TIME: Almanac 1990/1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso/time/caps/unations.2

Text File | 1991-04-15 | 27KB | 569 lines

Structure:

Amendments to the Charter:

    The United Nations Charter can be amended by a vote of two thirds
of the Members of the General Assembly and ratification by two thirds
of the Members of the United Nations, including the five permanent
members of the Security Council. So far, four Charter Articles have
been amended, one of them twice:

    -- in 1965, the membership of the Security Council was
increased from 11 to 15 (Article 23) and the number of affirmative
votes needed on procedural matters was increased from seven to
nine; on all other matters it was also increased to nine, including
the concurring votes of the five permanent members (Article 27);

    -- in 1965, the membership of the Economic and Social Council
was increased from 18 to 27 and, in 1973, was further increased to
54 (Article 61);

    -- in 1968, the number of votes required in the Security
Council to convene a General Conference to review the Charter was
increased from seven to nine (Article 109).


Official Languages:

    Under the Charter the official languages of the United Nations
are Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Arabic has been
added as an official language of the General Assembly, the Security
Council and the Economic and Social Council.


Membership:

    Membership of the United Nations is open to all peace-loving
nations which accept the obligations of the United Nations Charter
and, in the judgement of the Organization, are able and willing to
carry out these obligations. (For a list of Member States, see
"Member States" section.)

    New Member States are admitted by the General Assembly on the
recommendation of the Security Council. The Charter provides for
the suspension or expulsion of a Member for violation of the
principles of the Charter, but no such action has ever been taken
since the establishment of the Organization.


Amendments to the Charter:

    The Charter can be amended by a vote of two thirds of the
Members of the General Assembly and ratification by two thirds of
the Members of the United Nations, including the five permanent
members of the Security Council. So far, four Charter Articles have
been amended, one of them twice:

    -- in 1965, the membership of the Security Council was
increased from 11 to 15 (Article 23) and the number of affirmative
votes needed on procedural matters was increased from seven to
nine; on all other matters it was also increased to nine, including
the concurring votes of the five permanent members (Article 27);

    -- in 1965, the membership of the Economic and Social Council
was increased from 18 to 27 and, in 1973, was further increased to
54 (Article 61);

    -- in 1968, the number of votes required in the Security
Council to convene a General Conference to review the Charter was
increased from seven to nine (Article 109).


Official Languages:

    Under the Charter the official languages of the United Nations
are Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Arabic has been
added as an official language of the General Assembly, the Security
Council and the Economic and Social Council.


     The Charter established six principle organs of the United
Nations:

    GENERAL ASSEMBLY. The General Assembly is the main deliberative
organ. It is composed of representatives of all Member States, each
of which has one vote. Decisions on important questions, such as
recommendations on peace and security, admission of new Members and
budgetary matters, require a two-thirds majority. Decisions on
other questions are reached by a simple majority.

    Functions and powers. Under the Charter, the functions and
powers of the General Assembly include the following:

    -- to consider and make recommendations on the principles of
co-operation in the maintenance of international peace and
security, including the principles governing disarmament and the
regulation of armaments;

    -- to discuss any question relating to international peace and
security and, except where a dispute or situation is currently
being discussed by the Security Council, to make recommendations
on it;

    -- to discuss and, with the same exception, make
recommendations on any question within the scope of the Charter or
affecting the powers and functions of any organ of the United
Nations;

    -- to initiate studies and make recommendations to promote
international political co-operation, the development and
codification of international law; the realization of human rights
and fundamental freedoms for all, and international collaboration
in economic, social, cultural, educational and health fields;

    -- to make recommendations for the peaceful settlement of any
situation, regardless of origin, which might impair friendly
relations among nations;

    -- to receive and consider reports from the Security Council
and other United Nations organs;

    -- to consider and approve the United Nations budget and to
apportion the contributions among Members;

    -- to elect the non-permanent members of the Security Council,
the members of the Economic and Social Council and those members
of the Trusteeship Council that are elected; to elect jointly with
the Security Council the Judges of the International Court of
Justice; and, on the recommendation of the Security Council, to
appoint the Secretary-General.

