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| Sunday, 3 October 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The structure of the UN General Assembly - Comprises all members of the UN with each having one vote. Except for matters to be decided by the Security Council, it can decide and take action regarding other international affairs. Security Council - Comprises 15 members. The USA, UK, China, France and Russia are permanent members enjoying veto powers. The other 10 members are selected by the General Assembly for two years. At least nine votes are required to decide on controversial issues while special issues require all five permanent members' 'yes' vote. International Court of Justice - Comprises 15 judges selected by the General Assembly and Security Council to represent all areas of the world, for a nine-year term. It is based in the Netherlands. Secretariat - The tasks of the Secretariat are described in Section 15 of the UN Charter. Comprises the Secretary General and other personnel assisting him/her. The main office is in New York with other offices being located in Geneva, Bangkok, the Hague, Montreal and Santiago.
United Nations Keeping the peace The United Nations (UN) was in the news the last few weeks due to the 59th sessions of its General Assembly being held at its Headquarters in New York, USA. The Headquarters building, where these meetings took place, rises prominently from the bank of the East River. The 39-storey landmark represents over 190 nations of the world. The UN Headquarters site is officially international territory, not part of the United States; the land belongs to all UN member countries.
Under special agreement with the US, certain diplomatic privileges and immunities have been granted, but the laws of New York City, New York State, and the US generally apply. Most countries are now members of the United Nations. It was founded on October 24, 1945 in San Francisco, USA, following the Dumbarton Oaks Conference in Washington DC, but the first General Assembly, with 51 nations represented, was held in January 1946 in London. Membership is open to all "peace-loving states" that accept the obligations of the UN Charter and, in the judgment of the organization, are able and willing to fulfil these obligations. The General Assembly determines admission upon the recommendation of the Security Council. Background and history The idea for the formation of the United Nations was elaborated in declarations signed at the wartime Allied conferences in Moscow and Tehran in 1943. US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt suggested the name "United Nations" which was officially used for the first time on January 1, 1942 with the Declaration by the United Nations. During World War II, the Allies (UK, USA etc.) used the term "United Nations" to refer to their alliance. From August to October 1944, representatives of France, China, the UK, the USA, and the then USSR met to elaborate the plans at the Dumbarton Oaks Estate in Washington DC. Those and later talks produced proposals outlining the purposes of the organization, its membership and organs, as well as arrangements to maintain international peace and security and international economic and social cooperation. These proposals were discussed and debated by governments and private citizens worldwide. On April 25, 1945, the United Nations Conference on International Organizations began in San Francisco. In addition to the governments, a number of non-government organisations, including Lions Clubs were invited to assist in the drafting of the Charter. The 50 nations represented at the conference signed the Charter of the United Nations two months later. Poland, which was not represented at the conference, but for which a place among the original signatories had been reserved, added its name later, bringing the total original signatories to 51. The UN came into existence on October 24, 1945, after the Charter had been ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council - China, France, USSR, United Kingdom, and the United States - and by a majority of the other 46 signatories. Sri Lanka became a UN member on December 11, 1955.
Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan is the present Secretary General of the United Nations. A national of Ghana, he was first appointed to this position in 1997, succeeding Boutros Boutros Ghali of Egypt, and was re-elected in 2002. His motto has been to bring the UN closer to the people. The Secretary General is appointed by the General Assembly in consultation with the Security Council. His main task is to focus the attention of the Security Council on all issues to do with international peace and security. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
In December 1945, two months after the UN was formed, the US Senate and
the House of Representatives, by unanimous votes, requested that the UN
make its headquarters in the US. The offer was accepted and the UN
headquarters building was constructed in New York City in 1949-1950 beside
the East River on land purchased with an US$ 8.5 million donation from
John D. Rockefeller Jr, a rich US citizen. The headquarters officially
opened on January 9, 1951.
