In accordance with paragraph 1 of Art. 7 of the UN Charter, the principal organs of the Organization are:

General Assembly;
Security Council;
Economic and Social Council;
Board of Trustees;
International Court;
Secretariat.

All are headquartered in New York, with the exception of International Court of Justice which is located in The Hague.

United Nations General Assembly

The General Assembly is the most representative body of the Organization. It consists of all members of the Organization. From the content of Chapter IV of the UN Charter, we can conclude that the General Assembly is supreme body Organizations. According to Art. 15 of the Charter, it receives and considers the annual and special reports of the Security Council. These reports should include a report on measures to maintain international peace and security that the Security Council has decided to undertake or has undertaken. The General Assembly receives and considers reports from other organs of the Organization.

Important! It should be borne in mind that:

Each case is unique and individual.
Careful study of the issue does not always guarantee a positive outcome of the case. It depends on many factors.

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The General Assembly has the right to discuss any issues within the limits of the UN Charter and make appropriate recommendations to the UN member states and the Security Council. However, when the Security Council is exercising the functions assigned to it by the Charter of the United Nations with respect to any dispute or situation, the General Assembly cannot make any recommendations concerning that dispute or situation unless the Security Council so requests.

From the content of Art. 10 of the UN Charter, it follows that the General Assembly has the right:

1. to discuss any questions or matters within the limits of the UN Charter;
2. develop and approve recommendations to Member States and the Security Council. It has the right to draw the attention of the Security Council to situations that could threaten international peace and security.

The General Assembly also organizes studies and makes recommendations in order to:

promoting international cooperation in the political field and encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification;
promoting cooperation in the fields of economic, social, cultural, educational, health care and promoting the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.

More about the sessions of the UN General Assembly

The General Assembly meets in regular annual sessions and in such special sessions as the circumstances may require. The General Assembly meets annually in ordinary session on the third Tuesday of September. The Secretary-General shall notify all Members of the United Nations of the opening of such session at least 60 days in advance. On the recommendation of the General Committee, at the beginning of each session, it fixes the closing date of the regular session.

Special sessions of the General Assembly shall be convened within 15 days from the date of receipt General Secretary a demand from the Security Council or from a majority of the Members of the United Nations to convene such a session, or a communication from a majority of the Members of the United Nations to accede to the demand to convene.

Extraordinary special sessions are convened within 24 hours of receipt by the Secretary-General of a request to convene such a session from the Security Council and supported by the votes of any 9 members of the Council, a request by a majority of UN members expressed by voting in the Intersessional Committee. Any Member of the United Nations may request the Secretary General to convene an emergency special session. The Secretary-General shall immediately notify the other Members of the Organization of this demand and ask them if they join it. If, within 30 days, the majority of UN members join this demand, then the Secretary General convenes a special session of the UN General Assembly.

The provisional agenda for a regular session is drawn up by the UN Secretary General and communicated to its members at least 60 days before the opening of the session. It consists of over 100 questions. However, the following questions are constant:

report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization;
reports of the Security Council, ECOSOC, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice, subsidiary bodies of the General Assembly and the specialized agencies;
all items the inclusion of which the General Assembly decided at one of its previous sessions;
all items proposed by any member of the UN;
all items relating to the budget for the next financial year and the report on the report for the past financial year;
all items which the Secretary-General deems necessary to be submitted to the General Assembly;
all items proposed by states that are not members of the UN.

The delegation of a Member State of the United Nations to a session of the General Assembly shall consist of not more than five representatives and five alternates and the number of advisers, technical advisers, experts and persons in a similar position required by the delegation.
English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and French are the official and working languages of the General Assembly, its committees and subcommittees. Arabic is both the official and working language of the General Assembly and its Main Committees. All resolutions and other documents are issued in the languages of the General Assembly. By decision of the General Assembly, its documents and the documents of its committees and subcommittees are published in any other language.

Committees of the UN General Assembly

The General Assembly may establish such committees as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions. The most detailed discussion of issues takes place in the following seven main committees:

1. in the First Committee- on political and security issues, including disarmament issues (since the XXXI session of the General Assembly, this committee has dealt mainly with disarmament issues);
2. special political committee to which the political questions within the competence of the First Committee are transferred;
3. the Second Committee on economic and financial matters;
4. Third Committee— on social, humanitarian and cultural issues;
5. Fourth Committee- on issues of international trusteeship and non-self-governing territories;
6. the Fifth Committee, on administrative and budgetary matters;
7. Sixth Committee - on Legal Affairs.

Resolutions and decisions of the UN General Assembly

The General Assembly at its sessions adopts:

resolutions;
solutions;
recommendations.

As it appears from paragraph 2 of Art. 4 of the UN Charter, the term "decree" denotes acts adopted by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. They are generally addressed to Member States and remind them of their rights and obligations. The act of admission or expulsion of states from the UN is also issued in the form of a resolution.

The term "recommendation" is repeatedly found in the UN Charter (articles 10, 11, 13, etc.). For example, according to paragraph 1 of Art. Article 11 of the Charter empowers the General Assembly to consider general principles cooperation in the maintenance of international peace and security, including the principles governing disarmament and the regulation of armaments, and to make recommendations regarding these principles to the Members of the Organization or the Security Council. In Art. Article 13 of the UN Charter states that the General Assembly organizes studies and makes recommendations in order to promote international cooperation in the political field and to encourage the progressive development of international law and its codification, as well as to promote international cooperation in the field of economic, social, cultural, education, etc. e. This article of the UN Charter indicates when recommendations are still made by the General Assembly.

The term "decision" is used in paragraph 2 of Art. 18 of the UN Charter. It says the following: decisions of the General Assembly on important issues are taken by a 2/3 majority of the members of the Assembly present and voting. These issues include: recommendations regarding the maintenance of peace and security, the election of non-permanent members of the Security Council, the admission of new members of the Organization, the suspension of the rights and privileges of members of the Organization.

Thus, according to paragraph 2 of Art. 18 of the Charter:

General Assembly decisions for the maintenance of peace and security are called recommendations;
solutions on admission of new members and other issues in accordance with paragraph 2 of Art. 4 are called decrees.

All resolutions of the General Assembly, regardless of title and content, are numbered in order. The session number is indicated by a Roman numeral. Special sessions have the letter "S" in front of the number, emergency - "ES". All resolutions have their own name.

Regardless of population, all member states, from the largest (China, 1.2 billion people) to the smallest (Palau, 16,000 people), each have one vote in the General Assembly.

Decisions of the General Assembly on important issues are taken by a 2/3 majority of the members of the Assembly present and voting.

According to paragraph 2 of Art. 18 of the UN Charter, the following issues are important:

recommendations for the maintenance of international peace and security;
elections of non-permanent members of the Security Council;
election of members of the Economic and Social Council;
election of members of the Board of Trustees;
admission of new members to the UN;
suspension of the rights and privileges of UN members;
exclusion from the UN of its members;
issues related to the functioning of the guardianship system;
budget issues.

The list of these questions is exhaustive.

Decisions on other issues, including the determination of additional categories of issues to be resolved by a 2/3 majority vote, are taken by a simple majority of those present and voting.

Resolutions of the UN General Assembly within the meaning of Art. 11 of the Charter are not binding. They contain only recommendations to member states, including the so-called "soft" law.

According to Art. 23 of the UN Charter, the Security Council consists of 15 members of the Organization. Of these, 5 are permanent, namely: Russia, China, France, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, USA.

The General Assembly elects 10 other UN members as non-permanent members. The latter are elected for a term of two years and, in their election, due regard shall be paid to the degree of participation of the candidates in the maintenance of international peace and security and in the achievement of other purposes of the Organization, as well as to equitable geographical distribution.

The seats of non-permanent members of the Council are distributed as follows: from Asia and Africa - 5 members, of Eastern Europe — 1, Latin America And caribbean — 2, Western Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Australia - 2 members.

