The United Nations is a complicated institution, here’s our introduction to its structure. Keep your short-term memory sharp, since the UN speaks the language of acronyms, and you’ll likely come accross many that you had never seen, but hopefully some of these will be familiar to you. Any questions? Then, let’s go.
earth in brackets and the united nations: A visual introduction bodies that earth in brackets has engaged with
General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly contains all the member states of the UN, and they have equal representation. Currently there are 193 members, whereas there were originally 51. Resolutions are discussed and voted on, although these are only binding to states if they are budgetary. There are also observer states (currently, the Holy See and Palestine) which are able to participate but not vote.
International Court of Justice Economic & Social Council The Economic and Social Council is the primary body responsible for coordinating all the economic, social and related work of the of the United Nations. The council has 54 members, each serving for 3-year terms. Voting is by simple majority.
It is the principal judicial organ of the UN. It is largely a responsive agency, settling legal disputes between states and offering advisory openings to the UN and its agencies upon request.
The day-to-day activities of ECOSOC are carried out by eight functional commissions, five regional commissions, three standing committies, a number of expert bodies, and a number of forums.
The judges can serve for nine year terms and can be re-elected. Care is taken to ensure all the principal legal systems of the world are represented. No two judges may be from the same country. Though similar in name and location, the International Criminal Court is a separate entity within the UN and is focused on prosecuting cases of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
located in The Hague, Netherlands
Regional COmmissions
Trusteeship Council (inactive)
ECOSOC also coordinates its activities with the UN programmes and specialized agencies, each of which report to the council.
This council is unique in that the UN Charter allows the Council to consult with non-governmental organizations regarding “matters within its competence.” As a result, ECOSOC has a very active civil society, with roughly 3,000 NGOs granted consultative status.
Secretariat
As international civil servants staff members report only to the UN as a whole and take an oath not to seek or receive instructions from any government.
The Security Council has final authority on issues related to international peace and security, as outlined in the UN Charter. It consists of 15 members, 5 of which are permanent – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The remaining members are elected for 2-year terms by the General assembly.
The United Nations Secretariat is comprised roughly 16,000 core international staff working in duty stations around the world. These civil servants carry out the day-to-day work of the UN system, administering a wide variety of programmes and policies. Each member on the Security Council has one vote, but veto power is reserved for the 5 permanent members. A decision taken by the Council requires at least 9 affirmative votes to pass. The Security Council is one of the few institutions within the UN to wield ‘hard-power’.
The Secretariat is lead by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The work undertaken by the Secretariat ranges from the administration of peacekeeping operations, to producing studies on social and economic trends, to helping NGO’s book meeting space at international negotiations.
Human Rights Council
Security Council
The United Nations Secretariat is comprised roughly 16,000 core international staff working in duty stations around the world. These civil servants carry out the day-to-day work of the UN system, administering a wide variety of programmes and policies.
headquarters in New York , United States
Under article 25 of the Charter, all members of the United Nations are bound to accept and implement any decisions made by the Security Council. It most commonly uses sanctions as an instrument to enforce decisions. The Security Council is also responsible for recommending the admission of new members to the United Nations.
Latin America & Caribbean
programmes
Subsidiaries of the general assembly: report to the General Assembly and/or ECOSOC. The decisions they take do not become effective until they have been adopted by the General Assembly. They are established by the General Assembly. They are mostly financed through voluntary contributions as well as UN budget funds for staff posts.
world food program
Asia Pacific
western asia
Specialized agencies
world health orgnization International fund for agricultural development The IMF and World Bank are technically UN specialised agencies. However they differ in that they are Bretton Woods institutions. They were created in 1944, before the UN, in preparation for rebuilding the global economic system following WW2. They now use the US dollar as a reserve currency. The IMF oversees the international monetary system, and the World Bank finances economic development.The IMF’s funding comes from its members: their contributions determine their voting power.
earth in brackets 2013
population & development
& others
It is only informally linked to the UN: it was established to incorporate all GATT (General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade) in 1995. It seeks to supervise and liberalise international trade.
on indigenous issues development program
Sustainable development environment program
& others
Rio conventions
united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization
& others
text by earth in brackets team Special thanks to Lara montesanto ‘15 design by khristian Mendez ‘15 - kmendez@coa.edu
status of women
food & agriculture organization
International Financial Institutions Since it is a bank, the World Bank’s funding also comes from its members: some invest and others borrow. It also uses the global market. It should be noted that regional banks also qualify as international financial institutions.
Development cooperation
social development Intergovernmental, legally independent organizations, with the aim of keeping the technical branches of the UN separate from the political: specific problems can be addressed without entering into larger disagreements. Each was set up to deal with specific issues. The system has been criticized for leading overlap or conflict of work, as coordination is lacking. They are funded by assessed as well as voluntary contributions, but have become underfunded with time, leading some to accept corporate sponsorship. There are 17 agencies in total.
As international civil servants staff members report only to the UN as a whole and take an oath not to seek or receive instructions from any government. The Secretariat is lead by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Forums
Commissions
Europe Africa
Established by the UN Charter in 1945, the Trusteeship Council is the only primary organ of the UN no longer operating. Its purpose was to supervise and assist in the administration of “Trust Territories.” These consisted of former mandates of the League of Nations and territories taken from defeated nations following WWII.
world trade organization
CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Aims to preserve biodiversity, and use it both sustainably and equitably. It looks at ecosystems, species and genetic resources. It led to the creation of the Cartagena Protocol regarding biotechnology and emphasizing the use of the precautionary principle, as well as the creation of the Nagoya Protocol which discusses access and benefit sharing ofgenetic resources.
FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON Climate Change
Aims to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations before they become dangerous. It led to the creation of the Kyoto Protocol, a legally binding document for countries to reduce their emissions. It has 194 parties. biodiversity.
CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION
Aims to combat desertification and mitigate effects of drought. It is focused on Africa and on sustainable land management strategies.
Who we are Earth in Brackets is a student organization engaging in international environmental and sustainable development politics. Since 2006, we have worked to bring a sense of justice—environment and social—to international negotiations on biodiversity, climate change, sustainable development, and food security. We believe another world is not only possible, but necessary, and we want to bring more young people into the fight for and celebration of that world.
ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE...