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United Nations & Model UN: UN System

This guide suggests background resources and tips on navigating United Nations documents.

UN Structure & Agency Breakdown

The Main Organs of the United Nations

The United Nations is comprised of five main organs:  the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice.  Historically, a sixth main organ, the Trusteeship Council, played a significant role in the process of decolonization.  The Trusteeship Council suspended its operations in 1994 and is no longer active, but it cannot be formally dissolved without amending the UN Charter.  

Brief descriptions of the UN's main organs are provided below, along with links to their respective websites.  For a comprehensive listing of all UN-affiliated entities, visit the online Chart of  UN System Organizations.

  • The General Assembly
    The General Assembly is the primary deliberative and policymaking arm of the UN, at which all 193 member states are represented.  It meets annually in September to debate pressing issues and to make decisions and recommendations on important questions of peace and security, economic and social development development, the protection of human rights, the codification of international law, and the admission of new member states, among other matters.  It also approves the UN's budget and the financial assessments of member states.  Some decisions require a two-thirds majority while others are decided by a simple majority.
     
  • The Security Council
    The Security Council has primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.  It is comprised of 15 members, five of which are permanent (China, the Russian Federation, France, the U.K., and the U.S.).  The other ten members are elected by the General Assembly to two-year terms.  The Security Council investigates acts of aggression and other threats to peace.  Whenever possible, it attempts to settle disputes through peaceful means, but it also has the authority to impose sanctions and authorize the use of force.  Nine votes, including the votes of all five permanent members, are required for the Council to issue a decision.  The UN Charter obligates all member states to comply with Council decisions.
     
  • The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
    The Economic and Social Council, usually referred to by the acronym ECOSOC, provides a central forum for discussing the world's economic, social, and environmental challenges and for formulating policy recommendations to address them.  It coordinates about 70 percent of the UN's human and financial resources, including those of the 15 specialized agencies, eight functional commissions, and five regional commissions under its jurisdiction.  ECOSOC is comprised of 54 UN member states, which are elected by the General Assembly to serve overlapping three-year terms.  Seats are allocated among five regions in order to ensure equitable geographic representation.
     
  • The Secretariat
    The Secretariat is UN's administrative arm, comprised of civil servants responsible for carrying out the day-to-day operations of the organization.  Led by the Secretary-General, the Secretariat collects and analyzes data, conducts research on a wide range of economic and social issues, maintains the facilities used by other UN organs, provides interpreter services, and translates documents into the UN's official languages.  The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a 5-year, renewable term.  In addition to mediating international disputes and coordinating peacekeeping activities, the Secretary-General serves as the public face of the UN and acts as the principal spokesperson for its policy initiatives.
     
  • The International Court of Justice
    The International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, is the UN's principal judicial organ.  It is located in the Peace Palace in The Hague, a city in the Netherlands, making it the only one of the UN's principal organs that is not based in New York City.  The Court adjudicates interstate disputes in contentious cases in accordance with international law and issues advisory opinions on questions of law referred to it by authorized UN organs. The Court is comprised of 15 judges elected by both the General Assembly and the Security Council to serve nine-year terms.  No two judges from the same jurisdiction may serve simultaneously.  Seats are informally apportioned geographically to ensure that judges from all of the world's main legal systems are represented on the Court.
     
  • The Trusteeship Council
    The Trusteeship Council was established to oversee the 11 "trust territories" established under the UN Charter.  These included former colonies previously administered under mandates issued by the League of Nations, as well as territories seized from nations that were defeated in World War II.  The Council suspended its operations in 1994 when Palau, the last remaining trust territory, gained its independence.  Should the need arise, the Council may resume operations at the request of the majority of its members, the members of the General Assembly or the members of the Security Council.

Specialized Agencies of the United Nations

The UN maintains close working relationships with 15 international organizations that have been designated as "specialized agencies" of the UN, even though they are independent legal entities.  Each specialized agency operates autonomously under the UN's umbrella, with its own governing body, procedural rules, membership, and funding mechanisms.

Some of the specialized agencies predate the UN, having been established in the 19th century or in the aftermath of World War I by the League of Nations, the UN's predecessor.  Some were founded concurrently with the UN at the end of World War II.  Others were created more recently to meet emerging needs. 

An alphabetical list of the UN's specialized agencies follows.  For each specialized agency, its headquarters city, a brief description of its mission, and a link to its website are provided.  Visit the online Directory of UN System Organizations for a comprehensive listing of all UN-affiliated entities.

  • Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) - Rome
    The FAO coordinates international efforts to fight hunger and improve nutrition and food security by supporting research, facilitating the exchange of information and best practices, and by encouraging countries to adopt legislative and regulatory frameworks to promote sustainable agricultural development.
     
  • International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) - Montreal
    The ICAO works with the 193 member states of the Convention on International Civil Aviation to develop consensus-driven international standards and practices to facilitate safe, reliable, efficient, and sustainable international air travel.
     
  • International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) - Rome
    IFAD was established in 1977 to work directly with the rural poor in developing countries, empowering them improve their agricultural practices, raise their productivity and incomes, and thereby eliminate poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.
     
  • International Labour Organization (ILO) - Geneva
    Since it was founded in 1919, the ILO has solicited input from national governments, employers, and workers to establish internationally recognized labor standards enshrined in multilateral treaties.  The ILO also develops policies and practices to promote safety and equality in the workplace and maintains a database of national laws governing labor and employment practices.  The ILO was designated as the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946.
     
  • International Monetary Fund (IMF) - Washington, DC
    The IMF's core mission is to maintain the stability of the international monetary system and mitigate the impact of financial crises.  It does so by providing temporary financial assistance to national governments to help them cope with balance-of-payments adjustments and discourage them from resorting to competitive currency devaluations, which prolonged the Great Depression of the 1930s.
     
  • International Maritime Organization (IMO) - London
    The IMO is responsible for maintaining the regulatory framework that governs the international shipping industry, ensuring a level playing field of universally recognized safety, security, and environmental standards for ship operators.
     
  • International Telecommunications Union (ITU) - Geneva
    Founded in 1865 to promote international cooperation in the emerging telegraph industry, the ITU continues to facilitate connectivity in modern telecommunications networks.  In addition to allocating the global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, the ITU oversees the development and adoption of technical standards that enable networks to interconnect seamlessly across national borders.  It also strives to improve access to these technologies in underserved communities.
     
  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Paris
    UNESCO promotes international cooperation in the fields of education, science, and culture.  It places particular emphasis on recognizing the equal dignity of all cultures, the protection of cultural heritage in all its forms, and maintaining the right to freedom of expression.
     
  • United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) - Vienna
    UNIDO's core mission is the promotion of industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization, and environmental sustainability.  It accomplishes these goals through research and analysis, the development of normative standards, networking, knowledge transfer, and technical and industrial cooperation.
     
  • United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) - Madrid
    The UNWTO works with national governments and private stakeholders to promote tourism as a driver of economic growth and development that is inclusive and accessible to all.  It also facilitates the advancement and sharing of environmentally sustainable tourism policies and practices. 
     
  • Universal Postal Union (UPU) - Bern, Switzerland
    Since its founding in 1874, the UPU has set the rules for international mail and parcel delivery and provided a forum for cooperation and information-sharing among postal services worldwide.  It also promotes the improvement of postal products and services through the adoption of new technologies. 
     
  • World Health Organization (WHO) - Geneva
    The WHO coordinates efforts among its 194 member states to improve the health of individuals and the provision of healthcare services.  WHO's current priorities include increasing access to universal health coverage, the prevention and treatment of communicable and non-communicable diseases, and capacity-building measures to enable countries to manage health emergencies and prevent pandemics.    
     
  • World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) - Geneva
    WIPO provides a policy forum for drafting and revising the treaty-based rules that recognize intellectual property rights at the international level.  It also offers a range of services for protecting IP rights across borders, establishes common standards and classifications to facilitate information sharing among national IP offices and stakeholders, maintains searchable databases of national IP laws, and provides mechanisms for resolving IP disputes without litigation. 
     
  • World Meteorological Organization (WMO) - Geneva
    The WMO promotes international cooperation and coordination among the national meteorological and hydrological services that monitor the weather and climate conditions produced by the the interaction of the Earth's atmosphere with the land and oceans.  In addition to establishing technical standards to enable accurate observations, the WMO also facilitates capacity development, data exchange, and technology transfers. 
     
  • World Bank - Washington, DC
    The World Bank is an international financial organization which aims to reduce poverty by providing financing, policy advice, and technical assistance to developing countries.  It consists of two core institutions.  The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) provides loans to middle-income and credit-worthy poorer nations, while the International Development Agency (IDA) offers loans and grants to the world's poorest countries.  Three affiliated institutions (the International Finance Corporation, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes) focus on strengthening the private sector in developing countries.  Together, these five institutions comprise the World Bank Group.