In recent years, at the sessions of the General Assembly, the issue of increasing the number of members of the Security Council to 20 or more, including permanent members to 7-10, has been very actively discussed.

In order to ensure prompt and effective action, the Members of the United Nations confer on the Security Council primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and agree that, in discharging its duties arising from this responsibility, the Security Council shall act on their behalf.

The Security Council submits annual reports to the General Assembly and, as required, special reports.

The Security Council will be able, in accordance with its responsibilities under the UN Charter, to maintain and strengthen international peace and security only if the decisions of the Council enjoy the full support of the international community and if the parties to the conflicts implement these decisions in full.

Functions and powers of the Security Council:

maintain international peace and security in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations;
investigate any disputes or situations that may cause international friction;
make recommendations on the methods of resolving such disputes or the conditions for their resolution;
make plans for the establishment of a system of arms regulation, determine whether there is a threat to the peace or an act, and make recommendations on measures to be taken;
call on UN member states to apply economic sanctions and other measures not related to the use of armed forces to prevent or stop aggression:
take military action against the aggressor;
make recommendations regarding the admission of new members and the conditions under which states may become parties to the Statute of the International Court of Justice;
exercise UN trusteeship functions in strategic areas;
make recommendations to the General Assembly regarding the appointment of the Secretary-General and, together with the General Assembly, elect the judges of the International Court of Justice;
submit annual and special reports to the General Assembly.

The role of the UN, and in particular the Security Council, in maintaining peace and ensuring international security boils down to the following four activities.

Preventive diplomacy- these are actions aimed at preventing the emergence of disputes between the parties, preventing existing disputes from escalating into conflicts and limiting the scope of conflicts after they arise.
Peacekeeping is action aimed at inducing warring parties to an agreement, mainly through such peaceful means as are provided for in Chapter VI of the UN Charter.
Keeping the peace- this is the maintenance of the UN presence in a given specific area, which is associated with the deployment of UN military and / or police personnel, and often civilian personnel.
Peacebuilding in the post-conflict period- these are actions aimed at preventing the outbreak of violence between countries and peoples after the elimination of a conflict or conflict situation.

In the opinion of the UN, these four activities together, carried out with the support of all members, are capable of becoming an integral UN in ensuring peace in the spirit of its Charter.

When the Security Council is informed of a threat to the peace, it asks the parties to reach an agreement by peaceful means. The Council may act as a mediator or formulate principles for the settlement of a dispute. He may request the Secretary-General to investigate and report on the situation. In the event of the outbreak of hostilities, the Security Council shall take measures to ensure a ceasefire. It can, with the consent of the parties concerned, send peacekeeping missions to conflict areas to ease tensions and disengage opposing forces. The Security Council has the right to deploy peacekeeping forces to prevent the resumption of conflict. It has the power to enforce its decisions by imposing economic sanctions and deciding to apply collective military measures.

Legal status peacekeeping forces The UN is defined by an agreement between the UN and the host state. Under these agreements, once the Security Council decides to establish a peacekeeping operation, the Member States concerned are required to contribute to the implementation of the operation's mandate.

According to Art. 5 and 6 of the Charter, the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council, may suspend the exercise of the rights and privileges belonging to a state as a member of the organization if measures of a preventive or enforcement nature have been taken against it by the Security Council. A UN Member State that systematically violates the principles enshrined in the Charter may be expelled from the Organization by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council.

The Security Council acts on behalf of all members of the Organization. In accordance with Art. 25 of the Charter, the members of the Organization agree to "obey and carry out the decisions of the Security Council." According to Art. 43 they undertake to place at the disposal of the Security Council, at its request and in accordance with a special agreement or agreements, the armed forces, assistance and appropriate facilities, including the right of passage, necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security. Such an agreement or agreements shall determine the strength and type of troops, their degree of readiness and their general disposition, and the nature of the facilities and assistance to be provided.

The UN Charter gives the Security Council the right to apply provisional and coercive measures.

Interim measures are intended to prevent deterioration of the situation and must not prejudice the rights, claims or position of the parties concerned. Such measures may include requiring the parties to cease hostilities, withdrawing troops to certain lines, and resorting to some form of peaceful settlement, including entering into direct negotiations, resorting to arbitration, using regional organizations and organs. Temporary measures are not coercive. They are not legally binding on the parties, but the Security Council, in accordance with Art. 40 of the UN Charter "takes due account of the failure to comply with these provisional measures".

Coercive measures are subdivided into measures not related to the use of armed forces, and into actions involving the use of armed forces (Articles 41 and 22 of the Charter). Their application is the exclusive competence of the Security Council, which constitutes one of its most important powers.

In accordance with comp. 41 of the Charter, coercive measures without the use of armed forces may include a complete or partial interruption of economic relations, rail, sea, air, postal, telegraph, radio and other means of communication, severance of diplomatic relations, as well as other measures of a similar nature.

In cases where the above measures become insufficient or ineffective, the Security Council, on the basis of Art. 42 of the Charter has the right to take the actions necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security by the armed forces of the United Nations. All members of the UN undertake to place at the disposal of the Security Council, at its request, armed forces, assistance and appropriate facilities, including the right of passage through territory, territorial waters and airspace. special kind enforcement action is the suspension of the exercise of the rights and privileges of any member of the United Nations in respect of which the Security Council has taken a decision on enforcement action. Such a measure is also expulsion from the membership of the UN for violation of the Charter (Article 6).

More about UN Security Council meetings

The Security Council meets almost daily to review issues on its agenda, prevent threats to peace, take various measures to control and resolve conflicts, and mobilize regional and international support for these actions. In order to ensure the continuity of work, each member of the Security Council must be represented at the seat of the UN at all times. Any state that is not a member of the Security Council may participate in its meetings without the right to vote if the issue under discussion in any way affects the interests of this member of the Organization. A non-member state of the UN may be invited to meetings of the Council if it is a party to a dispute considered by the Security Council. Moreover, he sets such conditions for the participation of a state - a non-member of the Organization, which he finds fair.

Meetings of the Security Council, with the exception of periodic meetings (such meetings are held twice a year), are convened by the President at any time when the latter considers it necessary. However, the interval between meetings should be no more than 14 days.

The chairmanship of the Security Council is exercised by its members in turn in English. alphabetical order their names. Each chairman holds this post for one calendar month.

English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish are both official and working languages of the Security Council. Speeches delivered in one of the six languages are translated into the other five languages.

Each member of the Security Council has one vote. Substantive decisions require a majority of nine votes, but this number must include the votes of all five permanent members of the Security Council. This is the essence of the principle of unanimity of the five great powers. This principle has special meaning for the successful functioning of the entire security system within the UN. It places on the Great Powers the primary responsibility for the efficiency of the Organization. The USSR (and now Russia) and the US used their veto power quite often.

The Security Council makes decisions and recommendations at its meetings. In any case, they are referred to as resolutions, which are legally binding (Art. 25, 48, etc.).

United Nations specialized agencies

United Nations specialized agencies - these are international (interstate) organizations of a universal nature, open to the participation of any state and put in connection with the United Nations by special agreements with them in order to coordinate their activities in the field of socio-economic relations between states.

At the same time, specialized institutions fully retain their status as independent international organizations, created and operating on the basis of their constituent act (interstate agreement), which determines the goals and objectives of this organization, its organizational structure, functions and powers of its bodies.

There are currently 15 UN specialized agencies:

1. Universal Postal Union (UPU).
2. Group World Bank:
  - International Development Association (IDA)
  - International Finance Corporation (IFC)
  - International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
  - International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
  - Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).
3. World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
4. World Organization Health (WHO).
5. World Organization intellectual property(WIPO).
6. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
7. International Maritime Organization (IMO).
8. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
9. International Labor Organization (ILO).
10. International Monetary Fund (IMF).
11. international union Telecommunications (ITU).
12. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
13. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
14. United Nations industrial development(UNIDO).
15. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

International Labor Organization (ILO)- established in 1919 by decision of the Paris Peace Conference. Its charter was Part XIII of the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919. In 1946, the ILO became the first specialized agency of the UN. The main objectives of the ILO are to encourage social justice, improving working conditions, raising the living standards of the population. To this end, the ILO is developing international conventions concerning the working conditions of various categories of workers, their wages, working hours, minimum age for entry into work, special insurance, paid holidays, etc. They become binding on member states upon ratification by their states in accordance with their constitutional procedure. The ILO also accepts recommendations to member states.

