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2.1 There are, readily available, a large number of books, manuals and
pamphlets as well as information on web sites describing the structure of
the United Nations. However, a brief outline will be made here for ease of
access for the reader and in order to set the context for the discussion in
this report.1 Given the complexity of the organisation, however, this
chapter will not be the definitive statement on the UN.

The Charter

2.2 The Charter of the United Nations was drawn up by representatives of the
50 states that gathered in San Francisco between April and June 1945.
Fifty-one states signed the Charter and these states constituted the original
organisation. The Charter is the constitution of the UN, in 19 chapters,
setting out the rights and obligations of members, the principles,
purposes, procedures and structure of the organisation. It is also an
international treaty, a comprehensive articulation of international law,
which must be signed by all member states.

2.3 The Charter can be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the
General Assembly. Amendments must be ratified by two thirds of the
members of the UN, including the five permanent members of the
Security Council. There have been only four articles amended to date -
Articles 23, 27, 61 and 109. Two of these amendments were structural,
dealing with the membership of the Security Council or ECOSOC and two

1 For much of the information used in this Chapter, the committee is particularly grateful for the
United Nations Handbook 1999, developed by the New Zealand Ministry for Foreign Affairs and
Trade/Manatu Aorere and supplied to the committee by the New Zealand High Commission
and the United Nations' own handbook, Basic Facts About the United Nations.
18

were procedural dealing with the consequent changes to the number of

votes required for particular decisions within these organs.

Purposes and Principles

2.4 The purposes and principles of the United Nations, as set forth in the
Charter, are listed in detail at paragraphs 1.3 and 1.4. In general, they are
the maintenance of peace and security, friendly relations among nations
on the basis of equality and self determination, international cooperation
to resolve economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and
adherence to and respect for human rights. To achieve this the UN relies
on an acceptance by each of the sovereign equality of all its Members; that
all members will fulfil their obligations in good faith, including the pledge
to settle their disputes by peaceful means, to refrain from aggression and
to assist the UN when asked to do so.2

Membership
2.5 The current membership of the United Nations is 189.3 Members are
admitted to the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security
Council. Almost all the nations of the world now belong; it can be truly
described as a universal organisation.
2.6 However, Switzerland is not yet a member of the United Nations. The
Peoples' Republic of China became 'the only legitimate representatives of
China' in 1971, excluding Taiwan from the UN.4 The two German states,
which had separate membership after 1975 as the German Democratic
Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany, became one state in 1991
and now have single representation under the name Germany. Until 1991
neither of the Korean states were admitted. In 1948 the General Assembly
recognised South Korea as the only legitimate government in Korea, but
the Soviet Union vetoed its membership. North Vietnam sought the
membership of two states for Vietnam in 1975. This was vetoed by the
United States but agreed in 1977 after the official unification of the two

2 Exhibit No. 66. Basic Facts About the United Nations. 1998. United Nations, New York, p. 5.
3 At the time of printing in June 2001.
4 In 1945, the Republic of China was one of the original permanent members of the Security
Council. In 1949, however, after the Communists assumed power in mainland China and the
nationalist government fled to Taiwan, the Taiwanese-based government, as the result of a
vote in the General Assembly of 43 to 15, retained the representation of China in both the
General Assembly and the Security Council. The United States moved that the question be
designated as an 'important question', thereby requiring a two-thirds vote for any change in
this situation to occur. In 1971, after the visit of Henry Kissinger to China, support for the
entry of the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) was sufficient to bring about
the change. The Taiwanese delegate walked out of the General Assembly, which then voted to
expel the Republic of China and admit the PRC into the UN.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS - FACTS AND FIGURES 19

parts of Vietnam. On occasions individual states have withdrawn and

rejoined such as Indonesia, which withdrew from membership in 1965,
but resumed in 1966.
2.7 With the end of the Cold War, many new states have sought and gained
membership of the United Nations, acknowledging the importance of the
organisation in confirming a state's national sovereignty. Twenty-nine
states have been added in the last ten years, membership rising from 160
in 1990 to 189 in 2000. In 1991, the USSR became the Russian Federation
and retained its permanent seat on the Security Council. With the
breakup of the former Yugoslavia, automatic retention of membership by
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was not agreed to in 1992. It resumed
membership in 2000.
2.8 Some non-state players have status. The Holy See has observer status.
Palestine also has observer status as well as the right to participate in
general debate before the General Assembly, but it has no right to vote.