    Under the "Uniting for peace" resolution adopted by the General
Assembly in November 1950, the Assembly may take action if the
Security Council, because of a lack of unanimity of its permanent
members, fails to act in a case where there appears to be a threat
to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression. The
Assembly is empowered to consider the matter immediately with a
view to making recommendations to Members for collective measures,
including, in the case of a breach of the peace or act of
aggression, the use of armed force when necessary to maintain or
restore international peace and security.

    Sessions. The General Assembly's regular session begins each
year on the third Tuesday in September and continues usually until
mid-December. At the start of each regular session, the Assembly
elects a new President, 21 Vice-Presidents and the Chairman of the
Assembly's seven Main Committees. To ensure equitable geographical
representation, the presidency of the Assembly rotates each year
among five groups of States: African, Asian, Eastern European,
Latin American, and Western European and other States.

    In addition to its regular sessions, the Assembly may meet in
special sessions at the request of the Security Council, of a
majority of Members of the United Nations, or of one Member if the
majority of Members concurs. Emergency special sessions may be
called within 24 hours of a request by the Security Council on the
vote of any nine members of the Council, or by a majority of the
United Nations Members, or by one Member if the majority of Members
concurs.

    At the beginning of each regular session, the Assembly holds
a general debate, in which Member States express their views on a
wide range of matters of international concern. Because of the
great number of questions which the Assembly is called upon to
consider (146 separate agenda items at the 1986 session of the
Assembly, for example), the Assembly allocates most questions to
its seven Main Committees:

    First Committee (disarmament and related international
      security matters)
    Special Political Committee
    Second Committee (economic and financial matters)
    Third Committee (social, humanitarian and cultural matters)
    Fourth Committee (decolonization matters)
    Fifth Committee (administrative and budgetary matters)
    Sixth Committee (legal matters).

    There is also a General Committee composed of the President and
21 Vice-Presidents of the Assembly and the chairmen of the seven
Main Committees, and a Credentials Committee, appointed by the
President at each session.

    Some questions are considered only in plenary meetings, rather
than in one of the Main Committees, and all questions are voted on
in plenary meetings, usually towards the end of the regular
session, after the committees have completed their consideration
of them and submitted draft resolutions to the plenary Assembly.

    Voting in committees is by simply majority. In plenary
meetings, resolutions may be adopted by acclamation, without
objection or without a vote, or the vote may be recorded or taken
by roll call.

    While the decisions of the Assembly have no legally binding
force for Governments, they carry the weight of world opinion on
major international issues, as well as the moral authority of the
world community.

    The work of the United Nations year-round derives largely from
the decisions of the General Assembly -- that is to say, the will
of the majority of the Members as expressed in resolutions adopted
by the Assembly. That work is carried out:

    -- by committees and other bodies established by the Assembly
to study and report on specific issues, such as disarmament, outer
space, peace-keeping, decolonization, human rights and apartheid;

    -- in international conferences called for by the Assembly; and

    -- by the Secretariat of the United Nations -- the Secretary-
General and his staff of international civil servants.


    SECURITY COUNCIL. The Security Council has primary
responsibility, under the Charter, for the maintenance of
international peace and security. The Council has 15 members; five
permanent members -- China, France, the Soviet Union, the United
Kingdom and the United States -- 10 elected by the General Assembly
for two-year terms.

    Each member of the Council has one vote. Decisions on
procedural matters are made by an affirmative vote of at least nine
votes including the concurring votes of all five permanent members.
This is the rule of "great Power unanimity", often referred to as
the "veto" power. All five permanent members have exercised the
right of veto at one time or another. If a permanent member does
not support a decision but does not wish to block it through a
veto, it may abstain.

