Before answering the question of what the UN is, it would be useful to look into history and trace the prerequisites for the creation of this structure. Already at the dawn of a new time, European states were trying to build a parity system of international relations, which would take into account the interests of large and small continental states. Such attempts were aimed primarily at
reducing tension in international politics and preventing military clashes so that conflicts are resolved through dialogue and negotiations. Time has shown that one's own state interests are often above peaceful aspirations. So, the desire for colonial redistribution led to the First World War.
After 1918, it became apparent that the world needed a permanent all-planet arbitration. The first attempt to create such an international organization was the League of Nations, formed in 1919 as a result of the Versailles-Washington accords after the First World War. The main task of the League of Nations was proclaimed the prevention of military clashes throughout the planet, the reported disarmament of leading world powers, the settlement of conflicts through peaceful diplomatic negotiations. However, the next two and a half decades have demonstrated that this organization is clearly not coping with its tasks. The extremely large-scale World War II and the events preceding it showed that the League of Nations has no real levers of power, except for appeals, and is not able to pacify the aggressors. As a result of negotiations, it was dissolved on April 20, 1946.
So what is the UN: organization functions
The United Nations has become a kind of successor to the League of Nations. It was created as a result of post-war negotiations on October 24, 1945 in San Francisco. The founders of the UN were 50 states. Later, by signing the protocol, the Republic of Poland received membership in the UN.
Speaking about what the UN is, it is imperative to determine its main functions. Compared with its predecessor, the UN has expanded its range of interests. In addition to maintaining and strengthening peace on the planet, maintaining friendly relations between nations, the UN's tasks include promoting comprehensive economic, cultural and social development in the world. Particular attention is paid to supporting the lagging regions, for example in Africa and Asia, in the economic, educational, health and other fields.
What is the UN: Organization Structure
The UN has several
branches of government to coordinate its activities
. So, its main bodies are: the General Assembly, which has parliamentary functions, the Security Council, which administers the executive branch, the
International Court of Justice and the Economic and Social Council, which regulate issues in their respective fields. And finally,
the UN Secretariat, which has administrative responsibilities. In addition, there are a number of peculiar subsidiaries, such as the World Health Organization, UNESCO (contributes to the development of education in the world and the preservation of the cultural world heritage), the International
Labor Organization and others.
Today , the organization has its own information centers and representative offices in most countries of the world. There is also a UN information center in Moscow.