2.9 Unofficially, member states divide into five regional groupings - African
states, Asian states, Eastern European states, Latin American and
Caribbean states, and Western European and other states. The United
States does not belong to any of the regional groupings, but is an observer
to the Western European and Other Group and is considered to be a
member of this group for electoral purposes.5

Security Council

Functions
2.10 While not strictly analogous, the Security Council has a role not dissimilar
to the executive branch of government. It has limited membership. Its
decisions, taken in accordance with the powers given it under the Charter,
are legally binding. The five permanent members have a veto power. It
meets almost continuously and some sessions are held in public.
2.11 Its primary function is to maintain international peace and security and
this function is both preventive and reactive, that is, it can examine
situations that threaten peace and security and it can order ceasefires,
impose sanctions or take military action against an aggressor. It governs
the peacekeeping role of the United Nations and it is responsible for the
regulation of armaments. Procedurally, the Council is responsible for

5 New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/Manatu Aorere. United Nations Handbook
1999. Wellington, p. 19.
20

recommending to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary-

General and the admission of new members. Together with the General
Assembly, it elects judges to the International Court of Justice.

Membership
2.12 Currently,6 the Council has 15 members, five of them permanent members
and 10 elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. Elections are
conducted each year in the General Assembly for half of the non-
permanent members. The five permanent members are China, France, the
Russian Federation,7 the United Kingdom and the United States. In the
election of the non-permanent members, the General Assembly must seek
to preserve an equitable geographic distribution on the Council as well as
consider the contribution of the proposed member to the maintenance of
international peace and security.

Table 2.1 Membership and Presidency of the Security Council in 2001

Month Presidency Membership Term Ends

January Singapore 31 December 2002
February Tunisia 31 December 2001
March Ukraine 21 December 2001
April United Kingdom Permanent member
May United States Permanent member
June Bangladesh 31 December 2001
July China Permanent member
August Colombia 31 December 2002
September France Permanent member
October Ireland 31 December 2002
November Jamaica 31 December 2001
December Mali 31 December 2001
Mauritius 31 December 2002
Norway 31 December 2002
Russian Federation Permanent member

2.13 Since 1963, the geographic distribution of the non-permanent members

has been according to the following formula: five from 101 African and

6 In 1965 the Charter was amended to increase the membership of the Security Council from 11
to 15, the five permanent members remained unchanged, but the non-permanent members
increased from 6 to 10. The number of votes for an affirmative decision was increased at that
time from seven to nine.
7 As of 24 December 1991, the Russian Federation continued the membership of the Soviet
Union in all United Nations organs.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS - FACTS AND FIGURES 21

Asian states, one from 21 Eastern European states, two from 33 Latin
American and Caribbean states and two from 26 Western European and
Other states. The countries that have served most frequently as non-
permanent members of the security council are: Japan (8), Brazil (8),
Argentina (7), India (6), Canada (6), Egypt (5), Pakistan (5), Poland (5),
Colombia (5), Italy (5) and the Netherlands (5). For the purpose of
elections, Australia is in the Western European and Other Group (WEOG).
Australia has sat on the Security Council four times. In the WEOG, only
Canada (6) and Italy (5) and the Netherlands (5) have served more often.

2.14 There is a rotating Presidency for the Security Council, decided on the
basis of English alphabetical order of names of member states. The
position is held for one month at a time.

Consideration of Issues
2.15 Any member of the United Nations (Article 35) or the Secretary General
(Article 99) can call for a meeting of the Council to consider a matter of
concern. Once a dispute is placed before the Council, there is usually an
adjournment during which delegations:

T negotiate and draft resolutions, sometimes a number of competing

resolutions, foreshadowing what action the Council might take;

T negotiate and seek to mobilise support for particular courses of action;

and

T amend resolutions to meet the requirements or objections of potential

supporters and to avoid the use of the veto power by one of the
permanent members.

When the Council resumes its meeting it debates the resolution or

resolutions that are before it and takes a vote on it (them). The negotiating
period might be a matter of hours or a matter of weeks, depending on the
urgency or complexity of the matter and the ease of gaining agreement.
2.16 Each member of the Security Council has one vote. Decisions on
procedural matters require an affirmative vote of 9 of the 15 members.
Decisions on substantive matters, including amendments to the Charter,
require 9 of the 15, but must include all votes of the five permanent
members. If a permanent member does not wish to block a measure, they
can abstain from voting, thereby not exercising a veto power.

