The Structure of the UN Is it fit for purpose?

Main Bodies The General Assembly The Security Council The Court of International Justice

The General Assembly Each of the 192 member states of the United Nations has a seat in the General Assembly and has one vote on every issue. However its decisions are only recommendations and can be disregarded. It can act as a courtroom for the world.

The Security Council A very important division of the United Nations with 5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.

The Permanent Members The United States of America The United Kingdom France Russia China

Current Non-Permanent Members United Republic of Tanzania The Republic of the Congo Argentina Greece Qatar Japan Slovakia Denmark Ghana Peru

Security Council Membership The five permanent members of the Security Council are all post – WWII victorious superpowers. The world has changed – surely the Security council should change to reflect the balance of power in the world today? Might this involve an Islamic Country becoming a permanent member? If so, which one?

A representative Security Council? If an Islamic state is given a permanent seat on the Security Council, should other religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism not be represented, too? Would Israel not also be entitled to a seat as a dominant Jewish country? Does the UN risk becoming an elitist, exclusive and irrelevant body in the same way as the League of Nations did if the membership of the security council does not change?

How is the UN funded? The UN has an annual budget of around $1,250 million. The vast majority of its income comes from the member state, who make a contribution based on their capacity to pay: the US is the principal contributor. The peacekeeping operations cost around $2 billion per year.