United Nations (UN)

Nations Unies (ONU)
Naciones Unidas (ONU)

Founded

1945-06-26 San Francisco CA USA

History

Aims

The aims are contained in the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations, which reads as follows:

"We the peoples of the United Nations determined

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and

to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and

to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and

to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

and for these ends

to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and

to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and

to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and

to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims.

Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations".

The four principal 'Purposes' of the United Nations are:

To maintain international peace and security;

To develop friendly relations among nations;

To cooperate internationally in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;

To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these common ends.

The United Nations acts in accordance with the following 'Principles':

It is based on the sovereign equality of all its members.

All members are to fulfil in good faith their Charter obligations.

They are to settle their international disputes by peaceful means without endangering peace, security and justice.

They are to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against any other state.

They are to give the United Nations every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the Charter, and shall not assist states against which the United Nations is taking preventive or enforcement action.

The United Nations shall ensure that states which are not members act in accordance with these principles in so far as it is necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Nothing in the Charter authorizes the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state.

Events

Activities

Structure

Languages

Staff

Finance

Relations with Inter-Governmental Organizations

Separate, autonomous intergovernmental agencies are related to the United Nations by special agreements. They work with the United Nations and each other through the coordinating machinery of the ECOSOC.

Observers to UN General Assembly as of Jan 2020:

• F-XF0671 - Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS);
• F-XF0018 - African Development Bank (ADB);
• D-XD8572 - African Union (AU);
• D-XD0031 - Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean;
• F-XD0055 - Andean Community;
• F-AA1013 - ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO);
• C-XC0069 - Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO);
• F-XF0077 - Asian Development Bank (ADB);
• F-XJ9944 - Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB);
• D-XD4036 - Association of Caribbean States (ACS);
• D-XD0165 - ASEAN;
• F-XF2514 - Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC);
• D-XD4579 - Caribbean Community (CARICOM);
• F-XF0230 - Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI);
• F-XF2858 - Central American Integration System;
• F-XF5087 - Central European Initiative (CEI);
• E-XJ9199 - Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO);
• F-XF9551 - Common Fund for Commodities (CFC);
• F-XF2417 - Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS);
• C-XC0376 - Commonwealth Secretariat;
• D-XD5661 - Comunidade dos Paises de Lingua Portuguesa (CPLP);
• D-XD7706 - Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD);
• F-AA1014 - Conferencia de Ministros de Justicia de los Países Iberoamericanos (COMJIB);
• F-XJ0398 - Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA);
• D-XD9187 - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC);
• D-XD0435 - Council of Europe (CE);
• Customs Cooperation Council;
• D-XF6094 - D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8);
• F-XD6196 - East African Community (EAC);
• D-XD4308 - Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS);
• F-XD3462 - Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS);
• D-XD3153 - Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO);
• E-XE2744 - Energy Charter Conference;
• F-XM3837 - Eurasian Development Bank (EDB);
• Eurasian Economic Community;
• F-XM1039 - Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG);
• F-XD0820 - European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN);
• E-XJ1767 - European Public Law Organization (EPLO);
• F-XF2147 - European Union (EU);
• F-XF3240 - Fondo para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indigenas de América Latina y el Caribe (FILAC);
• F-XF6560 - Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund);
• C-XM3877 - Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI);
• Group of Seven Plus;
• F-XE1006 - The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH);
• Holy See;
• Ibero-American Conference - E-XM2387 - Ibero-American General Secretariat;
• D-XD6438 - Commission de l'Océan Indien (COI);
• D-XD7435 - Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA);
• F-XF1069 - Inter-American Development Bank (IDB);
• F-XF4199 - Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD);
• E-XJ2625 - International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA);
• E-XE3768 - International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD);
• C-XC1506 - International Civil Defence Organization (ICDO);
• E-XM0819 - International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR);
• C-XC1732 - International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES);
• F-XF4580 - International Criminal Court (ICC);
• B-XB1775 - International Criminal Police Organization - INTERPOL (ICPO-INTERPOL);
• E-XD0003 - International Development Law Organization (IDLO);
• F-XF4413 - International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS);
• E-XE1668 - International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC);
• B-XB2115 - International Hydrographic Organization (IHO);
• E-XE2404 - International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA);
• B-XB2136 - International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT);
• F-XF4527 - International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR);
• B-XB1112 - International Organization for Migration (IOM);
• E-XE3879 - Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF);
• B-XJ4129 - International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA);
• F-XF2563 - International Seabed Authority (ISA);
• F-AA1015 - International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries (ITTLLDC);
• F-XF2625 - International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS);
• D-XD6023 - Ibero-American Youth Organization;
• F-XF4542 - Islamic Development Bank (IsDB);
• E-XE2837 - Italian-Latin American Institute (ILAI):
• F-XF4530 - Sistema Económico Latinoamericano (SELA);
• D-XD2879 - Latin American Integration Association (LAIA);
• F-XF2885 - Parlamento Latinoamericano (PARLATINO);
• D-XD2903 - League of Arab States (LAS);
• E-AA1016 - New Development Bank (NDB);
• F-XF6504 - OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID);
• D-XF4346 - Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS);
• E-XE4613 - Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM);
• C-XC3023 - OECD;
• F-XF0947 - Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE);
• D-XD3030 - OAS;
• C-XC4129 - Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC);
• D-XD3260 - Pacific Community (SPC);
• F-AA1017 - Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF);
• F-XE5377 - Pacific Islands Forum;
• Pan African Intergovernmental Agency for Water and Sanitation for Africa;
• F-XJ3776 - Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM);
• F-XF3019 - Partners in Population and Development (PPD);
• F-XF3107 - Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA);
• E-XM2250 - Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States (RECSA);
• E-XE4275 - Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO);
• D-XD5720 - South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC):
• E-XE1177 - South Centre;
• F-XF2522 - Southern African Development Community (SADC);
• Sovereign Military Order of Malta;
• State of Palestine;
• F-XF4533 - Union for the Mediterranean (UfM);
• H-XJ4435 - Union of South American Nations;
• F-XF8239 - University for Peace (UPEACE);
• F-XF3713 - Union économique et monétaire Ouest africaine (UEMOA).