    Under the Charter, all Members of the United Nations agree to
accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council. While
other organs of the United Nations make recommendations to
Governments, the Council alone has the power to take decisions
which Member States are obligated under the Charter to carry out.

    Functions and powers. Under the Charter, the functions and
powers of the Security Council are:

    -- to maintain international peace and security in accordance
with the principles and purposes of the United Nations;

    -- to investigate any dispute or situation which might lead to
international friction;

    -- to recommend methods of adjusting such disputes or the terms
of settlement;

    -- to formulate plans for the establishment of a system to
regulate armaments;

    -- to determine the existence of a threat to the peace or act
of aggression and to recommend what action should be taken;

    -- to call on Members to apply economic sanctions and other
measures not involving the use of force in order to prevent or stop
aggression;

    -- to take military action against an aggressor;

    -- to recommend the admission of new Members and the terms on
which States may become parties to the Statute of the International
Court of Justice;

    -- to exercise the Trusteeship functions of the United Nations
in "strategic areas";

    -- to recommend to the General Assembly the appointment of the
Secretary-General and, together with the Assembly, to elect the
Judges of the International Court.

    The Security Council is so organized as to be able to function
continuously, and a representative of each of its members must be
present at all times at United Nations Headquarters. The Council
may meet elsewhere than at Headquarters if it considers this
advisable; in 1972, it held a session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and
the following year, it met in Panama City, Panama.

    When a complaint concerning a threat to peace is brought before
it, the Council's first action is usually to recommend that the
parties try to reach agreement by peaceful means. In some cases,
the Council itself undertakes investigation and mediation. It may
appoint special representatives or request the Secretary-General
to do so or to use his good offices. In some cases, it may set
forth principles for a peaceful settlement.

    When a dispute leads to fighting, the Council's first concern
is to bring it to an end as soon as possible. On many occasions
since the United Nations was founded, the Council has issued cease-
fire directives which have been instrumental in preventing wider
hostilities in many parts of the world. It also sends United
Nations peace-keeping forces to help reduce tensions in troubled
areas, keep opposing forces apart and create conditions of calm in
which peaceful settlements may be sought. The Council may decide
on enforcement measures, economic sanctions (such as trade
embargoes) or collective military action.

    A Member State against which preventative or enforcement action
has been taken by the Security Council may be suspended from the
exercise of the rights and privileges of membership by the General
Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. A Member
State which has persistently violated the principles contained in
the Charter may be expelled from the United Nations by the Assembly
on the Council's recommendation.

    A State is a Member of the United Nations but not of the
Security Council may participate, without vote, in its discussions
when the Council considers that that country's interests are
specially affected. Both Members of the United Nations and non-
members, if they are parties to a dispute being considered by the
Council, are invited to take part, without vote, in the Council's
discussions; the Council lays down the conditions for participation
by a non-Member State.


    ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL. The Economic and Social Council
was established by the Charter as the principal organ to co-
ordinate the economic and social work of the United Nations and the
specialized agencies and institutions -- known as the "United
Nations family" of organizations.

    The Council has 54 members who serve for three years, 18 being
elected each year for a three-year term to replace 18 members whose
three-year term has expired.

    Voting in the Economic and Social Council is by simple
majority; each member has one vote.

    Functions and powers. The functions and powers of the Economic
and Social Council are:

    -- to serve as the central forum for the discussion of
international and economic and social issues of a global or inter-
disciplinary nature and the formulation of policy recommendations
on those issues addressed to Member States and to the United
Nations system as a whole;

    -- to make or initiate studies and reports and make
recommendations on international economic, social, cultural,
educational, health and related matters;

    -- to promote respect for, and observance of, human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all;

    -- to call international conferences and prepare draft
conventions for submission to the General Assembly on matters
falling within its competence;

    -- to negotiate agreements with the specialized agencies
defining their relationship with the United Nations;

    -- to co-ordinate the activities of the specialized agencies
by means of consultations with and recommendations to them and by
means or recommendations to the General Assembly and the Members
of the United Nations;

    -- to perform services, approved by the Assembly, for Members
of the United Nations and, upon request, for the specialized
agencies;

    -- to consult with non-governmental organizations concerned
with matters with which the Council deals.