2.17 Only the Security Council makes legally binding rulings; all other organs
of the UN make recommendations only to member states. The Charter
obliges member states who have signed it to comply with decisions of the
Council.
22

Committees/Peace Operations
2.18 The Security Council is supported by and supervises a series of
committees. There are:

T The Military Staff Committee, established under Article 47 of the

Charter, comprised of the Chiefs of Staff of the permanent members of
the Security Council. It advises and assists the Council with all
questions relating to the military requirements for maintaining peace
and security, the employment and command of all forces placed at its
disposal, the regulation of armaments and possible disarmament.

T Two standing committees which consider procedural matters:

⇒ Committee of Experts on Rules of Procedure (studies and advises on
rules of procedure and other technical matters)
⇒ Committee on Admission of New Members

T Ad hoc committees, established as needed, comprise all Council

members and meet in closed session:
⇒ Security Council Committee on Council meeting away from
Headquarters
⇒ Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation
Commission established by Security Council resolution 692 (1991)

T Nine ad hoc sanctions committees:

⇒ Security Council Committee established by resolution 661 (1990)
concerning the situation between Iraq and Kuwait
⇒ Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 748
(1992) concerning the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
⇒ Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 751
(1992) concerning Somalia
⇒ Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 864
(1993) concerning the situation in Angola
⇒ Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 918
(1994) concerning Rwanda
⇒ Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 985
(1995) concerning Liberia
⇒ Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1132
(1997) concerning Sierra Leone
⇒ Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1160
(1998) concerning the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
⇒ Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267
(1999) concerning Afghanistan
THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS - FACTS AND FIGURES 23

T The Security Council also supervises all peacekeeping operations.

There are 15 current operations.8

International Tribunals
2.19 In 1993 and 1994, in the absence on any permanent, international, judicial
procedure to deal with offences against international humanitarian law,
the Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter,
established two tribunals.

2.20 The first, on the basis of SC Res 808 (1993) and SC Res 827 (1993),
established and adopted the statute of an international tribunal for the
prosecution of persons responsible for serious violations of international
humanitarian law committed in the territory of the Former Yugoslavia
since 1991. The General Assembly elected 11 judges to the Tribunal in
1997. They come from Italy, Morocco, Australia, France, the UK, the USA
(President), Zambia, Colombia, Egypt, Portugal, Jamaica, Guyana (Vice-
President), Malaysia and China.

2.21 The second, on the basis of SC Res 955 (1994), established and adopted the
statute for the international tribunal for the prosecution of persons
committing genocide and other serious violations of international
humanitarian law during 1994 in the territory of Rwanda. The General
Assembly has elected nine judges to the tribunal on Rwanda. They come
from Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Senegal, Norway (Vice-President), the
Russian Federation, South Africa (President), Tanzania and Jamaica and
St Kitts.

General Assembly

Function
2.22 If we maintain the analogy that the Security Council has some of the
elements of the executive branch of government, then the General
Assembly would be analogous to the legislature. It is a meeting place, a
forum to discuss any world problems common to its members and within
the Charter. However, it is a 'parliament' with limited powers. Its
decisions are advisory only; it makes recommendations to governments,
but it must rely on the weight of world opinion to influence the actions of
member governments or the Security Council.

8 Peacekeeping operations will be covered in detail in Chapter 3.

24

2.23 In addition to its role of debating issues of world importance, the General
Assembly has certain procedural functions:

T To receive and consider reports from the other organs of the UN;

T To consider and approve the regular budget of the UN;

T To apportion expenses among the member states;

T To elect the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council, the 54

members of the Economic and Social Council and some members of the
Trusteeship Council;

T Together with the Security Council, to elect members of the

International Court of Justice; and

T On the recommendation of the Security Council, to appoint the

Secretary-General.

Membership
2.24 All members of the United Nations are represented in the General
Assembly. It has grown from an initial membership in 1945 of 51 to 189
members in January 2001. It is in the General Assembly that the sovereign
equality of states is demonstrated; each member of the assembly has one
vote. On matters defined as 'important questions', a two-thirds majority is
required to pass recommendations or resolutions. On ordinary questions
a simple majority is all that is required.

Sessions
2.25 The General Assembly meets once a year at UN headquarters in New
York. This regular session begins on the first Tuesday following
1 September and lasts until mid-December. Special sessions may be
convened at the request of the Security Council or at the request of a
majority of UN members. At the beginning of each session, the General
Assembly votes for a President. It is a position that rotates through the
regional groupings - African and Asian; Eastern European; Latin
American and Caribbean; and the Western European and Other Group.

