authority to consider the general principles of cooperation in maintaining international peace and security, including the principles defining weapons, as well as to discuss a wide range of problems of cooperation between states in the political, economic, social, environmental, scientific, technical and other areas and make recommendations on them.

The General Assembly holds annual regular sessions, which are only interrupted in December of each year and continue until the beginning of the next session. Plenary sessions open on the Tuesday after the second Monday in September. Such special (from 1946 to 2000 there were 24) and emergency special (from 1946 to 1999 there were 10) sessions are convened. The provisional agenda for the next session is drawn up Secretary General and is communicated to UN members at least 60 days before the opening of the session.

A characteristic feature of the activities of the General Assembly in recent years is that everything large values in its work, and in the work of all UN bodies, it acquires the concept first used in 1964. in the Security Council and the widely used method in the General Assembly of developing and adopting resolutions based on the principle of agreement (consensus), i.e. reaching general agreement without voting on the relevant decision.

Resolutions of the General Assembly are not legally binding on states, but also cannot be qualified as simple calls or wishes. States must review General Assembly resolutions carefully and in good faith.

Resolutions and declarations of the General Assembly are the most important standard for the formation of international law. The UN has developed the following practice for developing international legal documents. First, a declaration is adopted on an issue (for example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights), and then, on the basis of such declarations, international treaties and conventions (two International acts on Human Rights, Non-Proliferation Treaty nuclear weapons etc.).

The General Assembly is a truly democratic representative body of sovereign states. Each member of the General Assembly, regardless of the size of the territory, population, economic and military power, has one vote. Decisions of the General Assembly on important issues are taken by a 2/3 majority of the members of the Assembly present and voting.

States that are not members of the UN, those with permanent observers at the UN (Vatican City, Switzerland) and those without, can take part in the work of the General Assembly. In addition, representatives of a number of international organizations (specialized agencies of the UN, OAS, Arab League, OAU, EU, CIS, etc.) received the right to participate as Palestinian observers.

The Security Council consists of 15 members: five members of the Council are permanent (Russia, USA, Great Britain, France and China), the remaining ten members (in the terminology of the Charter - “non-permanent”) are elected to the Council in accordance with the procedure provided for by the Charter.

Decisions on procedural issues in the Security Council are considered adopted if at least nine members of the Council vote for them. The main form of recommendations adopted by the Security Council is a resolution. Over more than half a century, more than 1300 of them have been accepted.

Over the course of many years of activity, the Security Council has developed very specific methods and forms of its response and influence on certain events in the world. One of these methods is the condemnation by the Council of a particular state for unlawful actions committed by it in violation of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. For example, the Council has repeatedly condemned South Africa in its decisions for pursuing the criminal policy of apartheid. Often the Security Council resorted to such a method as stating a political fact, a particular current situation. This is precisely how numerous Security Council resolutions defined the situation in Southern Africa, created by Pretoria’s aggressive actions against “front-line” African states.

The most commonly used technique, an appeal to states, is a method of resolving conflicts by the Security Council. He repeatedly appealed to stop hostilities, observe a ceasefire, withdraw troops, etc. During the consideration of a complex of problems of the Yugoslav settlement, the Iran-Iraq conflict, the situation in Angola, Georgia, Tajikistan and along the Tajik-Afghan border.

The Security Council often performed the functions of reconciling parties in disputes and conflicts. To this end, the Council appointed mediators, especially often entrusting the Secretary General or his representative with the functions of providing good offices, mediation and reconciliation of the parties. These functions were used by the Council when considering the Palestinian and Kashmir issues, the situation in former Yugoslavia etc.

Since 1948 The Security Council began to resort to such a method as sending groups of military observers and monitoring missions to monitor the implementation of demands for a ceasefire, the terms of the armistice agreements, political settlement, etc. Until 1973, military observers were recruited almost exclusively from citizens of Western countries. For the first time in 1973 Soviet officers- Observers were included in the Palestine Truce Supervision Authority (UNTSO), which still performs useful functions in the Middle East. Observation missions were also sent to Lebanon (UNOGIL), India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), Uganda and Rwanda (UNOMUR), El Salvador (MNEP), Tajikistan (UNMOT), etc.

An important area of ​​activity of the Security Council is its interaction with regional organizations. Such cooperation is carried out in various forms, including through regular consultations, the provision of diplomatic support, through which a particular regional organization can take part in UN peacekeeping activities (for example, CFE in Albania), through the parallel operational deployment of peacekeeping missions (for example, the UN Monitoring Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) was deployed jointly with the Ecological Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in Liberia, and the UN Monitoring Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) operates in cooperation with the CIS peacekeeping force in Georgia) and through joint operations (for example, the UN-OAS International Civilian Mission in Haiti (MICIVIH).

The Security Council plays an important role in the early detection and detection of emerging conflicts. In recent years, there has been an urgent need to create early warning systems for the emergence of hotbeds of tension, the danger of a nuclear accident, environmental threats, mass movements of the population, natural disasters, the threat of famine and the spread of diseases and epidemics. This kind of information could be used to assess whether a threat to peace exists and to analyze what actions could be taken by the United Nations to reduce it and what preventive actions and measures could be taken by the Security Council and other UN bodies.