Universal Postal Union (UPU) - created in 1874 in order to promote the implementation of postal communications between different territories (it was created in those conditions as the so-called administrative union). Since 1947, a specialized agency of the UN. It functions on the basis of its charter, the general regulations of the UPU and the Universal Postal Convention, the latest version of which entered into force in 1971. Almost all states of the world are members of the UPU. Their territories are considered as a single postal territory. The goals of the UPU are the organization and improvement of the postal service, as well as the provision of technical assistance to developing countries in organizing the postal service for their population.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)- was formed in 1932 at the World Telecommunication Conference on the basis of the merger in the ITU of the International Telegraph Union (founded in 1865) and the International Radiotelegraph Union (operated since 1906). ITU has been a specialized organization of the UN since 1947. It operates on the basis of the International Telecommunication Convention and its supplementary regulations. The goals of the ITU are to coordinate all types of international telecommunications, including space, to promote the rational use of radio communication services, and to distribute its radio spectrum. ITU provides technical assistance to the development of regional radio communication networks and their inclusion in the worldwide system, provides technical and other assistance to developing countries in organizing their radio communication services.

World Health Organization (WHO)- was established in 1946 and since 1948 has been operating as a specialized agency of the UN, unites most of the states of the world. The purpose of WHO, in accordance with its Constitution, is to achieve by all peoples more high level health through not only public health efforts, but also appropriate measures of a socio-economic nature. WHO activities are carried out by providing countries with medical services, providing appropriate assistance to developing countries and in organizing and encouraging medical research. The latter is carried out, in particular, by organizing an international network of laboratories that study pathogenic organisms, create the necessary vaccines, and also train the necessary scientists.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)- created in 1947 on the basis of the corresponding non-governmental organization that existed since 1873. Since 1951, it has been functioning as a specialized agency of the UN, uniting almost all states. Its goals are worldwide cooperation in meteorological observations, ensuring the rapid exchange of meteorological information and ensuring the uniformity of meteorological observations and statistical data, organizing meteorological research and training meteorologists.

International Maritime Organization (IMO)- has been operating since 1982 as a specialized agency of the United Nations. It replaced the previously existing (since 1959) Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO).

There are five specialized committees within the IMO: the Maritime Safety Committee, the Legal Committee, the Committee for the Protection marine environment, the Technical Cooperation Committee and the Facilitation Committee. They develop the relevant rules of navigation and protection of the marine environment for submission to the governing bodies of the IMO.
Under the auspices of the IMO, numerous international conferences have been held, in particular, on the issues of the safety of life at sea, the load line of ships, their measurement, the prevention of collisions of ships and sea pollution, the safety of fishing vessels, the search and rescue of ships that have suffered an accident. At such conferences, the text of international conventions is developed and adopted, i.e. work is underway to codify the modern maritime law. IMO bodies also develop recommendations, codes, guidelines, manuals, etc. for navigators, designers and builders of sea vessels. All this ensures the high efficiency of the IMO.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)- was created and has been operating since 1946 as a specialized agency of the UN, uniting almost all existing states.

The goals of UNESCO are to promote the achievement of lasting peace, security and well-being of peoples through the development of international cooperation in the field of education, science and culture. This organization is called upon to promote universal observance of justice, law and order, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion. main program activity is, in particular, the elimination of illiteracy of the population, the promotion of compulsory education and raising its level, the training and deployment of experts in the field of science and education to the countries concerned. UNESCO considers, within its competence, such global problems modernity, as the prevention of the danger of a global thermonuclear catastrophe, the cessation of the arms race, the establishment of a new economic order and a new information order, the protection of the environment, the development of the oceans and outer space for the benefit of all mankind.

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)- established in 1967 in pursuance of the relevant resolution of the UN General Assembly and since 1985 has been a specialized agency of the UN.

The goals of UNIDO are to promote the industrial development and industrialization of developing countries, the financing of relevant projects, the training of national personnel, as well as to promote international and regional cooperation between states and coordinate their activities in this area.

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)- established in 1970 in accordance with its founding act - the Convention, concluded in 1967. The main goals of this very specific international organization - since 1974 a specialized agency of the United Nations - are: to promote intellectual creative activity and the protection of intellectual property throughout the world by encouraging international cooperation between states that are or are not members of WIPO, including interaction with any other international association of states in this area, as well as to facilitate the transfer of technology to developing countries, meaning the acceleration their economic, social and cultural development.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)- established and operating as a specialized agency of the UN since 1945. FAO goals: to promote better nutrition and raise the living standards of the population, increase labor productivity and improve food distribution, increase productivity Agriculture, forestry and fisheries, improving the living conditions of the rural population, developing the world economy, as well as organizing and promoting scientific research in the field of agriculture and nutrition of the population.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)- a specialized agency of the United Nations engaged in the organization and coordination of international cooperation relating to the activities of international civil aviation. The ICAO Charter is an integral part of the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

The goals of ICAO are: establishing the principles and methods of international air navigation, promoting the planning and development of international air transport, improving flight and space regulations, ensuring the safety of international flights. Its functions include, in particular, the development and adoption, taking into account the requirements of practice international standards and recommendations, which have as their task the unification of the Rules of International Air Navigation, which constitute an annex to the above Convention and, as necessary, are changed or supplemented.

ICAO conducts its business through an extensive system of bodies with compulsory jurisdiction or supportive functions.

International Monetary Fund (IMF), created in 1945 on the basis of an agreement reached at the Bretton Woods Monetary and Financial Conference in 1944 by states whose contributions to this fund amounted to 80% of its total amount. Became a specialized agency of the UN and transgressed to implement currency transactions in 1947. The goals of the IMF are to promote international cooperation in the field of financial settlements in transactions between member states and to eliminate restrictions on the development of world trade in the exchange of currencies.

However, due to the fact that the decisions of the fund are made on the basis of a "weighted vote" of its members, taking into account their contributions to the amount of the fund, and that 10 highly developed countries led by the United States, these states determine the monetary and financial policy of the fund and the conditions under which it provides loans to other countries.

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)- created in 1944 by the states - participants of the Bretton Woods conference. A specialized agency of the United Nations since 1945. Only member states of the International Monetary Fund can become members of the IBRD.

The purpose of the IBRD is to promote the reconstruction of the economies of the member states by providing them with loans for this purpose. The conditions for making relevant decisions are the same as in the International Monetary Fund.

International Finance Corporation (IFC)- established in 1956, a specialized agency of the UN since 1957. The purpose of the IFC is to promote the economic development of member states by stimulating the activities of their private production enterprises. The IFC closely cooperates with the IBRD, is its branch. It is managed by the Board of Governors and the Board of Directors, consisting of persons managing the affairs of the IBRD and representing states that are also its members.

International Development Association (MAP)- established in 1960, since 1961 a specialized agency of the UN. Its members are IBRD member states.

The goals of MAP are to promote economic development, increase labor productivity and living standards of the population of the least developed countries by providing them with preferential interest-free and long-term loans. Responsibility for the administration of the MAP lies with the IBRD, whose officers and staff also perform the administration of the MAP without remuneration. The procedure for making decisions on granting loans is the same as in the IBRD.

The three above organizations - the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Finance Corporation and the International Development Association - together form a corporation called the World Bank.

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD or IFAD)- Established and operating as a specialized agency of the United Nations since 1977.

The goals of IFAD are to mobilize additional funds for the development of agriculture in developing countries through the development and implementation of projects to assist the poorest sections of their agricultural population. 40%). Its distribution also depends on the coordination of the positions of the main donor countries.