Committees/Commissions/Working Groups
2.26 The number of matters to be discussed by the General Assembly is so
great that most questions are dealt with in committees in the first instance
and are brought before the General Assembly for a vote at the end of the
session. Resolutions, negotiated and drafted in the specialist committees,
THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS - FACTS AND FIGURES 25

are voted on in plenary sessions only. There are six main deliberative
committees:

T First Committee (Disarmament and International Security);

T Second Committee (Economic and Financial);

T Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural);

T Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonisation);

T Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary); and

T Sixth Committee (Legal)

2.27 In addition, there are two procedural committees, one that governs the
agenda for the Assembly and the other that examines the credentials of
representatives. Members for these committees are appointed at the
beginning of each session.

2.28 There are also two standing committees that deal with continuing issues
during and between regular sessions. They are the Advisory Committee
on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and the Committee
on Contributions.

2.29 The ACABQ has a membership of 16 appointed by the General Assembly

on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee. The members are selected
on the basis of geographical representation, as well as personal
qualifications and experience. They serve for three years, retire by
rotation, and are eligible for reappointment. In terms of the UNs financial
accountability, this is an important committee. It examines all of UNs
budgets and accounts and reports on them directly to the General
Assembly.
2.30 The Committee on Contributions establishes and monitors the formula by
which the cost of the UN is apportioned to member states. It assesses the
amounts required from new members, it considers appeals from existing
members for a change to their assessments and it advises the General
Assembly on cases of arrears. It numbers 18 members, appointed by the
General Assembly on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee. The
critera for appointment and the duration is the same as for the ACABQ.
2.31 Numerous other committees (over 30) support the work of the General
Assembly. They cover areas as diverse as: UN conferences and sources of
information, relations with the host country (USA), Palestine, the peaceful
uses of outer space, a scientific committee on the effects of atomic
radiation, and the preparatory commission for the International Criminal
Court and the Conference on Disarmament.
26

2.32 As an example, the Conference on Disarmament (CD) was established in

1978. It is the single, global, disarmament, negotiating forum. It works
towards complete disarmament under effective international control.
There are 66 member states in the CD. It meets annually in Geneva for
sessions divided into 10, seven and seven weeks. It divides its work into
ten areas, covering such matters as nuclear weapons, chemical weapons,
conventional weapons, reductions in military budgets etc. It was the CD
that negotiated the Chemical Weapons Convention (1992) and the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1996).

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

2.33 The Economic and Social Council is both a forum for discussion and a
coordinating agency for work on the economic and social issues that affect
states. Like all organs of the UN, it represents governments and it reports
to the General Assembly. It was hoped that cooperation in these 'non
political' fields would engender greater cooperation in the political arena.9
ECOSOC covers a wide range of activities: economic progress,
employment, health and education, scientific development, environmental
protection, cultural cooperation, control of international crime and drug
trafficking, civil aviation and the protection and promotion of human
rights.

Sessions
2.34 ECOSOC holds one substantive session per year, between May and July,
alternately in New York or Geneva.

Membership
2.35 It is one of the largest and most significant organs within the United
Nations. It has 54 members selected on the basis of the geographic
regions: African states (14), Asian states (11), Eastern European states (6),
Latin American and Caribbean states (10), and Western European and

9 Interestingly, the Australian delegate to the League of Nations, Stanley Bruce, had suggested
this in a report from the Bruce Commission in late 1939. It recommended the expansion of the
existing economic and social activities of the [League] and the establishment of a high-
powered council within the League to organise this work. The recommendation lapsed with
the demise of the League during World War II. But the Council was revived when discussion
on the establishment of the United Nations was discussed after the war. Quoted from Luard,
Evan. The United Nations: How it Works and What it Does. 1994. St. Martin's Press, New York,
p. 62.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS - FACTS AND FIGURES 27

Other states (13). Members serve for three-year terms. Each member has
one vote and resolutions are passed by a simple majority.

Structure
2.36 The broad range of matters that interest ECOSOC is formally dealt with by
nine functional commissions:

T Commission on Human Rights;

T Commission on Social Development;

T Commission on Population and Development;

T Commission on the Status of Women;

T Commission on Narcotic Drugs;

T Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice;

T Commission on Science and Technology for Development;

T Commission on Sustainable Development; and

T The Statistical Commission.

