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The United Nations (UN), an international organization founded in 1945, is headquartered in New York. The UN was created by the victorious Allied powers after the end of World War II. Its objectives are defined by the UN Charter: “To maintain international peace and security and for this purpose to take effective collective measures to prevent and eliminate threats to the peace... To develop friendly relations between nations on the basis of respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples... to ensure cooperation in resolving international problems economic, social, cultural and humanitarian in nature and to promote in every possible way respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.”

There is no evidence to suggest that the fall of the Berlin Wall changed the fundamental values ​​of the UN mandate, but this historical milestone transformed - both internationally and nationally - patterns social organization and social structures, bringing them into line with the dynamics of the international situation. As a result, the contradictions that the UN had previously faced (between the principle of sovereignty and the right of peoples to self-determination, between human rights and democracy) intensified. The statement that the main goals of the UN are peace, progress and democracy presupposes the interdependence of these values, from which the following conclusion follows: peace is a prerequisite, and democracy is the most important condition sustainable development. Half a century after the creation of the UN and the collapse of the bipolar world, globalization is becoming an actual reality, which requires a fundamental revision of the concept of statehood, since sovereignty is now inseparable from global cooperation. Indeed, over the past decade, during the collapse of multi-ethnic states, interethnic conflicts have repeatedly flared up. Preventing them has become much more difficult as they increasingly occur within states rather than between them. It is increasingly difficult for the UN to maintain the proper balance between respect for the sovereignty of states and the right to intervene in their affairs - whether this concerns civil wars or inter-tribal clashes. At the same time, in the process of strengthening global interdependence, the tendency towards democratization and respect for human rights is increasing, as global liberalism makes transparent the inequality of the market potential of partner nations. That is why state sovereignty as a fundamental concept of the ideology of government increasingly correlates with the concept of legality.

Origins, purposes, membership and languages

International organizations created during the 19th century mainly solved individual problems, such as, in particular, the establishment of a postal service, a health care system and means of communication. The real roots of the United Nations are found in the 19th century. in such a diplomatic formation as the “Concert of Europe” - the first attempt to unite states with the aim of achieving political goals primarily through diplomatic rather than military means. The “European Concert” made a significant contribution to the formation of the concept international law, including the rules of warfare, international arbitration and the question of disarmament. But it was only after the First World War that a multi-purpose organization was created with a clear focus on ensuring peace, security and international cooperation- The League of nations.

Despite these lofty ideals, the League of Nations, like previous interstate alliances, was the fruit of European political thought and was primarily oriented towards Europe (and the West in general). It reflected the development perspective of the colonial powers and their allies, largely leaving in the background the interests of the vast lands and impoverished populations of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, most of which were still under colonial oppression.

Ultimately, the League of Nations was unable to prevent the outbreak of World War II and formally ceased to exist in 1946 (see also LEAGUE OF NATIONS). During the war, the major Allied powers—the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, France, and China—took steps toward creating a new international organization based on their platform of opposition to the Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan. Adopted on June 12, 1941, at the height of the war, the Inter-Allied Declaration called for post-war international cooperation. The Atlantic Charter, signed on August 14, 1941 by US President F. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister W. Churchill, was the first sign of the intentions of Great Britain and the United States to create a new international organization immediately after the restoration of peace. The term "united nations" first appeared on January 1, 1942 in the Declaration of the United Nations, signed by 26 representatives of states in Washington, DC. The Moscow and Tehran conferences in October and December 1943 laid the foundation for this new organization, and the conference in Washington at Dumbarton Oaks (21 August - 7 October 1944) was the first meeting specifically organized to discuss its structure. Proposals for the creation of a General International Organization were prepared at Dumbarton Oaks, which were approved by the USA, China, Great Britain and the USSR. At the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the Big Five powers - the United States, Britain, France, the Soviet Union and China - developed a formula for resolving disputes.

The UN was formally established at the Conference on International Organization, held April 25–June 26, 1945 in San Francisco. On June 26, representatives of 50 countries unanimously adopted the Charter of the United Nations. The Charter came into force on October 24, after a majority of representatives of the signatory countries confirmed their authority to ratify this document; Since then, this date has been celebrated annually as United Nations Day. Poland, not represented at the Conference, signed the Charter later and became the 51st member of the original UN.

