Category United Nations

We have been talking a lot about how the UN strives for establishing world peace. But is peace the only concern of the United Nations? The UN Charter clearly sets out the objectives of the organisation. They are as follows:

• To maintain international peace and security
• To develop friendly relations among nations
• To cooperate internationally in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms
• To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these common ends

The UN has many specialized agencies like the UNESCO and programmes like the World Food Programme that help it to achieve these objectives.

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The United Nations has six different languages. They are English, Chinese, French, Arabic, Russian and Spanish. These six languages are used in the meetings and documents of the United Nations. But why does the UN have so many official languages?

UN is an international organisation with its members speaking different languages. This should not be a barrier for effective communication. So, it is natural for it to have more than one official language.

Using different languages enables effective communication between the culturally and linguistically diverse members. Apart from the official languages, all the speeches are translated other languages as well.

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New York holds the United Nations. It is situated in Turtle Bay. Sometimes, the name Turtle Bay is used for the headquarters of the UN. Turtle Bay has served as the headquarters of the UN since 1952. The UN headquarters was designed by a team of architects led by Wallace Harrison.

Though situated in the US, Turtle Bay does not come under US administration. It is completely under the administration of the UN. But, it acknowledges many of the US federal laws.

The headquarters is the home of the General Assembly and the Security Council. In addition to Turtle Bay, the UN has three regional headquarters in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi. These offices do not hold the seats of any major organs, but they represent the interests of the UN and aid in diplomatic activities.

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In 1945, the UN had only 51 members including the five permanent member states. Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of members by four times. The UN now has 193 members. All the 193 members have a seat and equal representation in the General Assembly.

There are two reasons for the increase in the membership of the UN. Countries like the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia split up to form more independent states. The Soviet Union split to form fifteen independent countries. In addition to this, the end of the European colonial empires led to the formation of new countries.

The number of members increased as more countries were created. For instance, in 1960, when the European empires began to lose their power in Africa, many independent countries were formed like Cameroon, Congo, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Benn and Gabon. All these countries joined the UN.

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The Second World War began in 1939 and it turned out to be more fatal than the First World War. A state of insecurity and destruction lingered everywhere during the war years. The League of Nations had failed and there was an urgent need to re-establish peace and order.

It happened in 1941. US President Franklin D Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill came up with a document known as the Atlantic Charter. The Charter called for the formation of a new organisation to maintain peace. Later, representatives of 26 countries met and accepted the Charter and signed a document known as the Declaration of the United Nations. This was the beginning of the UN.

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Apart from promoting peace, the UN does have other goals. The UN works across the world to improve social and economic well-being. In simple words, the UN can be seen as the government of the world, that works around the clock to make our world a better place.

The UN is a meeting point that brings together all the independent nations and gives space for them to work closely.

The UN can also be viewed as a club where the countries can get a membership and enjoy the benefits it provides. The benefits include humanitarian aid, international law, and support at the times of crisis.

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