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice (not to be confused with the International Criminal Court!) is the main judicial body of the United Nations (UN). It was established by the Charter of the United Nations signed on June 26, 1945 in San Francisco, to achieve one of the main purposes of the UN: "to conduct by peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of justice and international law, the settlement or settlement of international disputes or situations that may lead to disruption of the peace. The Court functions in accordance with the Statute, which is part of the Charter, and its Rules.

The International Court of Justice consists of 15 judges, and it cannot have two of the same state. The members of the Court are elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council from among persons listed on the proposal of the national groups of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Judges are elected on the basis of . However, care is taken in the appointment to ensure that the main legal systems all over the world. A national group may nominate no more than four candidates. Before nominating candidates, she is obliged to seek the opinion of the highest judicial bodies, law faculties, higher legal educational institutions and academies of their country, as well as national branches international academies involved in the study of law. Candidates who receive an absolute majority of votes in the General Assembly and the Security Council are considered elected. Judges are elected for a nine-year term and may be re-elected. While holding the position of a judge, they cannot hold another position.

Since the functioning of the Court, the representative of the USSR, and later on Russia, has been permanently elected a member of the International Court of Justice.

Members of the Court, in the performance of their judicial duties, shall enjoy diplomatic privileges and immunities. The seat of the Court is The Hague, the Netherlands.

The jurisdiction of the Court includes all cases that will be submitted to it by the parties, and all matters specifically provided for by the Charter of the United Nations or existing treaties and conventions.

Only states and only parties to the Statute of the Court can be parties to a dispute before the Court.. The latter may at any time declare that they recognize, without special agreement, ipsofacto, in respect of any other State which has accepted such an undertaking, the jurisdiction of the Court as compulsory in all legal disputes concerning:

interpretation of the contract;
any question of international law;
existence of a fact which, if established, would constitute a violation international obligation;
the nature and amount of redress due for breach of international obligations.

Such declarations shall be deposited with the Secretary-General and shall constitute acceptance of the binding jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice.

The Court cannot hear disputes between individuals and legal entities and international organizations.

The Court is obliged to decide the disputes submitted to it on the basis of international law, and in the process judicial trial applies:

international conventions laying down rules expressly recognized by the contesting states;
international custom as proof of a general practice accepted as law;
general principles of law recognized by civilized nations;
judgments(binding only for the parties to the case) and the doctrines of the most qualified specialists in public law as an aid to the determination of legal rules.

The Court's statute does not restrict its right to decide a case exaequoexbono (in equity, not under formal law), if the parties so agree.

The court sits constantly, with the exception of judicial vacancies, the terms and duration of which are established by the court.

Normally, the Court operates in plenary session, but at the request of the parties, it may form limited divisions called chambers. A decision rendered by one of the Chambers shall be deemed to have been rendered by the Court itself. Within the framework of the Court, a chamber for the consideration of environmental cases was formed, and a chamber for simplified procedures is formed annually.

The official languages of the Court are French and English. Litigation consists of two parts: written and oral proceedings. Written proceedings consist of the submission to the Court and the parties of memorandums, counter-memorials and, if necessary, objections to them, as well as all papers and documents confirming them. Oral proceedings consist in the hearing by the Court of witnesses, experts, representatives, attorneys, lawyers.

The decision of the Court is binding only on the parties involved in the case and only in this case. It is final and not subject to appeal. If any party does not fulfill the obligations imposed on it by the Court, then the Security Council, at the request of the other party, may, if it deems it necessary, make recommendations or decide on the adoption of measures to enforce the decision (paragraph 2 of article 94 of the UN Charter ).

In addition to adjudicating a dispute, the Court may give advisory opinions on any legal question at the request of any institution empowered to make such requests by the Charter of the United Nations itself or under the Charter. According to the established procedure, the four main organs of the UN, two subsidiary organs of the General Assembly, 17 specialized agencies of the UN and the IAEA have the right to request such an opinion of the Court. The Court delivers its advisory opinions in open session.

At present, the potential of the International Court of Justice is not being fully utilized. Wider use of the Court would be an important contribution to peacekeeping UN.

Guardian Council

The UN, under its leadership, created an international system of trusteeship to manage those territories that are included in it by individual agreements, and to monitor these territories. These areas are referred to as trust areas.

The trust agreement in each case must include the terms under which the trust area will be administered, as well as determine the authority that will administer the trust area. Such authority is called the administering authority and may be one or more states or the UN as such.

The Trusteeship Council, being one of the main organs of the UN, operates under the leadership of the UN General Assembly and assists it in the performance of UN functions in relation to the international trusteeship system.

The Board of Trustees considers reports submitted by the Administering Authority. It accepts petitions and examines them on their merits. The Council arranges periodic visits to the respective trust areas at times agreed with the Administering Authority. The UN Charter obliges the Council to take any action in accordance with the trusteeship agreements.

The Trusteeship Council includes five permanent members of the Security Council - the Russian Federation, China, France, Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States.

The aims of the trust system were realized to such an extent that all the trust territories achieved self-government and independence, either as separate states or by joining neighboring independent states. In November 1994, the Security Council decided to terminate the UN Trusteeship Agreement with respect to the last of the original 11 Trust Territories, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau), administered by the United States. From now on, the Council meets in its sessions only as needed.

Secretariat

It serves the main and all other organs of the UN and manages their programs. The Secretariat is made up of the Secretary-General and staff at Headquarters and around the world and deals with issues related to the day-to-day activities of the UN.

The UN Secretariat includes 8900 representatives from approximately 160 countries of the world. As international civil servants, they, like the Secretary-General, are accountable for their activities only to the Organization; each of them takes an oath not to seek or receive instructions from any government or any other authority unrelated to the Organization. According to Art. 100 of the Charter, each Member State of the United Nations undertakes to respect the strictly international nature of the duties of the Secretary-General and the staff of the Secretariat and not to attempt to influence them in the performance of their duties.

The work of the Secretariat is as diverse as the list of issues dealt with by the UN. The responsibilities of the Secretariat cover different kinds activities: from the organization of peacekeeping operations to mediation and resolution of international disputes. Secretariat staff also review world economic trends and issues; conducts research in areas such as human rights and sustainable development; organizes international conferences on issues of global concern; controls the implementation of decisions taken by the bodies of the Organization; provides interpretation of speeches and translation of documents into official languages Organizations; supplies the world's media with information about the activities of the UN.

The head of the Secretariat is the Secretary General, and in this capacity he acts at all meetings of the General Assembly, the Security Council, ECOSOC and the Trusteeship Council and performs other functions assigned to him by these bodies. The Secretary General submits to the General Assembly an annual report on the work of the Organization.

The Secretary-General has the right to bring to the attention of the Security Council information on any matter which, in his opinion, may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.

The Secretary General contributes greatly to the prevention, escalation or expansion of international disputes, in particular through the implementation of the mission of "good offices" in the interests of "preventive diplomacy.

The Secretary General is appointed by the UN General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a five-year term, after which he may be reappointed.

The secretariat consists of the following divisions: Office of Internal Affairs; Office of Legal Affairs; Office of Political Affairs; Department for Disarmament Affairs; Department of peacekeeping operations; Office for Humanitarian Coordination; Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Department of General Assembly and Conference Services; Department of Public Information; Department of Management; Office of the Iraqi Issue; Office of the United Nations Security Coordinator.

The Office of Legal Affairs assists in the preparation of draft agreements between the UN and other organizations. It provides legal advice on the use of peacekeeping forces; represents the UN in courts and arbitrations in connection with the presentation and consideration of claims against the Organization. The Office acts as a facilitator of contacts between the legal advisers of the organizations of the UN system and facilitates the coordination of their positions on issues legal policy. On behalf of the Secretary-General, the Office acts as the depository of more than 500 multilateral treaties.

