United Nations (UN)
The United Nations, founded in 1945 and headquartered in New York, is the leading intergovernmental body for international peace and cooperation. It has six principal organs, including the General Assembly and the Security Council. The Security Council has five permanent members (US, UK, France, Russia, China) with veto power; India seeks permanent membership and UNSC reform.
The United Nations (UN), founded in 1945 after the Second World War, is the world's foremost intergovernmental organisation, created to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, promote social progress and human rights, and serve as a centre for harmonising the actions of nations. Headquartered in New York, it has grown to 193 member states and is guided by its founding treaty, the UN Charter.
Key facts at a glance
| Founded | 1945 (UN Charter) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York, USA |
| Members | 193 states |
| Principal organs | 6 |
| Security Council | 15 members (5 permanent + 10 non-permanent) |
| P5 (veto powers) | US, UK, France, Russia, China |
| India's demand | Permanent UNSC seat & reform |
Origin and purpose
The UN was established on 24 October 1945 (celebrated as UN Day) when the UN Charter came into force, replacing the failed League of Nations. Its founding aims, set out in the Charter's Preamble, are to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, uphold international law, and promote social progress and better standards of life. India was a founding member.
The six principal organs
The UN has six principal organs: the General Assembly (the main deliberative body where all members have one vote), the Security Council (responsible for international peace and security), the Economic and Social Council or ECOSOC (coordinating economic, social and development work), the Trusteeship Council (which oversaw trust territories and is now suspended since 1994), the International Court of Justice or ICJ (the principal judicial organ, based in The Hague), and the Secretariat (the administrative arm headed by the Secretary-General).
The Security Council and the veto
The Security Council is the most powerful organ, with primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security; its decisions are binding on members. It has 15 members — five permanent members (the P5: the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China) who each hold a veto, and ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms with equitable geographical distribution. A single veto by any P5 member can block a substantive resolution, a feature often criticised as undemocratic.
The General Assembly and other bodies
The General Assembly is the UN's main policy-making forum, where each of the 193 members has an equal vote and important decisions need a two-thirds majority. It elects non-permanent Security Council members, admits new members and approves the budget. The UN system also includes specialised agencies (like the WHO, UNESCO and ILO), funds and programmes (like UNICEF and UNDP), and peacekeeping operations, to which India is one of the largest troop contributors.
India and UN reform
India, a founding member and one of the most frequent non-permanent members of the Security Council, is a leading voice for reform. It argues that the Council's structure reflects the world of 1945, not today's realities, and seeks a permanent seat along with fellow aspirants in the G4 (India, Germany, Japan, Brazil). Reform demands include expanding permanent and non-permanent membership and curbing the misuse of the veto, but progress is blocked by disagreements among existing powers.
Significance and criticism
The UN has played a vital role in preventing another world war, decolonisation, setting human-rights and development norms, coordinating humanitarian relief, and peacekeeping. Yet it is criticised for the paralysis of the Security Council when P5 interests clash, an outdated power structure, bureaucratic inefficiency and dependence on major-power funding. Reforming the UN to make it more representative and effective remains one of the central challenges of global governance.
Why it matters for UPSC
The UN's six organs, the P5 with veto power, the composition of the Security Council, the G4 and UNSC reform are recurring IR themes in both Prelims and Mains, and India's quest for a permanent seat is a perennial current-affairs topic.
Key takeaways
- The UN was founded in 1945 under the UN Charter; India was a founding member.
- It has 193 members and six principal organs.
- The Security Council has 15 members: 5 permanent (P5) with veto and 10 non-permanent.
- The P5 are the US, UK, France, Russia and China.
- The Trusteeship Council is suspended; the ICJ sits at The Hague.
- India, part of the G4, seeks a permanent UNSC seat and Council reform.
Practise related UPSC PYQs
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Practise PYQs →Frequently asked questions
Which are the permanent members of the UN Security Council?
The United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China — collectively the P5, each with veto power.
How many principal organs does the UN have?
Six — the General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, Trusteeship Council (suspended), International Court of Justice and Secretariat.
What is the veto power in the Security Council?
The power of any of the five permanent members to block the adoption of a substantive resolution, even if all other members support it.
What is the G4?
A group of four nations — India, Germany, Japan and Brazil — that support each other's bids for permanent seats on a reformed UN Security Council.
Where is the International Court of Justice located?
In The Hague, Netherlands; it is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
When is UN Day celebrated?
On 24 October every year, marking the day in 1945 when the UN Charter came into force and the United Nations officially came into existence.