2.37 There are also five regional commissions:

T Africa;

T Asia and the Pacific;

T Europe;

T Latin America and the Caribbean; and

T Western Asia.

2.38 These commissions examine economic and social development in the

regions and coordinate UN responses on a regional basis. The focus of
any of the commissions, whether trade, transport, agriculture, health,
education, environment etc, is determined by the circumstances of the
region. ECOSOC receives specialist reports from all of these committees
and commissions within the UN. Drafts of resolutions decided in the
subsidiary bodies are considered in the plenary sessions of ECOSOC and
reported to the General Assembly.

2.39 There are also four standing committees, largely procedural, and a
number of expert bodies. At the request of the General Assembly,
ECOSOC is conducting a review of its functions and structures.

2.40 There are two other sets of organisations, which relate to the UN and to
the economic and social work of ECOSOC. Broadly they can be defined as
28

i) the Funds and Programs of the United Nations, and ii) the Specialised
Agencies.

Funds and Programmes

2.41 The funds and programs are those organisations set up by resolution of
the General Assembly. They report to ECOSOC and through it to the
General Assembly, membership is generally decided by ECOSOC or the
General Assembly, they are governed by executive boards, and funding is
mostly by voluntary contributions. They include: the UN High
Commission for Refugees (UNHCR); the UN Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD); the UN International Children's Emergency
Fund (UNICEF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Population
Fund UNFPA), the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN International
Drug Control Programme (UNDCP).

Specialised Agencies
2.42 In addition, ECOSOC has a coordinating role in the work of the
specialised agencies. The Specialised Agencies are quite separate and
autonomous from the UN. They are established by inter-governmental
agreements. Often their existence precedes the establishment of the UN.
They are brought into a relationship with the UN by Articles 57 and 63,
and therefore some coordination of their activities may occur through
ECOSOC. They include such organisations as:10 the World Health
Organisation (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the Universal Postal
Union (UPU), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the
World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the UN Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the International Labour
Organisation (ILO), the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary
Fund (IMF)

Trusteeship Council

2.43 The Trusteeship Council played an important role in the process of

decolonisation after the Second World War. It considered reports from
administering authorities of trust territories, inspected the territories
periodically and examined disputes or complaints. When the last trust

10 For a comprehensive list see Appendix F. More detailed information on the structure and
function of these organisations can be obtained either from the UN web site or the individual
web sites for the organisations themselves.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS - FACTS AND FIGURES 29

territory, Palau, became an independent member of the UN in 1994, the

work of the Trusteeship Council was completed. As part of the reform of
the UN, a new role for the Council is being considered.

International Court of Justice

2.44 The International Court of Justice was established as one of the primary
organs of the UN, its purpose and structure defined in the Charter. It is
both the arbiter of and the source of advice on international law for the
United Nations.

2.45 Its arbitration function is to settle disputes between states, and only states
- individuals may not bring cases to the Court. However, acceptance of
the jurisdiction of the court in any dispute is voluntary for the states
concerned. Under Article 94, the Security Council can decide on
'measures to be taken to give effect to the judgement' of the Court. It has
never done so.
2.46 It also gives advisory opinions on international law. However, the law
that it interprets is not confined to the Charter or particularly to UN
conventions. International law predates the establishment of the UN and
the Court can, and does, give opinions on international customary law and
on conventions and treaties outside of the UN system; on the general
principles of law recognised by nations.

2.47 To a large extent and by comparison with domestic jurisdictions,

international law is embryonic. It has been described as incomplete (for
example, there are few rules relating to economic relations between
states), disputed (for example, the criteria for recognising a new state or
intervening in civil wars are not agreed) and uncertain (questions such as
hot pursuit or anticipatory self-defence, while agreed, are vaguely
defined). However, progressive codification of international law has been
attempted since the League of Nations set up the Permanent International
Court. This codification continues under the International Law
Commission (ILC). The challenge for the United Nations in the new
millennium is to overcome the deficiencies as outlined in this paragraph.
2.48 The International Court of Justice was established by Chapter XIV articles
92-96 of the Charter of the United Nations. Its operation is governed by its
own Statute, which is an annex to the Charter. It is based in The Hague. It
consists of 15 judges, elected by the General Assembly and the Security
Council, voting independently. Judges are chosen on the basis of their
qualifications, not their nationality. No two judges can be from the same
country. The spread of judges is not based on regions but on the need to
30