United Nations Economic and Social Council

ECOSOC is one of the main organs of the UN. It coordinates the economic and humanitarian activities of the UN, the main directions of which are enshrined in Art. 55 of the UN Charter. In order to create conditions for stability and well-being, the UN promotes:

raising the standard of living, full employment of the population and conditions for economic and social progress and development;
resolution international problems in the field of economic, social, health and similar problems; international cooperation in the field of culture and education;
universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.

All members of the UN undertake to take joint and independent action in cooperation with the Organization to achieve the goals specified in Art. 55 of the Charter.

Responsibility for the performance of the functions of the Organization in the field of international economic and social cooperation The Charter of the United Nations entrusts to the General Assembly and under the guidance of ECOSOC, which is given appropriate powers for this purpose.

ECOSOC has the following functions and powers:

serve as a central forum for discussion of international economic and social problems of a global or cross-sectoral nature and to provide policy advice on these issues to Member States and the United Nations system as a whole;
undertake or initiate studies, draw up reports and make recommendations on international issues in the economic and social fields, in the field of culture, education, health and related issues;
to encourage respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms;
convene international conferences and draft conventions for submission to the General Assembly on matters within its competence;
negotiate with specialized agencies regarding agreements governing their relationship with the United Nations;
to harmonize the activities of the specialized agencies by consulting and making recommendations to them, and by making recommendations to the General Assembly and the Members of the United Nations;
provide services approved by the General Assembly to the members of the United Nations, as well as to the specialized agencies at the request of the latter;
consult with relevant non-governmental institutions on matters dealt with by the Council.

ECOSOC is made up of 54 UN members elected by the General Assembly; The 18 members of ECOSOC are elected annually for a term of three years. An outgoing Council member may be re-elected immediately. The election takes place in the following order: 6 members - from the states of Eastern Europe, 13 - from the states of Western Europe and other states, 11 - from the states of Asia, 14 - from the states of Africa, 10 - from the states of Latin America. Each ECOSOC member has one representative.

Membership

All member countries of the UN are represented in the General Assembly by one vote.

Powers

The General Assembly was conceived as a forum in which the nations of the world should be given ample opportunity "to discuss any question or matter within the limits of the Charter." This is the largest and most representative, but not the most powerful body of the UN, since the Assembly does not have the power to enforce its decisions. The resolutions adopted by the Assembly, unlike the decisions of the Security Council, do not have binding force, while none of the nations can veto them.

The General Assembly supervises the activities of the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, as well as special institutions; it also has key electoral responsibilities. Together with the Security Council, the Assembly elects the Secretary General and the judges of the International Court of Justice; it also decides on the admission of new members to the UN. The Assembly elects 10 also non-permanent members. Finally, it determines the size of the contribution of each UN member state to the budget of the Organization.

Functions

In addition to regular sessions, the General Assembly conducts its business through the use of a complex committee structure and regional groups; this allows different governments to be sure that their interests and the priorities of their regions are adequately represented at the UN. These groups also take part in the selection of states that, in accordance with the rotation procedure, will have to enter the Security Council.

Sessions

The Assembly meets in regular session every year, beginning on the third Tuesday in September; The session usually lasts about three months. In addition to ordinary sessions, the Assembly may hold special sessions at the request of the Security Council or a majority of UN members. Under the terms of the resolution "Unity for Peace" (1950), in the event of a threat to peace, the Assembly may meet within 24 hours in an emergency session.

The Assembly annually elects a new chairman, 21 vice-chairmen and chairmen of the seven main standing committees. The Chairman of the Assembly directs its work through the General Committee.

In general, decisions at the General Assembly are taken by a simple majority of votes. However, those resolutions that, in accordance with the Charter, deal with key issues (peacekeeping resolutions and the election of new members) must be adopted by a two-thirds majority.

Committees

Like national legislative assemblies, the Assembly is divided into committees. It consists of 7 permanent committees: Special Political Committee; First Committee (disarmament and security matters); Second Committee (economic and financial matters); Third Committee (social, humanitarian and cultural issues); Fourth Committee (trust territories and decolonization matters); Fifth Committee (administrative and budgetary matters); and Sixth Committee (legal matters). Each member state of the UN has the right to be represented on any of these committees.

Story

In the years cold war The US usually used its own methods of pressure on the General Assembly to achieve its goals. Of the 51 states that were the first to join the UN in 1945, at least 35 were closely associated with the United States. Even taking into account the fact that two republics of the USSR - Belarus and Ukraine - signed the Charter as separate members, only 5 of the states represented in the UN were on the side of the USSR and only 10 were considered non-aligned. The newly liberated and colonial countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America at that time had virtually no representation in the Assembly. The US delegation in those years could easily achieve a majority, and if necessary, a two-thirds majority.

UN members

Australia

Austria 1955

Azerbaijan 1992

Albania 1955

Angola 1976

Andorra 1993

Antigua and Barbuda 1981

Argentina

Armenia 1992

Afghanistan 1946

Bahamas 1973

Bangladesh 1974

Barbados 1966

Bahrain 1971

Belarus

Bulgaria 1955

Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992

Botswana 1966

Brazil

Brunei 1984

Burkina Faso 1960

Burundi 1962

Vanuatu 1981

Great Britain

Hungary 1955

Venezuela

Vietnam 1977

Guyana 1966

Gambia 1965

Guatemala

Guinea 1958

Guinea-Bissau 1974

Germany 1973

Honduras

Grenada 1974

Georgia 1992

Democratic Republic of the Congo 1960

Djibouti 1977

Dominica 1978

Dominican Republic

Zambia 1964

Zimbabwe 1980

Israel 1949

Indonesia 1950

Jordan 1955

Ireland 1955

Iceland 1946

Spain 1955

Italy 1955

Cape Verde 1975

Kazakhstan 1992

Cambodia 1955

Cameroon 1960

Kyrgyzstan 1992

Kiribati 1999

People's Republic of China

Colombia

Comoros 1975

Democratic People's Republic of Korea 1991

Republic of Korea 1991

Costa Rica

Ivory Coast 1960

Kuwait 1963

Latvia 1991

Lesotho 1966

Liechtenstein 1990

Luxembourg

Mauritius 1968

Mauritania 1961

Madagascar 1960

Macedonia 1993

Malawi 1964

Malaysia 1957

Maldives 1965

Malta 1964

Morocco 1956

Marshall Islands 1991

Mozambique 1975

Moldova 1992

Monaco 1993

Mongolia 1961

Myanmar 1948

Namibia 1990

Nigeria 1960

Netherlands

Nicaragua

New Zealand

Norway

United Arab Emirates 1971

Pakistan 1947

Papua New Guinea 1975

Paraguay

Portugal 1955

Republic of the Congo 1960

Russian Federation

Rwanda 1962

Romania 1955

Salvador

San Marino 1992

Sao Tome and Principe 1975

Saudi Arabia

Swaziland 1968

Seychelles 1976

Senegal 1960

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1980

Saint Kitts and Nevis 1983

Saint Lucia 1979

Singapore 1965

Slovakia 1993

Slovenia 1992

USA

Solomon Islands 1978

Somalia 1960

Suriname 1975

Sierra Leone 1961

Tajikistan 1992

Thailand 1946

Tanzania 1961

Trinidad and Tobago 1962

Turkmenistan 1992

Uganda 1962

Uzbekistan 1992

Federated States of Micronesia 1991

Philippines

Finland 1955

Croatia 1992

Central African Republic 1960

Sweden 1946

Sri Lanka 1955

Equatorial Guinea 1968

Eritrea 1993

Estonia 1991

Yugoslavia

Republic of South Africa

Jamaica 1962

Japan 1956

For the 51 states that signed the Charter in 1945, the date of adoption is not given. In 1990-1991, two of these states - the USSR and Yugoslavia - collapsed. In 1992, Russia was recognized as the successor to the USSR in all UN bodies. In 1973 East and West Germany became members of the UN. In 1990 the country was reunified.

On November 29, 1947, the General Assembly adopted resolution No. 181 regarding the division of the former Mandatory Territory of Palestine through the creation of an Arab and a Jewish state on it. A few months later, the State of Israel was proclaimed, but an Arab state never emerged.