The creation of the UN, like many other diplomatic endeavors, was a reflection of intersecting and sometimes polar interests. The major powers, when creating the new organization, expected to be able to maintain after World War II the global power that they had established through their military might as victors. However, which began soon cold war“began to set boundaries for the powers of the new organization.

The UN Charter intended to turn the Organization into a “center for coordinating the actions of nations” towards achieving international peace. Its members pledged to support the UN in any action it undertakes and to refrain from using force against other nations except in cases of self-defense.

New members are admitted to the UN on the recommendation of the Security Council, and at least two-thirds of the participants in the General Assembly must vote for their entry into the ranks of the Organization. Most of the 51 states that originally signed the Charter were Western nations. In 1955, the UN admitted 16 new members, including several non-Western states, and in 1960, 17 more African countries. As a result of the processes of gradual decolonization, UN representation became increasingly wider and more diverse. By 1993, the UN included about two dozen new states that emerged as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union and some countries of Eastern Europe, and the number of member states reached 182. Membership in the UN became almost all-inclusive. And only a very small number of countries (among them Switzerland) are not members of the UN.

In the 1970s and 1980s, US officials, including President Ronald Reagan, began to demonstrate disdain for the UN. US membership dues were received with long delays, and the country's position, especially given the growth in the number of non-Western states, was characterized by growing isolation. The United States withdrew from UNESCO, expressing dissatisfaction with the “politicization” of this educational organization UN. However, in 1988, the former US representative to the UN, George W. Bush, was elected American president, who over time restored the country’s status as the main participant in the Organization and paid off part of the debt on contributions.

New involvement in UN affairs allowed the United States in 1990 to reach a consensus among the great powers on a Security Council resolution authorizing military action to restore the statehood of Kuwait occupied by Iraq. On January 16, 1991, a coalition led by the United States took military action against Iraq under the auspices of the UN.

Although business is conducted in six different languages ​​(English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, French), only English and French are the official languages ​​of the UN.

Structure of the United Nations

In accordance with the UN Charter, six main bodies of the new world organization were established: the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Secretariat, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, international Court UN. In addition, the Charter allowed that, with the consent of the General Assembly, other self-governing organizations could be established to act as specialized agencies of the UN; It was this point that enabled the Security Council to create a peacekeeping force.

The United Nations is the center for solving the problems facing all humanity. These activities are carried out jointly by more than 30 associated organizations that make up the United Nations system. Every day, the United Nations and other organizations in its system work to promote human rights, protect the environment, fight disease and reduce poverty.

The United Nations was created on October 24, 1945 by fifty-one countries determined to preserve peace through international cooperation and collective security. Today, 191 countries are members of the United Nations, that is, almost all countries in the world. When states become members of the United Nations, they accept the obligations set out in the Charter of the United Nations, which is an international treaty that sets out the basic principles of international relations.

According to the Charter, the United Nations has four purposes in its activities: to maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among nations, to carry out international cooperation in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights, and to be a center for coordinating the actions of nations in achieving these common goals.

History of the United Nations

The emergence of the UN was due to a number of objective factors in the military-strategic, political, and economic development of human society at the end of the second millennium. The creation of the UN was the embodiment of mankind’s eternal dream of such a structure and organization of international society that would save humanity from an endless series of wars and ensure peaceful conditions the lives of peoples, their progressive progress along the path of socio-economic progress, prosperity and development, free from fear for the future.

The discussion and development of the problem of the universal organization of labor and safety began with the Atlantic Party, signed by US President F.D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Gergel on August 14, 1941, and the Declaration of the USSR Government at the inter-union conference in London on September 24, 1941, in which first, an extremely important task facing peace-loving states was formulated, namely “to determine ways and means for organizing international relations and the post-war structure of the world.”

The first intergovernmental document adopted during the Second World War, which put forward the idea of ​​​​creating a new international security organization, was the Declaration of the Government of the Soviet Union and the Government of the Polish Republic on Friendship and Mutual Assistance, signed in Moscow on December 4, 1941. It indicated that ensuring a lasting and just world could only be achieved by a new organization of international relations, not based on the unification of democratic countries into a lasting union. When creating such an organization, the decisive point should be “respect for international law, supported by the collective armed force of all Union States.”

January 1, 1942 In Washington, the United Nations Declaration was signed by 26 states participating in the anti-Hitler coalition, including the USSR, on joint efforts in the fight against Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and militaristic Japan. Later, the name “united nations” was proposed for the new organization by US President R.D. Roosevelt and was officially used for the UN Charter.

