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United Nations
The United Nations (UN) was founded in 1945 in the aftermath of the Second World War, in order to keep world peace and ensure international security. It was also intended to promote social progress, improve living conditions and promote human rights. The 193 sovereign member states are bound by the basic principles laid out in the Charter of the United Nations - an agreement under international law which spells out the rights and obligations of all members states in their capacity as part of the international community.
The United Nations (UN) is financed by members' contributions in line with the key drawn up by the General Assembly. For the period 2008 – 2009 the international community agreed on a total budget of 4.17 billion US dollars. This is used to finance activities, personnel and the main organs of the organisation.
These main organs are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice and the General Secretariat. With the exception of the International Court of Justice, which is based in The Hague (Netherlands), all main organs of the UN are based in New York.
The General Assembly of the UN
The General Assembly is the highest organ of the United Nations. Every member state has a vote within the Assembly. The General Assembly can debate all international affairs covered by the Charter of the United Nations. These include international security, global development and international cooperation in the fields of economics, social affairs, education, health, culture and human rights, i.e. all major topics of development cooperation.
The General Assembly meets every year in autumn for its ordinary annual meeting. At other times it meets as required. At the General Assembly, every country can voice its point of view and then all nations must agree on what action is to be taken on major issues. The decisions of the General Assembly are not legally binding on member states but have the character of recommendations.
The Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) consists of 54 member states which are elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term of office. The Council discusses and coordinates the work of the UN in the fields of economic, social, cultural and humanitarian affairs. It addresses recommendations to the General Assembly, the member states and the specialised agencies.
ECOSOC works with 14 specialised agencies, 11 development funds and programmes, five regional commissions, and various technical commissions and committees. The decisions of ECOSOC are not legally binding on members states but have the character of recommendations.
Funds and programmes
The funds and programmes are the true development organisations of the UN. They include in particular the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and the United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV). They are funded by voluntary contributions.
The specialised agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), are primarily responsible for setting international standards and norms, and monitoring these as necessary. They are financed from the compulsory contributions of members according to a pre-determined key. In addition, they implement development projects on a lesser scale, and receive voluntary contributions to allow them to do so. They are contractually linked to the UN, but do not report to the General Assembly.
The United Nations and its specialised agencies, programmes and funds together make up the so-called "United Nations system".
United Nations Development Group
In 1997, on the initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) was founded. Within this Group all programmes, funds and specialised agencies of the UN system dealing with development cooperation work together. The aim is to bundle funds, experience and forces. First successes can be seen already: the number of joint programmes and shared offices is rising. The steering role is played by a UN Resident Coordinator.
The German government supports this development. The BMZ is financing UNDG pilot measures at country level, and is working in particular to strengthen the coordination role of the UN Resident Coordinator. The rights and obligations of the Resident Coordinator must be extended to enable the United Nations to present a common image and act as one body in partner countries.
Reforms
Since the United Nations was first founded, member states have created numerous new organisations. The increasingly fragmented system is making it more and more difficult to coordinate activities and prevents the UN making a coherent impression as a development-policy player. Financing uncertainties also pose a major problem. Numerous activities of the United Nations are financed through the voluntary contributions of member states, which limits the scope and flexibility of individual organisations.
At the Millennium +5 Summit in September 2005, the UN Secretary-General was thus instructed by member states to produce proposals on how to improve cooperation among the various UN actors involved. He was also to examine the possibility of creating more streamlined units in the fields of development, humanitarian aid and the environment. The Secretary-General set up a high-level panel to this end.
In November 2006 the high-level panel presented its first concrete recommendations for reform. The heart of the proposal was the "One UN" principle at country level. All UN organisations operating in a developing country should work together on one country-specific programme and within one budget framework and should share an office headed by the UN Resident Coordinator. Since January 2007 these proposals have been tested in eight pilot countries: Pakistan, Mozambique, Vietnam, Rwanda, Uruguay, the Cape Verde Islands, Albania and Tanzania. The results of the reform process undertaken in pilot countries are to be evaluated in 2010.
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United Nations
United Nations Plaza
UN-Building
New York, NY 10017
USA
Phone: +1 / 212 / 9 63 12 34
Fax: +1 / 212 / 9 63 48 79
