You hear about the United Nations （UN) constantly in the news, although you might not alwa

You hear about the United Nations (UN) constantly in the news, although you might not always realize it. For example:

"Peacekeeping" operations are sponsored by the United Nations. Currently, the UN has peacekeeping forces in more than a dozen different countries including Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Cyprus and Lebanon.

There have been UN weapons inspectors in and out of Iraq for a dozen years. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a UN agency that inspects the nuclear programs of nations to ensure that nuclear materials are not being diverted for military use.

The Security Council is a UN organization that makes some of the most important international decisions on the planet.

The Earth Summit and the Kyoto Protocol were UN sponsored efforts--the largest international environmental efforts ever.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a UN document ratified by the members of the General Assembly.

The World Court or International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, acts as the judicial portion of the United Nations and hears cases and international disputes from around the world.

The World Health Organization is a UN program.

UNICEF is a UN program. Originally, UNICEF helped children affected by WWII.

Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the UN, is often in the news.

The UN has this remarkable influence because nearly every nation on the planet is a member.

In this article, you will learn the basics of the United Nations so you can grasp the scope and reach of its operations. The next time you hear about the UN on the news, you will have a much better understanding of this international organization.

What is the UN？

The United Nations was born on October 24, 1945, shortly after World War Ⅱ (which officially ended on August 15, 1945 ). Its primary goals focus on world peace and the international desire to prevent another world war.

The UN has 191 member nations--nearly every nation on the planet. All of them have signed on to the UN Charter, which was originally written in 1945 by the representatives of 50 different countries.

Organization

The UN Charter sets up an organization that includes six "organs." Two of these--the General Assembly and the Security Council--are in the news quite a bit. The others are less visible.

The General Assembly

In the General Assembly, every member nation gets one vote. Any " important question" for the general assembly requires a two-thirds majority for approval. The usual Important questions include:

Recommendations on peace and security

Election of members to organs

Admission, suspension, and expulsion of members

Budgetary matters

All other matters are decided with a simple majority. Many of the proceedings of the General Assembly, are embodied in resolutions.

The Security Council

The goal of the Security Council, according to the UN Charter, is to focus on peace and security: "[UN] Members confer on the Security Council primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and agree that in carrying out its duties under this responsibility the Security Council acts on their behalf... The Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decision

A．Y

B．N

C．NG