When in initial period UN activities revealed that the Security Council became a hostage to the struggle between East and West, the General Assembly voted to create a General Committee, or Small Assembly, which, if necessary, could meet in between sessions of the Assembly. The resolution "Unity for Peace" adopted in 1950 significantly increased the role of the General Assembly. In June, in the absence of a Soviet representative, the Security Council succeeded in taking action against an attack North Korea to South Korea. A few days later, however, the Soviet representative returned to the Security Council and vetoed any further action. The Unity for Peace resolution asserted the right of the Assembly to meet immediately in case of emergency when the Security Council could not act, and to propose appropriate collective measures, including the use of armed forces. The resolution established a 14-member various states Armistice Military Commission to monitor the development of dangerous situations in any part of the world and called on all UN member states to create special contingents of armed forces intended for use at the request of the Security Council or the General Assembly. By expanding its powers, the Assembly was able to keep several crises under control: the Chinese military invasion of Korea in 1950, the Suez crisis of 1956 and the Soviet invasion of Hungary in the same year, the Lebanese crisis of 1958, the crisis in the Congo in 1960. Since decolonization led to expansion of the Assembly's political base, the Security Council began to deal mainly with security issues.

The US has generally been able to win majorities in the General Assembly on vital issues. In the 1960s and 1970s, with the rise of the Afro-Asiatic-Arab bloc, it became more difficult for the US to achieve the necessary majority, so they had to increase political, economic and diplomatic pressure on the third world countries. In 1971, a vote was held on the issue of accepting the Chinese People's Republic: The United States, which opposed it, was actually in the minority. But even in 1974, when the Afro-Asian-Arab bloc had a decisive majority of votes, the United States managed to resolve the issue of the presence of North American armed forces in Korea under the UN flag.

The General Assembly is the most representative body of the United Nations, all member states are represented in it. It has general jurisdiction within the limits of the UN Charter. The breadth of the competence of the Assembly is manifested primarily in the right to discuss any questions or matters within the limits of the Charter. In addition, it may discuss matters relating to the mandate of any UN body. The exception is when the Security Council is exercising its functions in relation to any dispute or situation (Art. 12).

The Assembly exercises control over the activities of other bodies, considering their annual and special reports (Article 15). As a result of consideration, it makes recommendations both to the members of the Organization and to its bodies, including the Security Council (Article 10). For all UN bodies, except for the Security Council and the International Court of Justice, such recommendations are binding. So, in Art. Article 66 of the Charter states that ECOSOC exercises the functions that fall within its competence in connection with the implementation of the recommendations of the Assembly.

Beyond the definition general competence Assembly Charter specifically specifies the most important directions her activities. The Assembly is empowered to consider the general principles of cooperation in the maintenance of peace, including the principles of disarmament, and make appropriate recommendations to the UN members and the UN Security Council. The Assembly may discuss any questions relating to the maintenance of peace put before it not only by members or the Security Council, but also by non-member states.

The Assembly may recommend measures for the peaceful settlement of any situation which might impair the general welfare or friendly relations between States. This also includes situations that arise as a result of violations of the provisions of the Charter, setting out the purposes and principles of the UN. This confirms the high position of goals and principles in the system of norms.

From what has been said, it is clear how broad the Assembly's competence is in the field of a peaceful settlement. It covers not only situations that threaten peace, but also a wide range of situations of a different kind, of course, with the exception of those considered by the Security Council.

The main functions of the Assembly also include promoting international cooperation in the political field and encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification. It is indicative that the concern for the development of international law is on a par with the promotion of political cooperation.

With the participation of the Assembly, more than 300 treaties were adopted on major issues, including human rights, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, the use of the seabed and outer space. An important function is to promote cooperation in the field of economic and social life, culture, education, health and human rights.

Among other bodies, the Assembly is distinguished by its powers in the field of finance. It approves the Organization's budget and determines the contributions of its members. It approves agreements concluded by ECOSOC on behalf of the UN with specialized agencies. The Assembly may request advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice, and also authorizes other UN bodies and its specialized agencies to make such requests.

The decisions taken by the Assembly are formalized in the form of resolutions. The most significant of them are called declarations. According to the UN Charter, all of them are in the nature of recommendations. It would be wrong, however, to assume that such resolutions are only wishes. They have a moral and political force, and it is not easy for states to ignore them. In addition, compliance with the obligations under the Charter also implies a respectful attitude towards the resolutions adopted by the Assembly.

The powers of the Assembly in the field of formation of UN bodies are essential. It elects 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council, all members of ECOSOC. It establishes more than 200 subsidiary bodies. Finally, the process of adopting amendments to the Bylaws begins with their approval by the Assembly.

The Assembly exercises a number of powers jointly with the Security Council. On the recommendation of the latter, it issues decisions on admission to membership, suspension and termination of membership. The General Assembly and the Security Council jointly elect the members of the International Court of Justice.

There are six main committees of the General Assembly, each of which represents all members of the UN:

1) The First Committee (Questions of disarmament and international security) deals with questions of disarmament and international security.
2) The Second Committee (Economic and Financial Affairs) considers economic matters.
3) The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs) deals with social and humanitarian issues.
4) The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization Questions) deals with a variety of political issues which are not considered by any other committee or plenary meeting of the Assembly, including questions of decolonization.
5) The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) deals with the administration and budget of the United Nations.
6) Sixth Committee ( Legal issues) considers questions of international law.

In addition to the main committees, the General Assembly has established a large number of subsidiary committees and commissions. To coordinate the work of the committees at each session, a General Committee is formed, consisting of the Chairman of the Assembly, 17 of his deputies and chairmen of 6 main committees. At each session, a Credentials Committee consisting of 9 members is formed. There are also 2 standing committees: the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and the Committee on Contributions; the members of these committees are elected by the UN General Assembly for 3 years. In addition, the establishment of special committees and commissions is widely practiced: for example, the Special Committee on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the International Law Commission and others.

Since 1964 there have been special bodies of the UN General Assembly as autonomous international organizations: the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD; since 1964), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO; since 1965), and the Capital Development Fund (1966).

We can agree with the scientist A.V. Pogorelsky, who writes that the General Assembly in its current form is more like a debating club because of the vastness of its agenda and the many subsidiary bodies, which makes its work unproductive. The proposed reform provides for the need to focus the attention of the General Assembly on resolving the most pressing issues of world development.

For recent years increasing efforts are being made to make the work of the General Assembly more focused and relevant. This became an important priority at the fifty-eighth session. Resolutions 58/126 and 58/316, adopted on 19 December 2003 and 1 July 2004 respectively, set out concrete measures to streamline the work of the Assembly, streamline its agenda, improve the practices and working methods of the Main Committees and enhance the role of the General Committee. The fifty-ninth session continued to evaluate the implementation of these mandates and to look for additional ways and means to further revitalize the work of the General Assembly, including strengthening the role and authority of the President.

The General Assembly has many achievements, but there are also outright failures. In 1956, she managed to restore the status quo in the Middle East after Suez Crisis and in the course of its resolution to create a new effective tool to keep the peace - UN Emergency Force. However, it failed to take effective action to stop the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968. It also failed to influence the course of the Vietnam War. In the Middle East, even the pro-Arab attitude of the Assembly after the 1967 war did not contribute to negotiations between Israel and neighboring states.

However, the activities of the Assembly were not limited to discussions. Thus, in the field of international law, under the auspices of the General Assembly, the International Agency for atomic energy(IAEA). In 1948, the Assembly's weighty contribution was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Although the Universal Declaration did not become a legally binding instrument, the Genocide Convention has gained binding status as it has been ratified by UN member states. The General Assembly also adopted three exceptionally important arms control agreements: in 1966 the Treaty on outer space, in 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and in 1971 Treaty on the Use of the Seabed. In 1974, she initiated the organization of the United Nations University (UNU) with headquarters in Tokyo and established it regional offices Worldwide .