One of the most frequently used tools by the Security Council is preventive diplomacy. Preventive diplomacy is an action of a political, diplomatic, international, legal and other nature aimed at preventing the emergence of disputes and disagreements between the parties, preventing them from escalating into conflicts and limiting the scope of conflicts after they arise. Cooperating with the Secretary-General, the Council actively used the means of preventive diplomacy, providing conditions for reconciliation, mediation, good offices, establishment and other preventive actions.

The most frequently used tool, especially recently, is peacekeeping operations (PKOs), which have only been carried out by the UN since 1948. over 50. Peacekeeping operation - a set of actions undertaken with the consent of the conflicting parties, interconnected in goals, objectives, place and time, with the participation of impartial military, police and civilian personnel in support of efforts to stabilize the situation in areas of potential or existing conflicts, carried out in accordance with mandate of the Security Council or regional organizations and aimed at creating conditions conducive to a political settlement of the conflict and maintaining or restoring international peace and security.

The Security Council very often, especially in recent years, has used such a tool as sanctions - economic, political, diplomatic, financial and other coercive measures not related to the use of armed forces, carried out by decision of the Security Council in order to induce the relevant state to stop or refrain from actions. Constituting a threat to the peace, a breach of the peace or an act of aggression.

To monitor the implementation of sanctions, the Council established a number of subsidiary bodies, for example, the Board of Governors of the Compensation Commission and the Special Commission on the Situation between Iraq and Kuwait, the Sanctions Committees on Yugoslavia, Libya, Somalia, Angola, Haiti, Rwanda, Liberia, Sudan, Sierra Leone and others. The results of the Council's application of sanctions against them are far from clear. Thus, the economic sanctions adopted by the Council against the racist regime of Southern Rhodesia contributed to a certain extent to the liquidation of the racist regime, the achievement by the people of Zimbabwe of their independence, and the entry of this country into 1980. as members of the UN. The value of sanctions as a means of resolving conflicts was clearly demonstrated in the resolution of other conflicts, for example, in Angola, Haiti, and South Africa. At the same time, it cannot be denied that in most cases the application of sanctions was associated with a number of negative consequences for the population and economy of the countries targeted by sanctions and resulted in enormous material and financial damage for neighboring and third states that comply with the decisions of the Sanctions Council.

According to the UN Charter, the Security Council must function continuously and act “promptly and effectively” on behalf of UN members. To this end, each member of the Security Council must always be represented at the seat of the UN. According to the rules of procedure, the interval between meetings of the Security Council should not exceed 14 days, although in practice this rule was not always observed. On average, the Security Council held 77 formal meetings per year.

The Economic and Social Council operates under the general leadership of the General Assembly and coordinates the activities of the United Nations and the agencies of its system in the economic and social fields. As the premier forum for discussing international economic and social problems and making policy recommendations in these areas, the Council plays an important role in strengthening international development cooperation. It also consults with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), thereby maintaining a vital link between the United Nations and civil society.

The Council consists of 54 members elected by the General Assembly for three years. The Council meets periodically throughout the year, meeting in July for its main session, during which the high level The most important economic, social and humanitarian issues are discussed.

The subsidiary bodies of the Council meet regularly and report to it. For example, the Commission on Human Rights monitors the observance of human rights in all countries of the world. Other bodies deal with social development, the status of women, crime prevention, drug abuse and sustainable development. The five regional commissions promote economic development and cooperation in their regions.

The Trusteeship Council was created to provide international oversight of the 11 trust territories administered by the seven member states, and to ensure that their governments were making the necessary efforts to prepare the territories for self-government or independence. By 1994, all trust territories had achieved self-government or independence, either as independent states or by joining neighboring independent states. The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau), administered by the United States, was the last to achieve self-government and became the 185th Member State of the United Nations.

Since the work of the Trusteeship Council has been completed, it currently consists of five permanent members of the Security Council. Its rules of procedure have been amended accordingly to enable it to hold meetings only when circumstances may require it.

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice - also known as the World Court - is the main judicial organ of the United Nations. Its 15 judges are elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council, which vote independently and simultaneously. The International Court of Justice deals with the settlement of disputes between states on the basis of the voluntary participation of interested states. If the state agrees to take part in the proceedings, it is obliged to comply with the decision of the Court. The Court also prepares advisory opinions for the United Nations and its specialized agencies.

Secretariat

The Secretariat conducts the operational and administrative work of the United Nations in accordance with the instructions of the General Assembly, the Security Council and other bodies. It is headed by the Secretary General, who provides overall administrative leadership.

The Secretariat is made up of departments and offices with approximately 7,500 regular budget-funded staff representing 170 countries. In addition to United Nations Headquarters located in New York, there are United Nations offices in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi and other duty stations.

United Nations system

The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and 13 other independent organizations called "specialized agencies" are linked to the United Nations through their respective cooperative agreements. These institutions, including world organization health and the International Civil Aviation Organization are independent bodies created on the basis of intergovernmental agreements. They are entrusted with a wide range of international functions in the economic, social and cultural fields, as well as in the fields of education, health and others. Some of them, such as the International Labor Organization and the Universal Postal Union, are older than the United Nations itself.

In addition, a number of United Nations offices, programs and funds - such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - are involved in improving the social and economic situation of people in all regions of the world. They are accountable to the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council.

All these organizations have their own governing bodies, budgets and secretariats. Together with the United Nations, they form one family, or the United Nations system. Together they provide technical assistance and other forms of practical assistance in virtually all economic and social areas.