represent the major judicial systems of the world. Judges serve a nine-
year term and may be re-elected. Five judges retire every three years.
They may not engage in any other occupation during their term of office.
2.49 The current composition of the ICJ is as follows: President Gilbert
Guillaume (France); Vice-President Shi Jiuyong (China); Shigeru Oda
(Japan); Mohammed Bedjaoui (Algeria); Raymond Ranjeva (Madagascar);
Géza Herczegh (Hungary); Carl-August Fleischhauer (Germany); Abdul G
Koroma (Sierra Leone); Vladlen S Vereshchetin (Russian Federation);
Rosalyn Higgins (United Kingdom); Gonzalo Para-Aranguren
(Venezuela); Peiter H Kooijmans (Netherlands); Francisco Rezek (Brazil);
Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh (Jordan); Thomas Buergenthal (United
States of America).

Secretariat

2.50 The Secretariat is the civil service that administratively supports the
United Nations. The Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat and
the chief administrative officer of the United Nations. Since its inception
there have been seven Secretaries-General of the UN.

T Trygve Lie, Norway, 2 February 1946

T Dag Hammarskjold, Sweden, 10 April 195311

T U Thant, Burma, 3 November 1961

T Kurt Waldheim, Austria, 22 December 1971

T Javier Perez de Cuellar, Peru, 15 December 1981

T Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egypt, 1 January 1992

T Kofi Annan, Ghana, 1 January 1997

2.51 While the Secretary-General is the chief administrative officer of the UN,
he also plays a significant diplomatic role. He speaks on behalf of the
international community in support of the aims and values of the Charter
for the preservation of peace and security. He has considerable power to
bring disputes that threaten peace and security to the attention of the
Security Council. He travels widely and consults with world leaders, and
in this way, becomes a force for mediation.
2.52 The Secretariat over which the Secretary-General presides is divided into
17 offices or departments in order to carry out its work. Some are policy

11 Died in office 18 September 1961.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS - FACTS AND FIGURES 31

organs, some are designed to support administratively the meeting

programs of various UN agencies and some have internal auditing
functions. There are analogies that might be drawn with domestic civil
services in this structure. The departments are:

T The Office of the Secretary-General (OSG)

T The Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS)

T The Office of Legal Affairs (OLA)

T The Department of Political Affairs (DPA)

T The Department of Disarmament Affairs (DDA)

T The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO)

T The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

T The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)

T The Department of General Assembly and Conference Services

(DGAACS)

T The Department of Public Information (DPI)

T The Department of Management (DM)

T The Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP)

T The Office of the United Nations Security Coordinator (UNSECOORD)

T The Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP)

T UN Office at Geneva (UNOG)

T UN Office at Vienna (UNOV)

T UN Office at Nairobi (UNON)

Numbers

2.53 Contrary to popular conception and by comparison with other

organisations, the United Nations runs on a very limited budget with a
very lean staffing complement.

2.54 The United Nations headquarters in New York, the offices and
departments listed above at paragraph 2.52, is staffed by 4,500 civil
servants. Overall, in New York, Geneva and Vienna, the secretariat staff is
8,700. There are 52,100 employees world-wide. This number includes the
secretariat staff in New York as well as the all the programs, funds and
32

other specialised agencies. It comprises professional and administrative

support staff. These are 'permanent' staff.12 The number does not include
the contractors, including peacekeepers, used for specific projects.
2.55 The United Nations believes that this is a much leaner staffing than exists
in any national civil service. Various comparisons have been made.
Disneyland and Disneyworld employ a similar number of people.
McDonalds employs three times as many staff as the UN. The Austrian
capital of Vienna has more public employees than the UN. The Swedish
Capital of Stockholm has 60,000 municipal employees.13 The Australian
Commonwealth Public Service employs 244,000 people. The State of NSW
employs 465,000. The city of Melbourne employs 194,000.14

Cost
2.56 Salaries for professional staff are based on US federal civil service
employees with an adjustment for the cost of living in New York. The UN
salaries are significantly lower (by as much as 50 per cent) than those paid
to employees in other multilateral organisations such as at the European
Union (EU), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) or
the World Bank. They are as much as 30 per cent lower than US private
sector salaries. Pay is regulated by the International Civil Service
Commission, which reports to the General Assembly. Additional benefits
are strictly limited. Salaries are not tax free; staff assessments, the UN
equivalent of tax, range from 28 to 34 per cent of gross salary. No tax
rebates are available to staff. Some grants are made for a portion of
education expenses for internationally recruited staff. There is no free
parking.15 Employees are not permitted to accept supplementary
payments or subsidies from their governments.

