The United Nations has six "Principal Organs", which are the main working bodies of the United Nations. Each has its own set of duties and powers. This page provides an overview for each of the six principal organs, with notes of how they pertain to our conference.
General Assembly (GA)Two of our committees are General Assembly Committees: GA Plenary and Disarmament. UNCTAD is also a General Assembly Programme.
The General Assembly is what most people think of when they think of the United Nations. It is the general policy and reccomendation-making body of the UN and oversees most UN operations, and is capable of addressing almost any international issue. The General Assembly currently has 191 members.
The General Assembly maintains six main subcommittees: Disarmament (GA1), Economic and Financial (GA2), Social, Cultural, and Humanatarian (GA3), Special Political (GA4), Administrative and Budgetary (GA5), and Legal (GA6).
Security Council (SC)The Security Council is a permanent committee of the GSUMUN Conference.
The Security Council is arguably the most unique and most powerful part of the United Nations System. It is the only principal organ where some voting members have more power than others, and where some members have permanent representation and others rotating. The United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia are the "P-5" or "Veto States". This name comes from the rule of "great power unanimity", whereby a "no" vote from any of the five causes a substantive vote to fail, in a so-called veto. An abstention does not invoke the veto.
Perhaps every bit as notably, the Security Council is the only body whose resolutions are binding: they carry the full force of international law and treaties, and violation of Security Council resolutions may bring sanctions or UN-sanctioned military action.
The Security Council is predominantly charged with the maintenance of international peace and security.
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)The Economic and Social Council has 54 members and is responsible for promoting social programmes worldwide. It is also responsible for programmes pertaining to health and welfare and related tasks. Many of the UN's most successful programs have come from the work of the Economic and Social Council. It operates in a manner similar to that of the General Assembly, but in a more focused manner.
Trusteeship CouncilThe trusteeship council was disbanded in 1994 when Palau, the last trust territory of the UN, fully achieved independence. Since its inception, it had served to stabilize former colonies and help them move to a fully independent state. It remains as a body in the event that it is ever needed again, and may be called back to session by the General Assembly or the Security Council.
SecretariatThe GSUMUN staff composition is heavily based on the UN Secretariat.
The UN Secretariat is headed by the Secretary General, and is the main administrative body of the United Nations. The Secretariat maintains the UN budget and accounting systems, hires UN employees, and is generally responsible for daily operations of the UN. UN Peacekeepers also fall within the Secretariat.
International Court of Justice (ICJ)The International Court of Justice serves as the main judiciary element of the United Nations in settling international legal disputes presented by states and in providing advisory opinion to UN bodies. The court is responsible for determining the status of claims under international law, and only deals with cases involving states. The ICJ does not handle criminal cases against individuals.
NGOs and IGOsYou'll often hear discussion of NGOs and IGOs, but not everyone is familiar with the details of these groups. NGOs are Non-Governmental Organizations, which generally refers to any advocacy group that is not part of a states government and is active in political, social, or cultural issues. IGOs are Inter-Governmental Organizations and are similar, but are usually formed as a group of states. NGOs and IGOs are important players in performing work in the international community.
Notable NGOs:- International Red Cross and Red Crescent
- Oxfam
- Reporters without Borders
- Doctors without Borders
- The United Nations
- World Trade Organization
- The European Union
- African Union
- League of Arab States