Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about United Nations Organization (U.N.O.) from Class 7 Social_Science. Let us begin by looking at the emblem of the United Nations Organization. The emblem features a map of the world surrounded by olive branches. These olive branches represent the principle of peace and friendship. This emblem beautifully reflects the basic ideal of the United Nations. Do you know why it was established? About 70 years ago, a disastrous war broke out between the European countries. Within a short time, the countries of different continents joined the war. This is called the Second World War. As a result of the war, there was heavy loss of life, and mankind, which suffered on account of the war, aspired for a peaceful world, free from conflict. At this juncture, under the leadership of US President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Churchill, and the Russian dictator Stalin, representatives from 51 nations assembled to adopt a resolution for the establishment of permanent peace in the world. In order to implement the decision, the United Nations Organization took birth on 24th October 1945. Formerly known as the UNO, it is now addressed simply as UN, as it represents the world nations rather than just an organization. UN stands for United Nations.
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The basic aims of the United Nations Organization are to maintain international peace and security. They aim to develop friendly relations, on the basis of equality, among all the nations of the world. They cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems. They promote respect for human rights. Finally, they function as a conducive centre to achieve these aims. Now let us move on to the main bodies that are established to implement the aims of the United Nations. There are six principal organs. They are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, the Secretariat, and the Trusteeship Council. First is the General Assembly. The annual meeting is held every September. Representatives from the member nations attend the meeting. Though each member nation has 5 representatives, it has the right to cast only one vote. The General Assembly functions like the Parliament of the United Nations. Presently, in 2022, 193 countries of the world have become member nations of the United Nations. Sudan is the UN's 193rd member nation.
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Second is the Security Council. The Security Council is like the executive body of the United Nations. The major functions of the Security Council are to provide suitable suggestions regarding the decisions taken by the General Assembly and to maintain global peace and security. The Security Council consists of representatives from 15 member nations. United States, Russia, Britain, France, and China are the permanent members. The remaining 10 nations are elected as temporary members by the General Assembly for a period of two years. The approval of nine member nations is necessary for any resolution to be passed in the Security Council. No decision will be approved even if any one of the permanent members opposes it. The power of a permanent member nation to oppose a decision is called Veto Power. Let us pause for a moment to discuss an important activity. Is the voting majority of the General Assembly final, or is the Veto power of the Security Council final? Discuss this question carefully with your classmates and teachers.
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Third is the Economic and Social Council. All nations of the world generally face several problems. This body has the responsibility to solve problems related to the violation of human rights, and violations with respect to race, language, religion, and boundaries. The Economic and Social Council provides mutual cooperation and assistance in matters related to illiteracy, poverty, hunger, rehabilitation of refugees, health, equality of women, child protection, and control of drugs. Fourth is the International Court of Justice. The International Court of Justice is headquartered at the Hague in the Netherlands. The court has 15 judges. The members of the General Assembly and the Security Council elect the judges. The function of the International Court is to solve disputes arising between member nations. Fifth is the Secretariat. The headquarters of the permanent secretariat is situated in the city of Lake Success. The Secretary-General is the administrative head of the Secretariat. The Secretary-General has the responsibility to find solutions to any problem which could threaten international peace, bringing it to the immediate notice of the UN.
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The present Secretary-General of the UN Secretariat is Mr. Antonio Guterres from Portugal. The candidate chosen by the General Assembly should be approved by the Security Council before being elected as the Secretary General of the Secretariat. Sixth is the Trusteeship Council. When the UN was established, 11 states did not have independent administration. In order to safeguard their interests, a council of 5 member nations was formed as a principal organ of the UN. This is called the Trusteeship Council. All the 11 states got independence by 1994. Now let us talk about the flag and the administrative language. The UN has its own flag. The flag has a light blue background and bears the UN emblem at the centre. 24th October is observed as UN day worldwide. The official languages currently being used by the UNO are English, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, French, and Arabic. It generally uses English. Several specialized agencies, also known as sub-organs, have been functioning under the UN to improve the standard of living.
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Some of the important agencies are the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO, with its head office situated in Paris, France. Next is the Food and Agricultural Organization, known as FAO, with its head office situated in Rome, Italy. Then we have the World Health Organization, known as WHO, with its head office situated in Geneva, Switzerland. Finally, there is the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, known as UNICEF, with its head office situated in New York, USA. Let us now explore the achievements of the United Nations and its limitations. First, regarding economic contribution, it has given economic aid to various domains such as Health, Transport, Communication, Food, Science, and Education. Second, regarding social contribution, the UN has provided aid to millions of refugees. It has commanded appreciation by providing special needs to infants, mothers, and weaker sections of the people. Third, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a special achievement, declared on 10th December 1948.