Relations with Non-Governmental Organizations

Since 1945, NGOs have had a special relationship with the United Nations, one that has become increasingly complex and diversified. Almost every department of the United Nations and its specialized agencies has liaison offices or services for NGOs; and resolutions and legislative mandates of UN bodies call for consultative, operational, programmes and informational relationships with NGOs. A review of operations carried out by UN organizations with NGOs, Apr 1988, produced a number of directions and guidelines. More than 3,000 national and international organizations are formally related to the United Nations either through consultative status with ECOSOC or association with the Department of Global Communciations. E-XE0409 - Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO) and E-XE4757 - Global NGO Executive Committee (GNEC) channel information and represent the interests of these organizations. Many other NGOs cooperate with United Nations agencies, substantive departments and offices through United Nations Information Centres worldwide. 'Interdepartmental Working Group on Relations between Non-Governmental Organizations and the United Nations' reviews and makes recommendations to the Secretary-General, monitors compliance and deals on an ad hoc basis with policies and procedures governing the NGO relationship. (See also separate ECOSOC entry). Observers to the General Assembly as of Jan 2020: B-XB1490 - International Chamber of Commerce (ICC); F-XF1623 - International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); B-XB2907 - International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; B-XA2303 - International Olympic Committee (IOC); A-XA2654 - International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN); B-XB2832 - Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Publications

Members

Type I Classification

Type II Classification

Subjects ^*

• Nation State → Intergovernmental Communities
• International Relations → United Nations
• Development → Progress
• Peace → Justice
• Peace → Rights
• Equanimity → Equanimity

UN Sustainable Development Goals ^**

UIA Org ID

XA3375