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On This Day: United Nations is founded
The organisation established a system of international law designed to prevent the sort of devastating global conflicts that had plagued the first half of the 20th century
OCTOBER 24, 1945: The United Nations was founded on this day in 1945 after a majority of its first 51 member states ratified its charter in a bid to achieve a lasting world peace.
The organisation established a system of international law designed to prevent the sort of devastating global conflicts that had plagued the first half of the 20th century.
It followed the failure of its predecessor, the League of Nations, to halt the rise of military aggression and prevent the recently ended World War II.
The UN Charter enshrined the principles of human rights, democracy, sovereignty as well as the right of self-determination and anti-imperialism.
The U.S. – which never joined the League despite suggesting it - was the founding member of the UN and established the permanent headquarters in New York.
And, despite their empires, Britain and France readily joined, along with the totalitarian Soviet Union and China – with October 24 becoming United Nations Day.
Facing future criticism, these Great Powers - the victors of WWII - remained the core of the UN as the five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council.
There would also be another six temporary members on a rotating basis – although this has since been extended to ten.
The Security Council, which meets in cities across the world and frequently in New York, authorises sanctions, military action and peacekeeping operations.
Combating criticism that the League was slow to react and often toothless, members are required to permanently be at the UN headquarters to respond to any crises.
The five other organs of the UN are:
• The General Assembly, where all the members set the budget, vote for the General Secretary and debate issues, although its resolutions are non-binding.
• The Economic and Social Council, which coordinates a number of agencies, including the World Bank and World Health Organisation.
• The Secretariat, which is the office of the Secretary-General, a position held since 2007 by South Korea’s Ban Ki-moon.
• The International Court of Justice, which settles international legal disputes among member states.
• And, lastly, the Trusteeship Council, which is currently inactive but was set up to temporarily administer largely former German colonies such as Tanganyika.
Since its birth, UN membership has ballooned to 193 states, with only a few states such as Kosovo not participating due to lack of international recognition.
This compares with the comparatively few flags shown flying outside its headquarters in a British Pathé newsreel from 1945.
[On This Day: WW2 Blitz begins over London]
Mass participation has helped combat another criticism about the League, which was not very well supported.
But the UN is not immune to condemnation.
It has been criticised for failing to prevent the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, despite the Security Council not endorsing military action.
And, despite some success with its peacekeeping arena, operations in Bosnia, Rwanda and Somalia failed to prevent massacres and even genocide.
Its insistence on neutrality – for example, by not siding with the Bosnian Muslims against Bosnian Serbs following their atrocities – has also been condemned.
The share of power within the UN is also hotly debated, with many countries calling for the end to five states holding permanent membership of the Security Council.
Also, the fact that any of these five members can veto an otherwise widely supported resolution – such as action in Syria – has also been criticised.
Yet, the UN is still generally considered to have been a success – in particular by fostering negotiation, reconciliation and highlighting injustice.
