Main Organs

There are six main organs in the UN.

These are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. 

All were established in 1945 when the UN was founded. 

General Assembly

is the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. All 193 member states of the UN are represented in the General Assembly, making it the only UN body with universal representation.

Security Council

has primary responsibility, under the UN Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 members – 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members.

ECOSOC

is the principal body for coordination, policy review and dialogue, and recommendations on economic, social, and environmental issues, as well as the implementation of internationally agreed development goals.

Trusteeship Council

established to provide international supervision for Trust Territories placed under the administration of seven member states, and ensure that adequate steps were taken to reach self-government and independence. 

International Court of Justice

is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Its seat is at the Peace Palace in the Hague. It is the only one of the six principal organs of the UN not located in New York (United States of America).

Secretariat

comprises the Secretary-General and tens of thousands of international UN staff members who carry out the day-to-day work of the UN as mandated by the General Assembly and the organisation’s other principal organs.

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