UPDATES
.

 United Nations (UN) – Origin, Objectives, Structure | UPSC Notes

  • Home
  •  United Nations (UN) – Origin, Objectives, Structure | UPSC Notes
Shape Image One

United Nations

  • The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. Currently made up of 193 Member States, the UN and its work are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.
  • The United Nations headquarters is located in New York City, with several other offices located in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna, and The Hague.

Historical Background & Timeline

  • The idea of a global body was discussed during World War II.
  • The Inter-Allied Declaration: The Declaration of St. James’s Palace was a first step towards the establishment of the United Nations.
  • Atlantic Charter (1941): Signed by Roosevelt and Churchill, laying a set of principles for international collaboration in maintaining peace and security.
  • Declaration by United Nations (1942): On 1 January 1942, representatives of 26 Allied nations fighting against the Axis Powers met in Washington, D.C. to pledge their support for the Atlantic Charter by signing the “Declaration by United Nations”.
    • This document contained the first official use of the term “United Nations”, which was suggested by President Roosevelt.
  • Moscow & Teheran Conferences
    • 30 October 1943: In a declaration signed in Moscow, the Governments of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and China called for an early establishment of an international organization to maintain peace and security.
    • 1 December 1943: That goal was reaffirmed at the meeting of the leaders of the United States, the USSR, and the United Kingdom in Teheran.
  • Dumbarton Oaks Conference (1944): Drafted the basic structure of the UN.
    • The first blueprint of the UN was prepared at a conference held at a mansion known as Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.
    • During two phases of meetings which ran from 21 September through 7 October 1944, the United States, the United Kingdom, the USSR and China agreed on the aims, structure and functioning of a world organization.
  • Yalta Conference
    • On 11 February 1945, following meetings at Yalta, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Premier Joseph Stalin declared their resolve to establish: “a general international organization to maintain peace and security”.
  • San Francisco Conference (1945): Adopted the UN Charter on 26 June 1945.
    • On 25 April 1945, delegates of 50 nations met in San Francisco for the United Nations Conference on International Organization.
  • Came into force on 24 October 1945 (UN Day).
    • The United Nations is Created, its Charter Ratified
    • The United Nations is created as its Charter is ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council and the majority of other signatories, and comes into force.

Objectives of the UN

  • Maintain international peace and security.
  • Promote friendly relations among nations.
  • Achieve international cooperation in solving global problems (economic, social, cultural, humanitarian).
  • Promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
  • Act as a centre for harmonizing actions of nations.

As per the UN Charter the Purposes of the United Nations are:

  • To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;
  • To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;
  • To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; and
  • To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.

Official Languages

There are six official languages of the UN: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Funding

  • The UN is financed from assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states. 
  • The General Assembly approves the regular budget and determines the assessment for each member. 
    • This is broadly based on the relative capacity of each nation to pay, as measured by its gross national income (or GNI), with adjustments for external debt and low per capita income

Member States

  • The UN’s Membership has grown from the original 51 Member States in 1945 to the current 193 Member States.
  • All UN Member States are members of the General Assembly.  States are admitted to membership by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

UN Membership

  • Membership in the Organization, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, “is open to all peace-loving States that accept the obligations contained in the United Nations Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able to carry out these obligations”. 
  • States are admitted to membership in the United Nations by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

Permanent Observer

  • Non-Member States of the United Nations, which are members of one or more specialized agencies, can apply for the status of Permanent Observer. 
  • The status of a Permanent Observer is based purely on practice, and there are no provisions for it in the United Nations Charter. 
  • The practice dates from 1946, when the Secretary-General accepted the designation of the Swiss Government as a Permanent Observer to the United Nations. 
  • Permanent Observers have free access to most meetings and relevant documentation.
  • Many regional and international organizations are also observers in the work and annual sessions of the General Assembly.

The United Nations General Assembly has granted observer status to international organizations, entities, and non-member states, to enable them to participate in the work of the United Nations General Assembly, though with limitations. 

  • The General Assembly determines the privileges it will grant to each observer
  • Observer status may be granted by a United Nations General Assembly resolution.

Current non-member observers

  • Holy See
  • Palestine

The Secretary-General

  • The Secretary-General is Chief Administrative Officer of the UN – and is also a symbol of the Organization’s ideals and an advocate for all the world’s peoples, especially the poor and vulnerable.
  • The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a 5-year, renewable term.

Principal Organs

  • The main bodies of the UN are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat.
  • All were established under the UN Charter when the Organization was founded in 1945.

