🌐 Chapter 08 · Topic 01 · International Organisations

United Nations System

6 principal organs, UN specialised agencies, Secretary-General, UN Day, and India’s role in the UN.

🌐 United Nations — Overview

Founded: 24 October 1945 (UN Day); HQ: New York, USA
Members: 193 (South Sudan is the newest member, 2011)
UN Charter signed: 26 June 1945 in San Francisco
Replaced the League of Nations (1920–1946)
Current Secretary-General: António Guterres (Portugal; since 2017; re-elected 2022)
Official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish (6 languages)
UN motto: “It’s Your World”

🏛️ Six Principal Organs of the UN

Organ	Location	Key Function
General Assembly (UNGA)	New York	Main deliberative body; all 193 members; each has one vote; meets annually in September
Security Council (UNSC)	New York	Primary responsibility for international peace and security; 5 permanent + 10 non-permanent members
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)	New York	Coordinates economic, social, and related work of UN; 54 members
Trusteeship Council	New York	Supervised trust territories; suspended operations in 1994 (all territories became independent)
International Court of Justice (ICJ)	The Hague, Netherlands	Principal judicial organ; settles disputes between states; 15 judges; 9-year terms
Secretariat	New York	Administrative organ; headed by Secretary-General; carries out day-to-day work

🔒 UN Security Council

5 Permanent Members (P5): USA, UK, France, Russia, China — have veto power
10 Non-Permanent Members: elected by UNGA for 2-year terms; 5 elected each year
Decisions on substantive matters require 9 affirmative votes including all P5 (no veto)
India has been a non-permanent member 8 times (most recently 2021–22)
India is seeking a permanent seat in an expanded Security Council

🌍 UN Specialised Agencies — Key HQs

Agency	Full Name	HQ	Founded
WHO	World Health Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	1948
UNESCO	UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization	Paris, France	1945
FAO	Food and Agriculture Organization	Rome, Italy	1945
ILO	International Labour Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	1919
UNICEF	UN Children’s Fund	New York, USA	1946
UNHCR	UN High Commissioner for Refugees	Geneva, Switzerland	1950
UNDP	UN Development Programme	New York, USA	1965
UNEP	UN Environment Programme	Nairobi, Kenya	1972
WFP	World Food Programme	Rome, Italy	1961
IAEA	International Atomic Energy Agency	Vienna, Austria	1957
IMO	International Maritime Organization	London, UK	1948
ICAO	International Civil Aviation Organization	Montreal, Canada	1944
ITU	International Telecommunication Union	Geneva, Switzerland	1865
WMO	World Meteorological Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	1950
WIPO	World Intellectual Property Organization	Geneva, Switzerland	1967

⭐ India and the UN: India is a founding member of the United Nations (1945). India has contributed significantly to UN peacekeeping operations — it is one of the largest contributors of troops to UN peacekeeping missions. India has been a non-permanent member of the Security Council 8 times. India is actively campaigning for a permanent seat in an expanded Security Council as part of the G4 group (India, Germany, Japan, Brazil). India hosted the G20 Summit in 2023 and has been a strong voice for the Global South in the UN.

✅ Revision Checklist

✅ UN = founded 24 October 1945 = HQ New York = 193 members
✅ UN Charter signed = 26 June 1945 = San Francisco
✅ Secretary-General = António Guterres (Portugal) = since 2017
✅ 6 principal organs = UNGA + UNSC + ECOSOC + Trusteeship Council + ICJ + Secretariat
✅ Security Council P5 = USA + UK + France + Russia + China = veto power
✅ ICJ = The Hague, Netherlands = 15 judges = 9-year terms
✅ WHO = Geneva (1948); UNESCO = Paris (1945); FAO = Rome (1945)
✅ ILO = Geneva (1919) = oldest UN agency; UNICEF = New York (1946)
✅ UNEP = Nairobi, Kenya (1972) = only major UN agency in developing country
✅ IAEA = Vienna (1957); IMO = London (1948); ICAO = Montreal (1944)
✅ ITU = Geneva (1865) = oldest international organisation