At the proposal of the US government, in August - September 1944, a conference of four powers - the USSR, Great Britain, the USA and China - was held in Dumbarton Oaks, on the outskirts of Washington, at which the agreed text of the final document was signed: “Proposal for the creation of a General International Security Organization.” These proposals served as the basis for the development of the UN Charter.

During the Conference in San Francisco on April 25, 1945. The text of the UN Charter was prepared, which was signed on June 26, 1945. From the date of entry into force of the UN Charter on October 24, 1945, when the last 29th instrument of ratification of the USSR was deposited with the US Government, the beginning of the existence of the UN is officially counted. By decision of the General Assembly adopted in 1947. The day the UN Charter came into force was officially declared “United Nations Day,” which is solemnly celebrated annually in UN member countries.

The UN Charter embodies democratic ideals, which is reflected in particular in the fact that it affirms belief in fundamental human rights, dignity and worth human personality, in the equality of men and women, consolidates the equality of large and small nations. The UN Charter establishes as its main objectives the maintenance of international peace and security, the settlement by peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of justice and international law, of international disputes and situations. He defines that the UN is based on the principle sovereign equality of all its Members, that all Members shall fulfill in good faith the obligations under the Charter so as to secure to them collectively the rights and benefits flowing from membership in the Organization, that all Members shall authorize and refrain from the threat or use of force, and that the UN has rights to intervene in matters essentially within the internal competence of any state. The UN Charter emphasizes the open nature of the Organization, whose members can be all peace-loving states.

How the UN works

The United Nations is not a world government and does not make laws. However, it does provide tools that help resolve international conflicts and develop policies on issues that affect us all. In the United Nations, all member states - large and small, rich and poor, holding different political views and social systems, - have the right to express their opinions and take part in voting as part of this process.

The United Nations has six main organs. Five of them - the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council and the Secretariat - are located at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The sixth body, the International Court of Justice, is located in The Hague, the Netherlands.

UN General Assembly

This is a body in which all UN member states are represented. The General Assembly is endowed with a number of very important functions: the power to consider general principles cooperation in maintaining international peace and security, including the principles defining weapons, as well as discuss a wide range of problems of cooperation between states in the political, economic, social, environmental, scientific, technical and other fields and make recommendations on them.

The General Assembly holds annual regular sessions, which are only interrupted in December of each year and continue until the beginning of the next session. Plenary sessions open on the Tuesday after the second Monday in September. Such special (from 1946 to 2000 there were 24) and emergency special (from 1946 to 1999 there were 10) sessions are convened. The provisional agenda for the next session is drawn up Secretary General and is communicated to UN members at least 60 days before the opening of the session.

A characteristic feature of the activities of the General Assembly in recent years is that all large values in its work, and in the work of all UN bodies, it acquires the concept first used in 1964. in the Security Council and the widely used method in the General Assembly of developing and adopting resolutions based on the principle of agreement (consensus), i.e. reaching general agreement without voting on the relevant decision.

Resolutions of the General Assembly are not legally binding on states, but also cannot be qualified as mere calls or wishes. States must review General Assembly resolutions carefully and in good faith.

Resolutions and declarations of the General Assembly are the most important standard for the formation of international law. The UN has developed the following practice for developing international legal documents. First, a declaration is adopted on an issue (for example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights), and then, on the basis of such declarations, international treaties and conventions (two International acts on Human Rights, Non-Proliferation Treaty nuclear weapons and etc.).

The General Assembly is a truly democratic representative body of sovereign states. Each member of the General Assembly, regardless of the size of the territory, population, economic and military power has one vote. Decisions of the General Assembly on important issues are taken by a 2/3 majority of the members of the Assembly present and voting.

States that are not members of the UN, those with permanent observers at the UN (Vatican City, Switzerland) and those without, can take part in the work of the General Assembly. In addition, representatives of a number of international organizations (specialized agencies of the UN, OAS, Arab League, OAU, EU, CIS, etc.) received the right to participate as Palestinian observers.

The Security Council consists of 15 members: five members of the Council are permanent (Russia, USA, Great Britain, France and China), the remaining ten members (in the terminology of the Charter - “non-permanent”) are elected to the Council in accordance with the procedure provided for by the Charter.

Decisions on procedural issues in the Security Council are considered adopted if at least nine members of the Council vote for them. The main form of recommendations adopted by the Security Council is a resolution. Over more than half a century, more than 1300 of them have been accepted.

