The United Nations
Founded in 1945 after WWII, the United Nations was created with the purpose to bring together countries to discuss international issues diplomatically. Currently, the UN has 193 member-states and two observing countries. Its headquarters are located in New York City.
Branches
There are five major parts to the United Nations. The five main branches are:
The UN General Assembly (GA)
The UN Security Council (UNSC)
The Secretariat
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
The International Court of Justice (ICJ)
However these are not the only branches. Other parts include:
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
The World Bank
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
World Health Organization (WHO)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
UN Development Programme (UNDP)
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
The UN General Assembly (GA)
The UN Security Council (UNSC)
The Secretariat
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
The International Court of Justice (ICJ)
However these are not the only branches. Other parts include:
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
The World Bank
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
World Health Organization (WHO)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
UN Development Programme (UNDP)
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
More information about main branches:
The United Nations General Assembly
The UNGA is the main body of the United Nations. They meet annually and each country has equal representation. It requires a two-thirds majority vote for issues to pass. About every topic can be taken up by the general assembly, aside from peace and security, which is taken up by the security council.
The United Nations Security Council
Arguably the most powerful branch of the United Nations, the security council is charged with maintaining peace and security among the countries. The group oversees the UN charter as well as the use of force and peacekeeping is also overseen in this council. The council is made up of five permanent members (The USA, The UK, France, China, and Russia) and ten rotating ones. The five permanent nations are also given the power of veto, which means that any of the P5 countries can strike down any proposal.
The Secretariat
Similar to the executive branch, the secretariat represents the UN on the global stage. He is elected by the general assembly and serves a term of five years.
The Economic and Social Council
Elected in three year terms, ECOSOC is made up of fifty-four member-states. It contains many agencies such as the IMF, World Bank, FAO, WHO, UNHRC, UNHCR, and UNICEF. ECOSOC coordinates between the fifty-four member-states and puts everything into action.
The International Court of Justice
Located in the Netherlands, the ICJ is considered the world court. All members of the UN are automatically a member of ICJ. This is the judicial body of the UN and settles legal disputes within its member-states.