The Structure of the United Nations - Essay Example

United Nations Overview United Nations is a well-organized organization, which operates in many countries of the world. Due to the fame and popularity of the organization, I had thoughts about its organization, operation, membership objectives, and roles. After carrying out research about the UN, I came to realize that my thoughts were true. UN is an organization regarded as an intergovernmental organization. It was created in 1945 with an aim of promoting international co-operations. It was organized during the Second World War with an aim of preventing world conflict from taking place.

The organization’s headquarter is located in Manhattan, New York with main offices in Nairobi, Geneva, and Vienna. Member states voluntarily provide financial support by donating to the organization to keep the operation of the organization moving. The objectives of the UN include the provision of humanitarian aid to victims of natural disasters, famine, and armed conflict. UN also plays the roles of protecting the environment, promoting human rights, maintaining peace and order, and fostering economic and social developments in the member countries (Meisler 12).

Structure The structure of the United Nations is based on five different organs which include the Security Council, the General Assembly, The Secretariat, the Economic and Social Council, and the International Court of Justice. One of the organs (the Trusteeship council) was suspended in 1994. A part of the International Court of Justice is located at Hague's other four organs are located at the headquarters in New York. Other agencies of the organization are located in Nairobi, Vienna, and Geneva. The five organs play different roles in making sure that the UN fulfills and achieves its missions and objective.

The Secretariat is chaired by the Secretary-General who is elected to serve for a period of five years. The Secretariat provides support to other bodies administratively. The International Court of Justice is the organ responsible for solving disputes between states, issuing legal opinions, and rendering judgments. The General Assembly decides the enlistment and admission of new members and resolves non-compulsory recommendations in different countries. The Security Council is responsible for ensuring safety by maintaining world security and peace.

The economic and social council creates cooperation bonds between different countries with respect to social and economic issues (Conforti 34). MembershipThe organization was established in 1945, and since then the membership has expanded. On formation, 77 countries joined and stipulate the policies. The organization started with only 77 members. In 2013, the organization had 133 members. The first meeting involving the 77 members took place in 1967 in Algiers and established the organization’s permanent structure (Behrmann and Cede 56)Objectives United Nations plays different roles.

Almost all the activities carried out by the UN focus on humanitarian affairs. The organization carries out peacekeeping and security operations to ensure the safety of innocent civilians. In peacekeeping operations, the UN seeks to ensure that international humanitarian laws are observed. Another objective is to ensure that human rights are respected and individuals are not mistreated by political leaders or those in power. UN also provides aid to people experiencing economical difficulties (Meisler 33).