United Nations

Sampayo: Weak governance fuels climate security risks
Infrastructure
Sampayo: Weak governance fuels climate security risks
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 15:00
Antonio Sampayo: Climate shocks create resource shortages in cities
Infrastructure
Antonio Sampayo: Climate shocks create resource shortages in cities
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 14:49
UN official: Climate and security approaches in cities need to be integrated
Infrastructure
UN official: Climate and security approaches in cities need to be integrated
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 14:48
UN official: Rural-to-urban migration increases risks in cities
Infrastructure
UN official: Rural-to-urban migration increases risks in cities
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 14:46
UN-Habitat official: Emergency financial mechanisms key for urban crises
Foreign policy
UN-Habitat official: Emergency financial mechanisms key for urban crises
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 14:32
Sampayo: Ecosystem risks have cascading impacts on urban systems
Infrastructure
Sampayo: Ecosystem risks have cascading impacts on urban systems
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 14:26
Rossbach: Housing crisis depriving young people of their future
Infrastructure
Rossbach: Housing crisis depriving young people of their future
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 14:23
UN: Urbanization advancing fastest in climate-vulnerable countries
Infrastructure
UN: Urbanization advancing fastest in climate-vulnerable countries
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 14:09
Anacláudia Rossbach: Transboundary mechanisms important in water resource management
Infrastructure
Anacláudia Rossbach: Transboundary mechanisms important in water resource management
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 14:08
UNDP rep: Consequences of crisis in Iran, Lebanon to be felt for long time
Other countries
UNDP rep: Consequences of crisis in Iran, Lebanon to be felt for long time
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 14:08
UN-Habitat: Global housing crisis is unevenly distributed
Infrastructure
UN-Habitat: Global housing crisis is unevenly distributed
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 14:06
Rossbach: One billion people worldwide still lack access to water
Infrastructure
Rossbach: One billion people worldwide still lack access to water
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 14:03
UN-Habitat: Nearly 140 countries updated their national climate plans
Ecology
UN-Habitat: Nearly 140 countries updated their national climate plans
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 13:59
Paullier: Millions of young people suffer from lack of housing
Foreign policy
Paullier: Millions of young people suffer from lack of housing
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 13:57
Eleanor Mohammed: Modern cities and communities should develop as sustainable spaces
Infrastructure
Eleanor Mohammed: Modern cities and communities should develop as sustainable spaces
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 13:56
UN: Urban climate security is new and emerging field
Infrastructure
UN: Urban climate security is new and emerging field
  • 21 May, 2026
  • 13:47
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United Nations: Structure, Core Purposes, Principal Organs, and Operations

United Nations (commonly known as the UN) is a global international organization founded on October 24, 1945, following the devastation of World War II, with the primary mandate to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, and promote international cooperation. Succeeding the ineffective League of Nations, the UN currently unites nearly all recognized sovereign states worldwide—totaling 193 member states.

1. Fundamental Purposes and Principles

Peace and Security: Preventing armed conflict, mediating international disputes through diplomatic channels, and deploying peacekeeping missions to stabilize post-conflict zones.

Human Rights and Sustainable Development: Safeguarding fundamental human freedoms, combating discrimination, eradicating extreme poverty, providing humanitarian relief, and executing the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

2. Principal Organs of the UN

General Assembly: The main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN, comprising all member states (each holding a single vote) to debate global issues and adopt non-binding resolutions.

Security Council: The powerful executive organ bearing primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. It consists of 15 members, including five permanent veto-wielding powers—often known as the P5 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States)—and ten rotating non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.

Secretariat: The administrative engine of the organization, headed by the Secretary-General, carrying out day-to-day operations, field missions, and research.

International Court of Justice (ICJ): The principal judicial organ of the UN, located in The Hague, Netherlands, which adjudicates legal disputes submitted by states and provides advisory opinions on legal questions.

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): The central platform coordinating economic, social, and environmental work across the vast network of UN specialized agencies.

3. Specialized Agencies, Programs, and Funds

Global Network: The UN system encompasses numerous autonomous specialized bodies and operational programs addressing specific global challenges, including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNESCO, UNICEF, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).