The emergence of an Afro-Asiatic-Arab bloc in the 1970s, called the Group of 77, dominated by mostly non-aligned countries, led the US to question the usefulness of the Assembly's "one state, one vote" political principle. The question was: should a global superpower make decisions of a body in which states representing tiny countries, sometimes with an illiterate population, an underdeveloped economy, and an inefficient army, have equal rights with it? The United States, which was ordered to support the UN budget by 25%, was increasingly annoyed by the fact that a country whose contributions to the budget of this organization are less than 0.1% has the same voting right. Therefore, the Americans began to put forward informal proposals for the introduction of "weighted voting" taking into account the real political strength of a particular state. But all these proposals rested on the impossibility of defining criteria for political weight. Therefore, the principle of "one state, one vote" was maintained, despite the danger that the superpowers would ignore the Assembly, acting either outside the UN or only through the Security Council.

In the 1970s, many Third World countries tried to use the General Assembly to change the existing structure of the world economy. In 1974, Algeria convened a special session of the Assembly to consider ways to accelerate the economic development of the Third World countries and reduce the gap between rich and poor states. By 1980, the latter had turned the General Assembly into a forum for discussing the New International Economic Order (NIEO), which assumed a more equitable distribution wealth and resources. The rich countries of the North have been reluctant to admit that dialogue on these issues with the poor and hungry countries of the South is a matter of common survival.

In the mid-1980s, the NIEP as a diplomatic initiative lost wide support in the Assembly. But the ideas behind it for a more even distribution global resources and universal responsibility are still relevant today. Many developing countries consider such a redistribution of resources as an adequate response to the spontaneous action of rigid market mechanisms. Proposals developed in 1992 at the Conference on environment and development ("Meeting of Earthlings" in Brazil), reflected some of the ideas of the NWEP.

The dividing line between rich and poor countries in the General Assembly has become even more pronounced because of two particularly acute problems: apartheid in South Africa and the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and Arab states. In both cases, most of the wealthy Western countries advocated gradual reforms and continued dialogue, or, as the United States called it, "calm diplomacy." Most of the Third World countries, which took a sharply critical position, advocated the adoption of economic and political sanctions, as well as relevant UN resolutions that could end apartheid and Israeli occupation. In the 1980s, pressure from some Western allies on Washington gradually led the US to support sanctions against Pretoria. By the end of the decade, major reforms began to take place, heralding the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa. In 1990, African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela was released.

But on the issue of Israeli-Palestinian relations, the positions of the Assembly had an impact only on public opinion. Most UN resolutions have not been implemented, and the Assembly's repeated attempts to influence the Security Council to implement its own decisions have been unsuccessful. After the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) declared Palestine an independent state and recognized the state of Israel in 1988, the Assembly invited PLO leader Yasser Arafat to speak. But the US denied him a visa, which was regarded by many states as a violation of US obligations to the UN. In response, the General Assembly, with its entire membership, including diplomats and officials, went to Geneva for a special session to hear the leader of Palestine. Over the years, the Assembly has consistently pointed to the need for an international peace conference on the Middle East under the auspices of the five permanent members of the Council.

As you know, the problems of reforming the UN are now ripe, but, apparently, the UN reforms should begin with a clearer definition of the powers of the Secretary General. Until now, these powers, the scope and priorities of the activities of the Secretary-General have been rather arbitrarily determined by the persons who have occupied this post. Some of them placed more emphasis on the administrative functions of leading the UN itself and coordinating the activities of its specialized agencies, others were more actively involved in mediation in international conflicts, and still others focused on propagating the ideas of the UN and world federalism. The UN Charter characterizes the Secretary-General as the highest administrative officer of the UN, but Article 99, which outlines his powers, suffers from a lack of clear language.

It is also important to limit as much as possible the number of political appointees among middle and middle UN bureaucrats. lower level. While political considerations will inevitably be taken into account in the process of selecting senior officials, this practice need not necessarily extend to all categories of United Nations employees. The current system of quotas and assignments, when each country or group of countries strives, by all means, to fill the maximum number of available positions at any level, leads to a decrease in professionalism and the formation of "national mafias" within the United Nations apparatus. Of course, the new powers of the Secretary-General could increase, if not the effectiveness, then at least the efficiency of the work of the UN. But without deep reforms of the Secretariat itself, the concentration of power in the hands of one person would in fact mean the delegation of this power from the Security Council to the anonymous bureaucratic pyramid of the UN, with hardly predictable consequences of such a step.

The UN General Assembly must undergo significant changes. At present, its main role is to express world public opinion on various issues in the form of relevant resolutions, as well as in facilitating informal discussions between heads of state and their foreign ministers. Sessions of the General Assembly allow individual states to draw the attention of the international community to forgotten or hushed up issues. But the ability of the General Assembly to make effective decisions today is extremely limited.

In the author's opinion, the reform of the General Assembly should consist mainly in the ability to independently implement its own decisions and in the ability to focus on solving the most pressing issues of world development.

83. UN General Assembly, its structure. Work procedure and decision-making procedure

84. International conferences: concept, rules of procedure, decision-making procedure

85. The concept and meaning of the law of peaceful resolution of international disputes

86. The concept of an international dispute

87. Types of international disputes

83. UN General Assembly, its structure. Work procedure and decision-making procedure

The General Assembly is one of the main organs of the UN, consisting of representatives of all UN member states. The delegation of each UN member state consists of no more than five representatives and five substitutes.

The General Assembly, within the limits of the Charter of the United Nations, has the power to discuss and make recommendations to the Members of the United Nations or to the Security Council on any question or matter within the limits of the Charter, with the exception of matters under the consideration of the Security Council in respect of any dispute or situation.

Structurally, the General Assembly consists of seven committees, each of which represents all members of the UN:

Political and Security Committee (First Committee), Special Political Committee;
Committee on Economic and Social Affairs (Second Committee);
Committee on Social, Humanitarian Affairs (Third Committee);
Trusteeship and Non-Self-Governing Territories Committee (Fourth Committee);
Administration and Budget Committee (Fifth Committee);
Legal Affairs Committee (Sixth Committee).

In addition to the main committees, the General Assembly created a large number of subsidiary committees and commissions.

The General Assembly, in particular: considers the principles of cooperation in the field of ensuring international peace and security; elects non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, members of the Economic Social Council; on the recommendation of the Security Council, appoints the Secretary-General of the United Nations; jointly with the Security Council elects the members of the International Court of Justice; coordinates international cooperation in the economic, social, cultural and humanitarian spheres, exercises other powers provided for by the UN Charter.

Gene. The Assembly works in session. Assembly sessions are held annually, in October-March. At the request of the Security Council or a majority of UN members, special or emergency sessions may be convened. The work of the session takes place in the form of plenary sessions and meetings of committees and commissions.

Each member of the Assembly has one vote. Decisions on important issues are taken by a two-thirds majority of the UN members present, on other issues decisions are taken by a simple majority of members. The decision is drawn up in the form of resolutions, and the most significant of them are called declarations. According to the UN Charter, all of them are advisory in nature.

84. International conferences: concept, rules of procedure, decision-making procedure

international Conference - a meeting of official delegations of states in order to solve various problems of political, military, economic, etc. nature, is temporary and is an important tool for multilateral diplomacy.

With the participation of a small number of States, the rules of procedure are simplified. Conferences with broad powers adopt fairly detailed rules. Meetings with a few participants are limited to the choice of the head and the creation of the secretariat. Conferences with wide representation have a complex organizational structure: a chairman, committees, subcommittees, working groups, secretariat. The main organizational issues are decided by the General Committee, consisting of the chairman of the conference and the chairmen of the committees. A special committee deals with verification of credentials.

The rules of procedure (regulations of the conference) determine the procedure for voting and decision-making. Decisions are made in restricted meetings unanimously. At broad conferences, procedural matters are decided by a simple majority of those present who take part in the vote. The final text is usually adopted by a two-thirds majority. Used frequently procedure consensus- the decision is made in the absence of objections.