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Fourth, the UN has strived to aid the rise of many independent nations which were colonized by foreign rule. Fifth, regarding the establishment of peace, the UN has brought hope by preventing another world war and establishing world peace in a world shaken by two world wars. The ban on the use of nuclear weapons after 1945 is the greatest achievement of the UNO. In spite of many wars fought between the nations of the world, the UN has successfully implemented all possible measures to control them. However, there are some limitations. First, the Cold War ended with the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The United States is claiming to be the world leader and showing its attitude as the big brother of the world in this changed situation. This has threatened the multicultural pattern of life in the world. Second, the UN has not been able to implement many of its decisions. As the UNO has to enforce peace by using the armed forces of member nations, problems have arisen when some nations refuse to provide forces for UN peacekeeping operations. The UN has no military of its own.
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Third, since the consent of the permanent members of the Security Council is mandatory, in the absence of acceptance of even one permanent member, a decision cannot be implemented. Now let us learn about India and the UN. India was one of the signatories to the UN charter in 1945. After Independence, India has played a significant role in international matters. Since the beginning, India has been opposing the principle of racial discrimination. India continues its efforts towards the total elimination of colonialism. India was the first country to stress on the total ban on testing of nuclear weapons. Besides this, India has constantly supported the principle of disarmament and world peace. India has despatched its peacekeeping forces to support the UN during armed conflicts between two countries. Smt. Vijayalakshmi Pandit was the first woman chairperson of the UN. Justice Benagal Narsing Rao from India was a Judge of the International Court of Justice. Dr. Nagendra Singh has rendered memorable services as the Chief Justice of the International Court of Justice. General K S Thimmaiah and other heads of the Indian Army have rendered considerable services in International Peace Keeping operations.
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At present, the permanent members of the UN Security Council have restricted the membership of the council to five nations only for their vested interests. It is unfortunate that a developing nation like India has not secured a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. It is time to go through the exercises to prepare for your exams. I will read each question and provide the complete answer based on your textbook. Fill in the blanks with suitable words. Question one: The head office of the UN is situated in ________. Answer: Lake Success. Question two: Maintenance of international peace and security is the main function of the _________ of the UN. Answer: Security Council. Question three: Total members of the UN Security Council is _________. Answer: 15. Question four: The International Court of Justice is situated at _________ in the Netherlands. Answer: the Hague. Answer the following in one word or sentence each. Question five: When did the United Nations Organization start? Answer: It started on 24th October 1945. Question six: Who was responsible for the establishment of the UN? Answer: Under the leadership of US President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Churchill, and Russian dictator Stalin, representatives from 51 nations were responsible.
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Question seven: What is called the Parliament of the UN? Answer: The General Assembly is called the Parliament of the United Nations. Question eight: Who are the permanent members of the UN Security Council? Answer: The permanent members are United States, Russia, Britain, France, and China. Question nine: Name two great Indians who have rendered services to the UN. Answer: Smt. Vijayalakshmi Pandit and Justice Benagal Narsing Rao. Question ten: Mention one reason for the declaration of UN Charter of Human Rights. Answer: It was declared to promote respect for human rights and protect vulnerable groups, marking a major achievement on 10th December 1948. Answer the following in two or three sentences each. Question eleven: What are the basic objectives of the United Nations Organization? Answer: The basic objectives are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations on the basis of equality among all nations, cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems, promote respect for human rights, and function as a conducive centre to achieve these aims. Question twelve: Explain the functions of the UN Security Council. Answer: The Security Council acts like the executive body of the United Nations. Its major functions are to provide suitable suggestions regarding the decisions taken by the General Assembly and to maintain global peace and security.
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Question thirteen: Make a list of four achievements of the United Nations Organization. Answer: Four achievements are providing economic aid to domains like health and education, providing aid to millions of refugees, declaring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10th December 1948, and preventing another world war while banning nuclear weapons after 1945. Question fourteen: Name the specialized agencies of the UN. Answer: The specialized agencies are UNESCO, FAO, WHO, and UNICEF. Question fifteen: What is Veto Power? Answer: Veto power is the power of a permanent member nation of the Security Council to oppose a decision. No decision will be approved even if any one of the permanent members opposes it. Question sixteen: Mention two limitations of the UN. Answer: Two limitations are that the UN has no military of its own and relies on member nations who sometimes refuse to provide forces, and that the mandatory consent of permanent Security Council members means a single veto can block any decision.
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Finally, let us look at the activities from your textbook. Activity one asks you to collect emblems of the Specialized agencies of the UN with complete details. You should gather the official emblems of UNESCO, FAO, WHO, and UNICEF, noting their full names and headquarters locations as discussed in our lesson. Activity two asks you to collect photographs with details of Indians who have rendered services in different organs of the UN. You should gather photographs and biographical details of notable Indians like Smt. Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Justice Benagal Narsing Rao, Dr. Nagendra Singh, and General K S Thimmaiah, highlighting their specific contributions to the United Nations. That covers everything in your textbook for this chapter. I hope this audio lesson has helped you understand the United Nations Organization clearly. Remember to revise the dates, names, and functions regularly. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]