ZIMSEC O Level · History · Form 4
The United Nations (UN)
- Formed in October 1945 to replace the League of Nations. Headquarters: New York.
- Aims: maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations, promote human rights, and solve economic and social problems.
Main organs
- General Assembly: all members, one vote each.
- Security Council: 15 members, including five permanent members with veto power (USA, UK, France, Russia, China).
- Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General.
- International Court of Justice (The Hague).
- Economic and Social Council.
Specialised agencies
UNICEF (children), WHO (health), FAO (food and agriculture), UNESCO (education, science and culture), UNHCR (refugees), ILO (labour).
Successes and failures
Successes: peacekeeping missions, eradication of smallpox (WHO), decolonisation support, humanitarian aid. Failures: inability to prevent some conflicts and genocides (Rwanda in 1994), the veto blocking action, and dependence on members' funding.
Regional organisations
The OAU (1963) and its successor the African Union (2002); SADC (1992, formerly SADCC formed in 1980).
Exam tip: Use specific examples of UN successes and failures; vague answers score low.
Check yourself
- How many permanent members does the Security Council have?
- Name the UN agency responsible for children.
- Give one failure of the UN.
Show answers
- Five.
- UNICEF.
- Any one: failed to prevent the Rwandan genocide, veto blocks action, slow response to some conflicts.
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