The United Nations (UN) is a global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the UN Charter on June 26, 1945, and officially coming into existence on October 24, 1945. It was created after World War II to succeed the League of Nations and solve the problem of preventing future global conflicts and maintaining international peace and security. The UN's primary purposes, outlined in Article 1 of the Charter, include maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, and achieving international cooperation in solving global problems.
The UN works through six principal organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the Secretariat. A key mechanism is the principle in Article 2(4) of the Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. The Security Council is specifically responsible for maintaining international peace and security, and its five permanent members hold veto power over substantive resolutions.
The UN System connects to numerous specialized agencies and related organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group (WBG), and UNESCO. While the core principles of the UN Charter remain unchanged, the structure of the Security Council has been formally amended only once, in 1965, to increase the number of non-permanent members from six to ten. However, there are ongoing discussions and reform initiatives, such as the UN80 initiative launched in March 2025, which aims to identify efficiencies and propose deeper structural changes to modernize the organization. India is a prominent member of the G4 nations (along with Brazil, Germany, and Japan) that mutually support each other's bids for permanent seats on the Security Council, reflecting the ongoing debate about making the body more representative.