In the course of many years of activity of the Security Council, quite certain methods and the forms of its response and impact on certain events in the world. One of these methods is the condemnation by the Council of a particular state for unlawful actions committed by it in violation of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. For example, the Council has repeatedly condemned South Africa in its decisions for pursuing the criminal policy of apartheid. Often the Security Council resorted to such a method as stating a political fact, a particular current situation. This is precisely how numerous Security Council resolutions defined the situation in Southern Africa, created by Pretoria’s aggressive actions against “front-line” African states.

The most commonly used technique, an appeal to states, is a method of resolving conflicts by the Security Council. He repeatedly appealed to stop hostilities, observe a ceasefire, withdraw troops, etc. During the consideration of a complex of problems of the Yugoslav settlement, the Iran-Iraq conflict, the situation in Angola, Georgia, Tajikistan and along the Tajik-Afghan border.

The Security Council often performed the functions of reconciling parties in disputes and conflicts. To this end, the Council appointed mediators, especially often entrusting the Secretary General or his representative with the functions of providing good offices, mediation and reconciliation of the parties. These functions were used by the Council when considering the Palestinian and Kashmir issues, the situation in the former Yugoslavia, etc.

Since 1948 The Security Council began to resort to such a method as sending groups of military observers and monitoring missions to monitor the implementation of demands for a ceasefire, the terms of the armistice agreements, political settlement, etc. Until 1973, military observers were recruited almost exclusively from civilians Western countries. For the first time in 1973 Soviet observer officers were included in the Palestine Truce Supervision Authority (UNTSO), which still operates useful features in the Middle East. Observation missions were also sent to Lebanon (UNOGIL), India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), Uganda and Rwanda (UNOMUR), El Salvador (MNEP), Tajikistan (UNMOT), etc.

An important area of ​​activity of the Security Council is its interaction with regional organizations. Such cooperation is carried out in various forms, including through regular consultations, providing diplomatic support through which a regional organization can take part in UN peacekeeping activities (for example, CFE in Albania), through the parallel operational deployment of peacekeeping missions (for example, the UN observation mission in Liberia ( UNOMIL) was deployed jointly with the Environmental Community of West African States (ECOWAS) monitoring group (ECOMOG) in Liberia, and the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) operates in cooperation with the CIS peacekeeping force in Georgia) and through joint operations (e.g. International Civilian Mission of the United Nations and OAS in Haiti (MICIVIH).

The Security Council plays an important role in the early detection and detection of emerging conflicts. In recent years, there has been an urgent need to create early warning systems for the emergence of hotbeds of tension and danger. nuclear accident, about environmental threats, mass population movements, natural disasters, the threat of famine and the spread of diseases and epidemics. This kind of information could be used to assess whether a threat to peace exists and to analyze what actions could be taken by the United Nations to reduce it and what preventive actions and measures could be taken by the Security Council and other UN bodies.

One of the most frequently used tools by the Security Council is preventive diplomacy. Preventive diplomacy is an action of a political, diplomatic, international, legal and other nature aimed at preventing the emergence of disputes and disagreements between the parties, preventing them from escalating into conflicts and limiting the scope of conflicts after they arise. Cooperating with the Secretary-General, the Council actively used the means of preventive diplomacy, providing conditions for reconciliation, mediation, good offices, establishment and other preventive actions.

The most frequently used tool, especially recently, is peacekeeping operations (PKOs), which have only been carried out by the UN since 1948. over 50. Peacekeeping operation - a set of actions undertaken with the consent of the conflicting parties, interconnected in goals, objectives, place and time, with the participation of impartial military, police and civilian personnel in support of efforts to stabilize the situation in areas of potential or existing conflicts, carried out in accordance with mandated by the Security Council or regional organizations and aimed at creating conditions conducive to a political settlement of the conflict and maintaining or restoring international peace and security.

The Security Council has very often, especially in recent years, used such a tool as sanctions - economic, political, diplomatic, financial and other coercive measures not related to the use of armed forces, carried out by decision of the Security Council in order to induce the relevant state to stop or refrain from actions. Constituting a threat to the peace, a breach of the peace or an act of aggression.