General Assembly (GA)

  • Comprises all 193 member states, making it the only UN body with universal representation
  • It is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN. 
  •  Each year, in September, the full UN membership meets in the General Assembly Hall in New York for the annual General Assembly session, and general debate, which many heads of state attend and address.
  •  Decisions on important questions, such as those on peace and security, admission of new members and budgetary matters, require a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly. Decisions on other questions are by simple majority. 
  • The General Assembly, each year, elects a GA President to serve a one-year term of office.
  • Each country has one vote.

Security Council (UNSC)

  • The Security Council has primary responsibility, under the UN Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security.
  • 15 members: 5 permanent (US, UK, Russia, China, France) with veto power + 10 non-permanent elected for 2 years.
  • Each Member has one vote.
  • Responsible for peace and security.
  • Can impose sanctions, authorize use of force, or establish peacekeeping operations.
  • Under the Charter, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions.
  • The Security Council has a Presidency, which rotates, and changes, every month.

Do you Know?

The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.

India has been a non permanent member of the UN Security Council for eight terms (a total of 16 years), with the most recent being the 2021–22 term.

  • India Member- in 1950 – 51, 1967 – 68, 1972 – 73, 1977 – 78, 1984 – 85, 1991 – 92, 2011 – 2012 and 2021-22

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

  • The Economic and Social Council is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as implementation of internationally agreed development goals. 
  • It serves as the central mechanism for activities of the UN system and its specialized agencies in the economic, social and environmental fields, supervising subsidiary and expert bodies. 
  • It is the United Nations’ central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development.
  • It has 54 Members, elected by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms.

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

  • The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. 
  • Its seat is at the Peace Palace in the Hague (Netherlands). It is the only one of the six principal organs of the United Nations not located in New York (United States of America). 
  • The Court’s role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies. 
  • The International Court of Justice functions in accordance with its Statute.

Trusteeship Council

  • Established to supervise trust territories until self-government.
  • The Trusteeship Council was established in 1945 by the UN Charter to provide international supervision for 11 Trust Territories that had been placed under the administration of seven Member States, and ensure that adequate steps were taken to prepare the Territories for self-government and independence. 
  • By 1994, all Trust Territories had attained self-government or independence.  The Trusteeship Council suspended operation on 1 November 1994. 
    • Now inactive since Palau gained independence in 1994.
  • By a resolution adopted on 25 May 1994, the Council amended its rules of procedure to drop the obligation to meet annually and agreed to meet as 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.

Secretariat

  • The United Nations Secretariat carries out the day-to-day work of the UN as mandated by the General Assembly and the Organization’s other main organs.
  • The Secretariat is organized along departmental lines, with each department or office having a distinct area of action and responsibility. 
  • Much of the UN Secretariat is located in New York City, USA. 
  • The Secretary-General is Chief Administrative Officer of the Organization, appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a five-year, renewable term.

FAQs 

Q1. What is the United Nations and when was it established?

The United Nations is an international organization founded on 24 October 1945, after World War II, to maintain peace, security, and international cooperation.

Q2. How many member states are part of the UN?

As of now, the United Nations has 193 member states.

Q3. What are the main objectives of the United Nations?

The UN aims to maintain global peace and security, promote human rights, foster social and economic development, and uphold international law and humanitarian efforts.

Q4. What are the six principal organs of the UN?

  1. General Assembly
  2. Security Council
  3. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
  4. International Court of Justice (ICJ)
  5. Trusteeship Council (now inactive)
  6. Secretariat

✍️ Curated by InclusiveIAS Editorial Team

At InclusiveIAS, our editorial team is led by experts who have successfully cleared multiple stages of the UPSC Civil Services Examination, including Mains and Interview. With deep insights into the demands of the exam, we focus on crafting content that is accurate, exam-relevant, and easy to grasp.

Whether it’s Polity, Current Affairs, GS papers, or Optional subjects, our notes are designed to:

  • Break down complex topics into simple, structured points

  • Align strictly with the UPSC syllabus and PYQ trends

  • Save your time by offering crisp yet comprehensive coverage

  • Help you score more with smart presentation, keywords, and examples

🟢 Every article, note, and test is not just written—but carefully edited to ensure it helps you study faster, revise better, and write answers like a topper.

Telegram Channel Links

InclusiveIAS

Answer Writing Group

Essay Writing Group

UPSC PRELIMS NOTES

Polity

International Relations

Environment

Economy

Science and Technology

Geography

History and Culture

Mapping

UPSC MAINS NOTES

General Studies - 4 (Ethics)

General Studies - 3

General Studies - 2

General Studies - 1