The decision of meetings of a limited composition, as a rule, is drawn up by a joint statement or communiqué. Broader conferences adopt final acts, conventions and recommendations containing the results of the work, the texts of the decisions taken. They are signed by the participants, and the signing of the act containing the text of the adopted agreement means the establishment of authenticity.

The resolutions of the conferences are not legally binding, but they are respected by the participants as moral and political obligations.

Legalare only binding decisions in the form of a contract. Resolutions international conferences are acts of soft law» They are formed faster, states agree with them more easily than with rigid obligations under treaties and pave the way for relevant legal norms. Their significance is essential in the interpretation of norms.

85. The concept and meaning of the law of peaceful resolution of international disputes

The right of peaceful resolution of international disputes is a branch of international law, the norms and principles of which establish the procedure for the settlement of disputes between subjects of international law by peaceful means.

The emergence of disputes between subjects of international law are an integral element of international relations. Since it is not possible to completely exclude disputes from the life of the international community, every effort should be made to prevent them or to resolve them fairly. This is what determines the importance of this industry, since without a mechanism for the peaceful resolution of disputes, the system of international relations cannot function normally.

The legal foundation of this industry is one of the basic principles of international law - the principle of peaceful resolution of international disputes, according to which states “resolve their international disputes by peaceful means in such a way as not to endanger international peace and security and justice (clause 3 of article 2 of the UN Charter ). This prescription is categorical and allows no exceptions. He is reverse side the same categorical prohibition of resorting to war in international relations. special principle area is the principle of free choice of means of peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the Declaration on the Principles of International Law of 1970.

The means of peaceful settlement of disputes, which were developed in the process of centuries-old practice of international communication, were first normatively enshrined in the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907, on the peaceful resolution of international conflicts, which included among such means good offices and mediation of international commissions of inquiry, an international arbitration tribunal. The Charter of the League of Nations established the first judicial body - the Permanent Court of International Justice, adopted by the League of Nations in 1928. The General Act on the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes established the mandatory jurisdiction of the Permanent Court of International Justice if an international dispute was settled through negotiations.

The provision on the peaceful settlement of international disputes was recorded in the UN Charter (clause 3, article 2) and was subsequently repeated, in particular, in the Declaration on the Principles of International Law of 1970, the OSCE Final Act of 1975, as well as in the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes 1982 Provisions of the UN Charter relating to the peaceful settlement of international disputes involving not only UN member states, but also non-UN member states. peaceful resolution international disputes is thus a principle of general international law binding on all states of the world.

86. The concept of an international dispute

International dispute is a set of mutual demands of states on specific unresolved issues. The states between which such disagreements arose are considered parties to the dispute (there are no parties in the situation, but there are interested states). The dispute is characterized by the presence of specific disagreements between the states, which must be recognized (confirmed) by the states, otherwise it is not a dispute. In ch. VI of the UN Charter refers to disputes between states, which we actually call international.

87. Types of international disputes

International disputes can be divided into types:

By number of sides - on bilateral And multilateral .

By subject- on economic , territorial and so on.

The UN Charter also refers to the so-called local disputes, mainly to be resolved within the relevant regional organizations. It is important to divide disputes into legal And political(or others). Paragraph 3 of Art. 36 of the UN Charter provides that disputes of a legal nature, under general rule submitted to the International Court of Justice. In turn, Art. 36 of the Statute of the Court provides that such legal disputes may concern the interpretation of the treaty, any question of international law, the existence of a fact which, if found, would constitute a breach of an international obligation, the nature and amount of redress for a breach of an international obligation.

The General Assembly is the main deliberative body of the UN. It was conceived as a forum in which the nations of the world could "discuss any question or matter within the limits of the Charter." The General Assembly consists of representatives of all Member States, each of which has one vote.

Basically, the General Assembly adopts its resolutions and decisions by a majority vote of the Member States present. Decisions on major issues are taken by a two-thirds vote. Decisions on other issues are taken by a simple majority of votes. Voting may be conducted by a vote recorded in the protocol, by a show of hands or by roll call. No nation can veto the decisions of the General Assembly.

Functions and powers

The UN General Assembly exercises broad powers: from controlling the activities of the Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council to key electoral duties. In accordance with the Charter, the General Assembly has the following functions and powers:

consider the principles of cooperation in the maintenance of international peace and security, including the principles governing disarmament and arms regulation, and develop recommendations in relation to these principles;
to discuss and make recommendations on any matter relating to international peace and security, except when the dispute or situation is before the Security Council;
discuss and, with the same exception, make recommendations on any matter within the limits of the Charter or on matters relating to the powers and functions of any organ of the United Nations;
to organize studies and formulate recommendations for the promotion of international political cooperation, the development and codification of international law, the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and the promotion of international cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, educational and health fields;
to recommend measures for the peaceful settlement of any situation, regardless of its origin, in case it may damage the friendly relations between nations;
receive and consider reports from the Security Council and other organs of the United Nations;
review and approve the budget of the United Nations and determine the contributions of individual members;
to elect non-permanent members of the Security Council, members of the Economic and Social Council and eligible members of the Trusteeship Council (if necessary), and participate jointly with the Security Council in the election of the judges of the International Court of Justice and, on the recommendation of the Security Council, appoint the Secretary-General.
2.6. Session Organization Structure

The Assembly holds ordinary sessions annually. They usually open in September. Beginning with the 58th regular session (2003), the General Assembly opens on the third Tuesday of September, counting from the first week containing at least one business day. As a rule, the session lasts about three months.

Prior to the regular session, elections are held for the President of the General Assembly, as well as for the 21 Vice-Presidents and the Chairs of the six Main Committees of the Assembly. Each member state of the UN has the right to be represented on any of these committees. The Chairman of the Assembly directs its work through the General Committee. To ensure the fairness of geographical representation, the presidency of the General Assembly is held in turn by representatives of five groups of States: Asian, African, Eastern European, Western European, Latin American and Caribbean countries.

In addition to ordinary sessions, the Assembly may hold special sessions at the request of the Security Council, a majority of the Members of the United Nations, or one Member of the Organization with the consent of a majority of the other Members. Under the terms of the resolution “Unity for Peace” already mentioned, in the event of a threat to peace, emergency special sessions may be convened within 24 hours of the receipt of the request of the Security Council, adopted by the votes of any nine members of the Council, or at the request of a majority of the Members of the United Nations, or at demand of one member with the consent of a majority of the others.

At the beginning of each ordinary session, the General Assembly holds general plenary meetings at which the Heads of State and Government speak. Some issues are considered directly at these meetings, others are referred to one of the six main committees:

The First Committee deals with questions of disarmament and international security;
The second committee - economic and financial questions;
Third Committee - social and humanitarian issues, as well as cultural issues;
the Fourth Committee, on special political and decolonization issues;
Fifth Committee - administrative and budgetary matters;
The sixth committee - legal questions.

Resolutions and decisions, including those based on committee recommendations, are taken in plenary sessions, usually by the end of a regular session in December. They can be adopted both by voting and without it.

Despite the fact that the General Assembly is the largest and most representative body of the UN, it is not the most powerful body, since the resolutions adopted by the Assembly, unlike the decisions of the Security Council, do not have a binding legal effect for governments. At the same time, world public opinion on important international issues, as well as the moral authority of the world community, stand behind the decisions of the General Assembly.

On the basis of the resolution "Unity for Peace", adopted by the General Assembly in November 1950, the Assembly may take action in the event of a threat to the peace, a breach of the peace or an act of aggression, if the Security Council is unable to act in this direction due to lack of unity among its permanent members. The Assembly is empowered to immediately consider this matter in order to propose recommendations to Member States on collective measures, including in the event of a breach of the peace or an act of aggression, the use of armed forces, if necessary, to maintain or restore international peace and security. 40 Global economic regulation
Ms. Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa (Bahrain) was elected President of the 61st session of the General Assembly (2006). During this time, she served as legal adviser to the Royal Court in the Kingdom of Bahrain.