To monitor the implementation of sanctions, the Council established a number of subsidiary bodies, for example, the Board of Governors of the Compensation Commission and the Special Commission on the Situation between Iraq and Kuwait, the Sanctions Committees on Yugoslavia, Libya, Somalia, Angola, Haiti, Rwanda, Liberia, Sudan, Sierra Leone and others. The results of the Council's application of sanctions against them are far from clear. Thus, the economic sanctions adopted by the Council against the racist regime of Southern Rhodesia contributed to a certain extent to the liquidation of the racist regime, the achievement of independence by the people of Zimbabwe, and the entry of this country into 1980. as members of the UN. The value of sanctions as a means of resolving conflicts was clearly demonstrated in the resolution of other conflicts, for example, in Angola, Haiti, and South Africa. At the same time, it cannot be denied that in most cases the application of sanctions was associated with a number of negative consequences for the population and economy of the countries targeted by the sanctions and resulted in enormous material and financial damage for neighboring and third states that complied with the decisions of the Sanctions Council.

According to the UN Charter, the Security Council must function continuously and act “promptly and effectively” on behalf of UN members. To this end, each member of the Security Council must always be represented at the seat of the UN. According to the rules of procedure, the interval between meetings of the Security Council should not exceed 14 days, although in practice this rule was not always observed. On average, the Security Council held 77 formal meetings per year.

The Economic and Social Council operates under the general leadership of the General Assembly and coordinates the activities of the United Nations and its system agencies in the economic and social fields. As the premier forum for discussing international economic and social problems and making policy recommendations in these areas, the Council plays an important role in strengthening international development cooperation. It also consults with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), thereby maintaining a vital link between the United Nations and civil society.

The Council consists of 54 members elected by the General Assembly for three years. The Council meets periodically throughout the year, meeting in July for its main session, during which the high level The most important economic, social and humanitarian issues are discussed.

The subsidiary bodies of the Council meet regularly and report to it. For example, the Commission on Human Rights monitors the observance of human rights in all countries of the world. Other bodies deal with issues social development, status of women, crime prevention, drug addiction and sustainable development. The five regional commissions promote economic development and cooperation in their regions.

The Trusteeship Council was created to provide international oversight of the 11 trust territories administered by the seven member states, and to ensure that their governments were making the necessary efforts to prepare the territories for self-government or independence. By 1994, all trust territories had achieved self-government or independence, either as independent states or by joining neighboring independent states. The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau), administered by the United States, was the last to achieve self-government and became the 185th Member State of the United Nations.

Since the work of the Trusteeship Council has been completed, it currently consists of five permanent members of the Security Council. Its rules of procedure have been amended accordingly to enable it to hold meetings only when circumstances may require it.

International Court

The International Court of Justice - also known as the World Court - is the main judicial organ of the United Nations. Its 15 judges are elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council, which vote independently and simultaneously. The International Court of Justice deals with the settlement of disputes between states on the basis of the voluntary participation of interested states. If the state agrees to take part in the proceedings, it is obliged to comply with the decision of the Court. The Court also prepares advisory opinions for the United Nations and its specialized agencies.

Secretariat

The Secretariat conducts the operational and administrative work of the United Nations in accordance with the directions of the General Assembly, the Security Council and other bodies. It is headed by the Secretary General, who provides overall administrative leadership.

The Secretariat is made up of departments and offices with approximately 7,500 regular budget-funded staff representing 170 countries. In addition to United Nations Headquarters located in New York, there are United Nations offices in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi and other duty stations.

United Nations system

International currency board, The World Bank and 13 others independent organizations, called "specialized agencies", are associated with the United Nations through relevant cooperation agreements. These institutions, including world organization health and the International Organization civil aviation, are independent bodies created on the basis of intergovernmental agreements. They are entrusted with a wide range of international functions in the economic, social and cultural fields, as well as in the fields of education, health and others. Some of them, such as the International Labor Organization and the Universal Postal Union, are older than the United Nations itself.

In addition, a number of United Nations offices, programs and funds - such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - are involved in improving the social and economic situation of people in all regions of the world. They are accountable to the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council.

All these organizations have their own governing bodies, budgets and secretariats. Together with the United Nations, they form one family, or the United Nations system. Together they provide technical assistance and other forms of practical assistance in virtually all economic and social areas.

Russian-English translation of the UN

abbr. from the United Nations

U.N.O. (United Nations Organization) object-oriented programming term referring to the jargon of students at the University and colleges of Oxford

Russian-English short dictionary of general vocabulary. Russian-English short dictionary of general vocabulary. 2012