Category Social Sciences

In 1945, the UN Charter formed the Trusteeship Council to look after eleven territories known as trust territories. Earlier, the trust territories had belonged to those powers that were defeated in the Second World War.

Out of the eleven territories, seven were in Africa while the rest were from Oceania. Over time, many of the trust territories gained independence and as a result, the workload of the council decreased. In 1994, Palau, the last of the territories became independent. This left the council without any responsibilities. Therefore, the Trusteeship Council was suspended in 1994 as its mission was accomplished.

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The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is involved in settling all the legal disputes submitted by the member states. The court would judge crimes like genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. No wonder it is called the ‘World Court’.

The International Court of Justice was known as the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Established in The Hague in 1899 to hear international disputes, it worked with the League of Nations before being associated with the UN. It became a wing of the United Nations in 1946. Apart from settling legal disputes, the International Court of Justice also provides advice on legal questions.

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Not all the countries in the world are wealthy. Some countries are rich while some others are extremely poor. Such a situation creates a huge gap between these nations. The United Nations Economic and Social Council works to bridge this gap by providing direct financial aid to the poor countries.

The council’s financial aid comes in different forms- loans, grants and advice. The organisation also encourages the wealthy nations to help the poor nations.

Most of the work by the United Nations Economic and Social Council is devoted to the development of backward nations. It works to improve the living conditions, healthcare and education system of the backward countries. It also promotes population control.

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The United Nations I run by its Secretariat. The programme and policies laid down by the other UN bodies are administered by the Secretariat. The UN Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General, one of the most powerful positions in world politics.

The duties carried out by the Secretariat range from peacekeeping to mediating international disputes. For ensuring its smooth functioning, the Secretariat has employed over 9000 employees from 170 countries, who have sworn loyalty to the UN. There is a wide range of job positions in the Secretariat, from secretaries and scientists to translators and truck drivers!

The Secretariat staff informs the world media about the works of the UN. They also organize international conferences on issues of worldwide concern. They are also involved in interpreting speeches and translating documents into the official languages of the UN.

Apart from New York, the Secretariat has offices in Geneva, Bangkok, Nairobi, Santiago, Vienna and Addis Ababa.

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The UN Security Council has five permanent members- the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom. The permanent membership of these countries was granted by the UN Charter.

These countries were Allies during the Second World War (they were on the winning side.) These countries also possessed nuclear weapons and the world’s most powerful armies. The permanent members also have the power to veto a resolution. This power allows these members to prevent the adoption of any decision regardless of its international support.

There have been discussions about granting permanent membership to other members. The frequently suggested candidates for this were India, Brazil, Germany and Japan.

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The responsibility of maintaining international peace and security lies with the UN Security Council. The real power to make decisions for the world lies with the Security Council.

It is the Security Council takes the decision about providing membership to the nations. It also encourages the members to take action against those who break the rules of the United Nations. The Security Council is the only body of the UN that can call for military action.

There are a total of fifteen members in the Security Council. Apart from the five permanent members, the UN General Assembly elects ten members to serve a two-year term. The meetings of the Security Council can happen anytime around the year and anytime of the day or night.

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