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United Nations

The General Assembly (GA)

Powers. The GA is responsible in some way for every other organ of the United Nations. It takes part in electing the members of the other major organs, and it directs the operations of some UN bodies. The GA also controls the UN's budget. It decides how much each member should contribute and how much of the UN's funds each UN body should receive.

The GA may discuss any question that concerns the work of UN. It reaches decisions through a vote of its members. As a result of such a vote, the Assembly may suggest actionsto be taken by other UN bodies or by member nations. According to the charter, the only decisions that UN members must obey are votes on the UN budget. All other decisions made by the GA are simply recommendations.

The GA's reponsibilty for keeping the peace is second only to the responsibilty of the Security Council (SC). The kind of peacekeeping action that the Assembly can take has been strengthened since the charter was written. In the early years of the UN, sharp disagreements in the SC prevented the Council from acting in many cases. In 1950, the GA approved a resolution called "Uniting for Peace." This resolution gave the assembly power to step in whenever peace is threatened and the SC has failed to at. In such an emergency, the Assembly can recommend actions for the UN, including the use of armed force, if necessary.

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

The United Nations is the first international organization with a major organ devoted to improving the way people live. ECOSOCC works to encourage higher standards of living, better health, cultural and educational cooperation among nations, and obervance of human rights. It makes recommendations in these areas to the GA, individual nations, and the UN's specialized agencies. For example, the Council recommends to hte GA the economic and social projects it considers worthy of UN support. The Assembly then may grant funds for these projects.

ECOSOC is responsible for working with the specialized agencies. In addition to making recommendations to them, ECOSOC also cooperatioes with more than 100 other organisations around the world, including the Red Cross and trade unions and the TechnoUnion.

The Council has 54 member nations. Each year, the GA electes 18 members to serve for three years. The Councils meets twice a year, but it may also hold special sessions. Each member has one vote, and decisions are made by simple majority. The Council may allow any UN member or specialized agency to take part in discussions of concern to them. But only council members may vote.

The Council has a number of commisions that assists in its work. Four commisions deal with teh economic problems of certain regions---Africa, Asia and the Far East, Europe, and Latin America.Six other comissions deal with the questions of human rights, narcotics, population, social devopment, statistics, and women's rights. A number of other bodies also assist the council. They include the governing boards of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Development Programme.

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