2.57 The cost of the whole UN system is $US10 billion per annum. This
amount comprises the Regular Budget, the Peacekeeping budget and the
budget for the international tribunals (Yugoslavia and Rwanda). A
formula for assessments is applied for each of these 'mandatory'

12 Permanency has been a feature of the UN system, but the organisation like many others, is
moving to contract arrangements for its professional staff. Notes from discussions with UN
Secretariat staff, October 2000.
13 United Nations. 'Who works at the UN?', posted June 1999.
www.un.org/geninfo/ir/ch2/ch2.htm, visited 22 May 2001.
14 Figures are from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Wage and Salary Earners Australia,
September Quarter 2000. The Commonwealth figures include officers in statutory authorities
but not members of the armed services. It is not clear what the ABS has included in state and
local government figures. See Australian Bureau of Statistics. 'Welcome to AusStats!', posted
18 May 2001. www.abs.gov.au/ausstats, visited 22 May 2001.
15 This is apparently a significant issue in New York.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS - FACTS AND FIGURES 33

contributions. Many of the specialised agencies, the funds and programs

are paid for out of voluntary contributions from member states.

2.58 The administrative cost of running the secretariat of the United Nations in
New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi is $US1.25 billion per annum.
This budget has been frozen since 1994. This is the Regular Budget of the
United Nations and it is paid for by the membership dues or assessments
from the member states. What each countries' contributions will be are
assessed by the Committee on Contributions on the basis of a formula,
agreed by member states, which takes account of the share of the world
economy of each country, its population and its ability to pay. The scale of
assessments is reviewed every three years on the basis of national income
statistics. As with individual taxation, the scale is progressive with richer
countries paying more than poorer countries.

2.59 There is a cap or maximum amount (22 per cent) that any country can be
charged. This was 25 per cent until 23 December 2000. The United States,
previously assessed at 25 per cent, has therefore had its payments reduced
to 22 per cent.16 Below is a sample only of the scale of assessments. Tables
in the rest of this chapter are based on contributions and arrears calculated
on the old scale of assessments. This information was supplied to the
committee during its visit to the UN in October 2000. While the new scale
of assessments has made some differences, particularly to the assessment
for the United States' assessment, the reduction or increase for most states
is not very great.
Table 2.2 UN Scale of Assessments for the Regular Budget

Country 1999 2001

United States 25.000 22
Japan 19.984 19.629
Germany 9.808 9.825
France 6.540 6.503
United Kingdom 5.090 5.568
Canada 2.754 2.573
The Netherlands 1.631 1.748
The Russian Federation 1.487 1.2
Australia 1.482 1.636
China 0.973 1.541

Source United Nations Handbook, 1999 and UN website

16 The cap is of benefit to the United States only. Without the cap, the United States would be
assessed at 29 per cent, which is the US share of the world economy. The reduction in the cap
was insisted upon by the US Congress as a condition of their paying, over a three-year period,
$926 million in arrears. If the individual countries of the European Union pooled their
assessments, they contribute 36 percent to the UN budget.
34

2.60 In terms of the actual amounts of dollars paid to the UN, the top ten
contributors to the Regular Budget are as follows:

Table 2.3 Top 10 Member States in Assessment for the Regular Budget, August 2000

Member Scale of Amount

Assessment $US millions
United States of America 25.00 300.4
Japan 19.98 216.4
Germany 9.08 103.7
France 6.54 68.8
Italy 5.43 57.1
United Kingdom 5.09 53.5
Canada 2.75 28.7
Spain 2.58 27.2
The Netherlands 1.63 17.1
Australia 1.48 15.6

Source Exhibit No 44, Status of Contributions to the Regular Budget, International Tribunals and Peacekeeping
Operations.

2.61 However, expressed as a per capita contribution the top ten contributors
to the regular budget of the UN would be:

Table 2.4 Top 10 per capita Contributers to the UN Regular Budget 1998

Country Per capita contribution

$US
Liechtestein 1.77
Luxembourg 1.76
Japan 1.52
Norway 1.48
Denmark 1.39
Sweden 1.33
Iceland 1.28
Germany 1.26
Austria 1.25
France 1.19

Source United Nations Web Site.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS - FACTS AND FIGURES 35

2.62 Peacekeeping contributions are paid for on the basis of a slightly different
scale of assessments. They are not subject to the same penalties as are
applied under Article 19 to non payment to the regular budget. The
following are the highest contributor to the peacekeeping budget.

