About the United Nations
An international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War, the United Nations is committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations amoung nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. The United Nations is made up of six main bodies. The United Nations family, however, is much larger, encompassing 15 agencies and several programmes and bodies all of which are committed to working toward the mission and goals of the United Nations including toward the Millennium Development Goals.
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General Assembly - the main deliberative or legislative body of the United Nations with each member state (192) having one vote.
Security Council - the body made up of 15 nation members charged with maintaining international peace and security. The five permanent members have veto power over any resolution - U.S., China, France, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom.
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) - the body made up of 54 nation representatives coordinating the economic and social work of the United Nations. Most of the specialized agencies and relatied institutions report to the Economic and Social Council.
Secretariat - the administrative section of the United Nations headed by the Secretary-General, currently Ban Ki-moon from South Korea.
International Court of Justice (ICJ or World Court) – court used to try disputes between nations.
Trusteeship Council - no longer meeting. All trustee countries are now independent nations and full members of the United Nations.
International Criminal Court (ICC)- an independent court used to try individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. This court was created through the General Assembly treaty process but is not a part of the UN system.
UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the most broadly supported, comprehensive and specific development goals the world has ever agreed upon. These eight time-bound goals provide concrete, numerical benchmarks for tackling extreme poverty in its many dimensions.
