United Nations (UN)

The United Nation is an international organisation founded in 1945 after the second world war by 51 countries committed to maintain international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.

UN's roots can be traced to 16th century European ideas about international law and organisation, a series of development in the 19th century and the league of Nationals established after world war I.

UN has promoted a culture of legality and rule of law such that it raised an awareness of the plight of the world's poor, and it has boosted development by providing technical assistance. It workd towards the promotion for human rights including the status of women, the rights of the child, and the unique needs of indigenous people. It has contributed immensely to the establishment of international norms, public policies and law.

Structure of United Nations

The Structure of the UN consists of six major bodies: the General Assembly, the Security council, the Economic and social council, the trusteeship council, the international court of justice and the secretariat. Each has changed during the life of the organisation in response to external realities, internal pressures and interactions with other organs. In reality, it is more accurate to speak of the UN system because the UN has evolved into far more than these 6 organs.

Purpose of the UN

The UN helps:

1.       To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace and to bring about by peaceful means and in conformity with the principle of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace

2.       To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of people and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace.

3.       To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, humanitarian character and in promoting an encouraging respect for human rights for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.

4.       To be a centre for harmonising the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends. The world bank is a specialised agency of the UN, established by inter-governmental agreement and having wide international responsibilities. The world bank is linked to the UN system through the economic and social council (known as ECOSOC which acts under the authority of the General Assembly) as per article 57, paragraph 1 of the charter of the UN. The UN system is based on international cooperation and especially on international economic and social cooperation.
Under the article 55 with a view to the creation of conditions of stability and well being that are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations between nationals based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of people, the United nation shall promote:

                                 i.            Higher standard of living, full employment and conditions of economic and social progress and development;

                               ii.            Solutions of international economic, social, health and related problems and international and cultural cooperation.

                              iii.            Universal respect for, and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.

The entire UN system is based on the two following principles:

        I.            sovereign equality for all its members, and

      II.            members must be in good faith fulfill the obligations they have under taken by the terms of the charter.

Consequently from a historic viewpoint and contrary to their pronouncements, the IMF and the world bank are specialised agencies of the UN. As such they are bound by the UN chatter. while it is true that the world bank and the IMF are independent of the UN at the operational level, it is nevertheless their duty to respect human tights and customary laws in general.
The international financial institutions must incorporate their obligation in the implementation of their policies: no subject of international law can escape their obligations by involving the absence of an explicit mandate or on the pretext of 'non-politicisation' or even less by a restrictive interpretation of economic, social and cultural rights as being less binding than civil and political rights.