About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (July 8, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govedyh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: C ss ~ A ft $erwce if ~ h 14 b~ ~ ~rii~E414 Updated July 8, 2021 United Nations Issues: Overview of the United Nations System The United Nations (U.N.) systemcomprises interconnected entities including the United Nations, specialized agencies, U.N. peacekeeping operations, funds and programs, and otherrelated bodies. Congress has generally supported the U.N. s ys temand mission, and often uses U.N. mechanisms to further U.S. foreign policy objectives. At the same time, some policymakers have been critical of the U.N. system, arguing thatU.N. actions or decisions do not align with U.S.policy priorities, or that it is not operating as effectively as possible. U.N. entities have different mandates, structures, leadership, and funding mechanisms. Each body is funded through assessed or voluntary contributions fromU.N. members (or a combination of both). Assessed contributions are required dues, the payment of which is a legal obligation accepted by a country when it becomes a member. Voluntary contributions finance special funds, programs, and offices. Some U.N. bodies receive both types of funding. The United Nations Established in the aftermath of World War II, the United Nations is an intergovernmental org anization composed of 193 member states. The U.N. Charter, an international treaty to which the United States is a state party, is the founding document of the United Nations. Article 1 of the Charter states thatthe purposes of the organization are to maintain internationalpeace and security; develop friendly relations among nations; solve economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian problems ; and promote human rights. The United Nations includes sixmain parts (referred to as organs). * The 193-member General Assembly (GA) is the organization's primary decisionmaking body. It approves the U.N. regular and peacekeeping budgets and supports the workof its committees and subsidiary organs, such as the U.N. Human Rights Council(HRC). * The 15-member Security Council (SC)is mandated with maintaining internationalpeace and security. It includes 5 permanent members with veto power (United States, China, France, Rus sia, and the United Kingdom) and 10 nonpermanent members, who are elected by the GA for two-year terms. * The Secretariat is the U.N. administrative body. It is led by the Secretary-General (SG), who serves as chief administrative officer. The SGis appointed by the GA on the recommendation of the SC. The SG serves a five- year term, with the pos sibility for a second term. The Secretariat is located at U.N. Headquarters in New York City. ttps://crsreport The three other principalorgans are (1) the U.N. Economic and Social Council, a 54-member body that addresses economic, social, andenvironmentalissues; (2) the International Court ofJustice, the principal U.N. judicial body; and (3) the Trusteeship Council, which supervised the administration of trust territories fromcolonies to sovereign nations and completed its mandate in 1994. The United Nations is funded throughtheU.N. regular budget, which totals $3.23 billion in 2021. The United States' assessed contribution is 22% of the regular budget (an estimated $677.7 million in U.S. FY2021). Other top contributors include China (12%) and Japan (8.5%). U.N. members approve as sessment levels every three years based on a formula taking into account gross national income and other economic data The United States often accumulates arrears to the regular budget due to differences between the U.S. and U.N. fiscal years (which affects the timing of U.S. payments) and U.S. withholdings fromU.N. activities, among other reasons. (For more information, see CRS In Focus IF10354, United Nations Issues: U.S. Funding to the U.N. System.) U.N. Specialized Agencies The U.N. systemhas 15 specialized agencies, each of which is a legally independent intergovernmental organization with its own constitution, rules, membership, organs, and assessedbudget (Figure l). Many specialized agencies follow the assessments for the U.N. regular budget, while others use their own formulas. The United States is a member of all specialized agencies except for UNESCO, UNIDO, and UNWTO. (President Trump initiated WHO withdrawal in 2020; President Biden halted theprocess and resumed U.S.participation in 2021.) Figure I. U.N. Specialized Agencies Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Internationa Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) International Labor Organization (ILO) International Maritime organization (MO) International Monetary Fund (IMF international Telecommunication Union (IfU) SU.N. Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) * U.N.Industrial DevelopmentOrganization (UNIDO) * U.N. World Tourism Organization (UNW TO) Universal Postal Union (UPU) World Bank Group (WBG) World Health Organization (WHO) World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Wodd Meteorological organization (WMO) * indicates the United States is not a member. Source: United Nations, adapted by CRS. .congress.qov

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most