The United Nations system is a complex constellation of interrelated organizations assisted by an impressive number of principal and subsidiary organs. The system has considerably evolved over the years in order to adjust to changing situations.  The relationship between some of its elements may at times be puzzling. With the purpose of analyzing in depth the respective roles and functions of the principal organs of the UN and their subsidiary bodies, UNITAR offers to the diplomatic communities in UN locations a number of courses focusing in particular on the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council.

The Charter of the United Nations, signed on 26 June 1945 at the end of the San Francisco Conference, provided for the establishment of six principal organs (General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice and Secretariat). They constitute the core of the UN system. Some of them created in turn numerous subsidiary organs to facilitate their respective tasks.

In addition, the General Assembly, and sometimes the Economic and Social Council, decided to establish a number of important programmes and funds, such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to deal with economic and social issues. UNITAR is one of them.

To complete the picture, the UN system also includes some 15 specialized agencies, such as ILO, UNESCO and WHO. Those are autonomous organizations that decided to be linked to the UN as equal partners through a relationship agreement. Only those organizations may be referred to as “specialized agencies” in accordance with Article 57 of the Charter. Some of them, like UPU, were created even before the United Nations.

It is evident that the UN system is extremely complex and could often be confusing. To demystify the various elements of that system, UNITAR offers thorough briefings intended primarily for new delegates to the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council, but also available to all other members of the diplomatic communities in UN locations around the world.

Click here for more information about the New York offices of UNITAR and the UN System.