Table 2.5 Top 10 Member States in Assessment for the Peacekeeping Budget, August 2000

Member Amount
$US million
United States of America 615.9
Japan 403.3
Germany 193.8
France 156.0
Italy 106.9
United Kingdom 121.4
Canada 53.8
Spain 50.9
The Netherlands 32.1
Australia 29.2

Source Exhibit No 44, Status of Contributions to the Regular Budget, International Tribunals and Peacekeeping
Operations.

The Problem of Arrears

2.63 The United Nations has always had budgetary problems as it has relied on
member states to pay dues and these have not always been paid or paid
on time. However, in recent years, the financial crisis has been
exacerbated by increasing demands, especially for peacekeeping
operations, and decreasing revenues. The number of peacekeeping
missions increased in the post Cold War period. There were 13
peacekeeping missions between 1945 and 1990, and 41 missions from 1990
to 1999. Moreover the number of refugees and displaced persons has risen
exponentially, from 8 million in the 1970s to 22 million in 1999.

2.64 The arrears have occurred in all budget areas, the Regular Budget, the
Peacekeeping Budget and the budget for the international tribunals.
According to the UN, in September 2000, member states owed over $US3
billion to the organisation - $US2.5 billion for peacekeeping, $US533
million to the Regular Budget and $US54 million for the International
Tribunals. Payments to the Regular Budget appear to be more consistent
than to the Peacekeeping Budget, perhaps because of the threat of Article
19. Under Article 19 of the UN Charter, if at the beginning of the year, a
36

country owes the same as or more than its total gross assessments for the
previous two years, it automatically loses its right to vote in the General
Assembly.
2.65 Of the total amount owing, United States owes 81 per cent of all arrears to
the Regular Budget and 58 per cent of all arrears to the Peacekeeping
Budget. The US debt is $US1.9 billion - made up of $US430 million to the
Regular Budget and $US1.5 billion to peacekeeping and the international
tribunals.
2.66 Other countries that owe significant amounts to the Regular Budget are
Brazil which owes 8 percent or $US41 million and Argentina which owes
4 per cent or $US20 million. Of the other 175 contributors to the regular
budget, 53 owe another $US40 million.

Table 2.6 Table of Arrears in the Regular Budget, 2000 ($US)

2000 Percentage
United States 432,000,000 81
Brazil 41,000,000 8
Argentina 20,000,000 4
53 of 173 other Member States 40,000,000 7
TOTAL 533,000,000 100

Source Exhibit No 34, The Financial Situation of the United Nations, 30 September 2000.

2.67 On the peacekeeping budget, the following table of arrears applied at

30 September 2000:

Table 2.7 Table of Arrears in the Peacekeeping Budget, 1998-2000 ($US)

1998 1999 2000 Percentage

2000
United States 1,073,000,000 1,101,000,000 1,446,000,000 58
Japan 107,000,000 114,000,000 301,000,000 12
Ukraine 210,000,000 210,000,000 191,000,000 8
France 36,000,000 29,000,000 94,000,000 4
Italy 22,000,000 27,000,000 76,000,000 3
Russian Federation 125,000,000 106,000,000 66,000,000 2
Other Member States 229,000,000 244,000,000 333,000,000 13
TOTAL 1,802,000,000 1,831,000,000 2,507,000,000 100

Source Exhibit No 34, The Financial Situation of the United Nations, 30 September 2000.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS - FACTS AND FIGURES 37

Table 2.8 Table of Arrears in the Budget for International Tribunals, 2000 ($US)

2000 Percentage
United States 12,022,205 21.9
Japan 16,614,122 30.3
France 11,687,914 21.3
Brazil 1,425,520 2.6
Italy 4,630,256 8.4
Argentina 1,068,858 1.9
116 others Member States 5,524,122 10.1
TOTAL 54,896,279 100.0

Source Exhibit No 34, The Financial Situation of the United Nations, 30 September 2000.

2.68 The failure of the United States to pay its dues or to pay in full, either to
the Regular Budget or to the Peacekeeping Budget, has had a crippling
effect on the UN budget. The implications of the financial crisis for the
operations of the UN will be considered in the following chapters - 3, 4, 5,
6 and 7. The work that is being done to reform the system is considered at
chapters 9 and 10.
38