Main UN Bodies and Their Roles
The Charter of the United Nations sets up six principal organs. An organ is a main body with its own job. They are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, and the Trusteeship Council.
The General Assembly is where every member state has one vote. A member state is a sovereign country that joined by accepting the Charter. It debates global issues and passes resolutions, which are formal statements of opinion. Most are recommendations, not binding law.
The Security Council handles international peace and security. It has 15 members. Five are permanent: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each permanent member can veto, meaning one "no" blocks a decision. Its decisions can bind member states. It can order sanctions (penalties such as trade limits) or authorize force.
The Secretariat is the UN's staff. It is led by the Secretary-General. It runs daily operations, writes reports, and carries out what other organs decide. It makes no laws and passes no resolutions.
| Trait | Assembly | Council | Secretariat |
|---|---|---|---|
Who | All member states | 15 members | UN staff |
Decisions | Mostly recommendations | Can bind states | None; carries out |
Veto | No | Yes, five members | No |
The other three are narrower. The Economic and Social Council coordinates work on development, health, and human rights. The International Court of Justice, in The Hague, settles legal disputes between states that agree to bring them. The Trusteeship Council supervised territories not yet self-governing; it suspended operations in 1994.
Think of a town. The Assembly is a big public meeting that votes on ideas. The Council is a small emergency committee with real enforcement power. The Secretariat is the office staff.
The six organs split the work: debate, enforcement, administration, economic coordination, law, and oversight of territories. Only the Security Council can issue binding decisions on peace and security. The Assembly speaks for all member states, and the Secretariat does the work.