    Sessions. The Economic and Social Council generally holds two
month-long sessions each year, one in New York and the other at
Geneva. The year-round work of the Council is carried out in its
subsidiary bodies -- commissions and committees -- which meet at
regular intervals and report back to the Council.

    Subsidiary bodies. The subsidiary machinery of the Council
includes:

    -- six functional commissions: Statistical Commission,
Population Commission, Commission for Social Development,
Commission on Human Rights, Commission on the Status of Women,
Commission on Narcotic Drugs;

    -- five regional commissions: Economic Commission for Africa
(headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok, Thailand), Economic
Commission for Europe (Geneva, Switzerland), Economic Commission
for Latin America and the Caribbean (Santiago, Chile) and Economic
and Social Commission for Western Asia (Baghdad, Iraq);

    -- six standing committees: Committee for Programme and Co-
ordination; Committee on Natural Resources, Committee on Non-
Governmental Organizations and on Negotiations with
Intergovernmental Agencies; Commission on Transnational
Corporations, Commission on Human Settlements;

    -- a number of standing expert bodies on such subjects as crime
prevention and control, development planning, international co-
operation in tax matters, and transport of dangerous goods.

    Relations with non-governmental organizations. Under the
Charter, the Economic and Social Council may consult with non-
governmental organizations which are concerned with matters within
the Council's competence. The Council recognizes that these
organizations should have the opportunity to express their views
and that they often possess special experience or technical
knowledge of value to the Council in its work.

    Over 600 non-governmental organizations have consultative
status with the Council. They are classified into three categories:
category I organizations are those concerned with most of the
Council's activities; category II organizations have special
competence in special fields of activity of the Council; and
organizations on the Roster are those that can make an occasional
contribution to the Council, its subsidiary organs or other United
Nations bodies.

    Non-governmental organizations which have been given
consultative status may send observers to public meetings of the
Council and its subsidiary bodies and may submit written statements
relevant to the Council's work. They may also consult with the
United Nations Secretariat on matters of mutual concern.


    TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL. In setting up an International Trusteeship
System, the Charter established the Trusteeship Council as one of
the main organs or the United Nations and assigned to it the task
of supervising the administration of the United Nations and
assigned to it the task of supervising the administration of Trust
Territories placed under the Trusteeship System. Major goals of the
System are to promote the advancement of the inhabitants of Trust
Territories and their progressive development towards self-
government or independence.

    The aims of the Trusteeship System have been fulfilled to such
an extent that only one of the original 11 Trusteeships remains--
the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (administered by the
United States). The others, mostly in Africa and the Pacific, have
attained independence, either as separate States or by joining
neighbouring independent countries.

    The Trusteeship Council acts under the authority of the General
Assembly or, in the case or a "strategic area", under the authority
of the Security Council. Under the Charter, its total number of
members is to be equally divided between those members which
administer Trust Territories and those which do not, a parity which
is not currently maintained. As the number of administering
countries has decreased, so has the size of the Council, there are
now only five members: the United States (administering State) and
the other permanent members of the Security Council (China, France,
the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom). Being a strategic area,
the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands falls within the
responsibility of the Security Council.

    Voting in the Trusteeship Council is by simple majority; each
member has one vote.

    The Council meets in annual sessions, usually in mid-year. It
also holds special sessions when required.

    Functions and powers. The Trusteeship Council is authorized to
examine and discuss reports from the Administering Authority on the
political, economic, social and educational advancement of the
peoples of the Trust Territories and, in consultation with the
Administering Authority, to examine petitions from and undertake
periodic and other special missions to Trust Territories.


    INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE. The International Court of
Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Its
Statute is an integral part of the United Nations Charter.

    The Court is open to the parties to its Statute, which
automatically includes all Members of the United Nations. A State
which is not a Member of the United Nations may become a party to
the Statute on the conditions determined in each case by the
General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

    All countries which are parties to the Statute of the Court can
be parties to cases before it. Other States can refer cases to it
under conditions laid down by the Security Council. In addition,
the Security Council may recommend that a legal dispute be referred
to the Court.

    Both the General Assembly and the Security Council can ask the
Court for an advisory opinion on any legal question; other organs
of the United Nations and the specialized agencies, when authorized
by the General Assembly, can ask for advisory opinions on legal
questions within the scope of their activities.

    Jurisdiction. The jurisdiction of the Court covers all
questions which States refer to it, and all matters provided for
in the United Nations Charter or in treaties or conventions in
force. States may bind themselves in advance to accept the
jurisdiction of the Court in special cases, either by signing a
treaty or convention which provides for referral to the Court or
by making special declaration to that effect. Such declarations
accepting compulsory jurisdiction may exclude certain classes of
cases.

    In accordance with Article 38 of its Statute, the Court, in
deciding disputes submitted to it, applies:

    -- international conventions establishing rule recognized by
the contesting States;

    -- international custom as evidence of a general practice
accepted as law;

    -- the general principles of law recognized by nations; and

    -- judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly
qualified publicists of the various nations, as a subsidiary means
for determining the rules of law.

    Membership. The Court consists of 15 Judges elected by the
General Assembly and the Security Council, voting independently.
They are chosen on the basis of their qualifications, not on the
basis of nationality, and care is taken to ensure that the
principal legal systems of the world are represented in the Court.
No two Judges can be nationals of the same State. The Judges serve
for a term of nine years and may be re-elected. They cannot engage
in any other occupation during their term of office.

    The Court normally sits in plenary session, but it may also
form smaller units called chambers if the parties so request.
Judgements given by chambers are considered as rendered by the full
Court.

    The seat of the Court is at The Hague, Netherlands.


    SECRETARIAT. The Secretariat services the other organs of the
United Nations and administers the programmes and policies laid
down by them. At its head is the Secretary-General, who is
appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the
Security Council.

    Secretary-General. The first Secretary-General of the United
Nations was Trygve Lie, of Norway, who served until 1953. Dag
Hammarskjold, or Sweden, served from 1953 until his death in a
plane crash in Africa in 1961. U Thant, of Burma, served until
1971. He was succeeded by Kurt Waldheim, of Austria, who held the
office from 1972 to 1981. The present Secretary-General is Javier
Perez de Cuellar, of Peru, who took office on 1 January 1982.

    As one of his many functions, the Secretary-General may bring
to the attention of the Security Council any matter which, in his
opinion, threatens international peace and security, and may use
his good offices to help in resolving international disputes.

    The Secretariat, an international staff of more than 25,000 men
and women from over 150 countries, carries out the day-to-day work
of the United Nations both at Headquarters in New York and in
offices and centres around the world. These international civil
servants take an oath not to seek or receive instructions from any
Government or outside authority.

    Under Article 100 of the Charter, each Member State undertakes
to respect the exclusively international character of the
responsibilities of the Secretary-General and the staff and not to
seek to influence them in the discharge of their duties.

    The work of the Secretariat is as varied as the list of
problems dealt with by the United Nations. It includes:
administering peace-keeping operations; organizing international
conferences on problems of world-wide concern; surveying world
economic and social trends and problems; preparing studies on such
subjects as human rights, disarmament and development; and
interpreting speeches, translating documents and supplying the
world's communications media with information about the United
Nations.


Source: "Basic Facts About the United Nations," Department of
        Public Information, United Nations, New York, N.Y., 1987.