The UN fulfills its responsibilities through its six main organs. These are:
The General Assembly
This is the main policy making and representative organ of the UN. All 193 Member States are represented in the General Assembly. Every September, the complete UN membership meets in the General Assembly Hall in the UN Headquarters in New York for the annual General Assembly session and general debate. The 74th session of the General Assembly, held in 2019, witnessed the thought-provoking speech on Climate Change by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
The Security Council
This organ is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. It can determine the existence of a threat to peace or an act of aggression, and can resort to imposing sanctions or authorize the use of force to maintain peace. It has 15 members and as per the Charter, all Member States are obligated to comply with the decisions of the Council.
The Economic and Social Council
This Council is responsible for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues. Implementation of internationally agreed development goals is also its responsibility. It has 54 members elected by the General Assembly.
The Trusteeship Council
This Council was established to supervise 11 Trust Territories (territories that came into existence when the League of Nations ceased to exist) that were under the administration of seven Member States. The primary role of the Trusteeship Council was to prepare these territories for self-government and independence. All these territories attained self-government and independence by 1994, and on November 1,1994, the Council suspended operations.
The International Court of Justice
The principal judicial organ of the UN, the International Court of Justice, is situated at the Hague (Netherlands). Its role is to settle legal disputes submitted by States in accordance with international law. It also gives legal opinions sought by authorized UN organs and specialized agencies.
The Secretariat
The Secretariat is the UN’s executive arm. It comprises the UN Secretary-General and international UN staff members who carry out day-to-day work of the UN and sets the agenda for UN’s main organs.
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