Levels of power · Level 8 of 10

The UN and global treaty bodies

Bodies set up by treaty between countries worldwide: the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council, the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, Interpol and NATO. They pass resolutions, settle trade disputes, coordinate health emergencies and policing, and run budgets paid by member states.

What this level decides

• Security Council resolutions, sanctions and peacekeeping mandates
• Trade dispute rulings between countries (WTO)
• International health regulations and emergency declarations (WHO)
• Members' assessed contributions to budgets

Key figures

How it works

The UN Charter says the General Assembly consists of all members of the United Nations, now 193, and that each member has one vote. Decisions on important questions need a two-thirds majority of members present and voting, covering matters such as peace and security recommendations and the election of Security Council members. Other questions need a simple majority. Each member may send not more than five representatives.

The Security Council has 15 members. China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are permanent, and ten others are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. The current elected members listed by the UN are Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia and Liberia (to 2027), and Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia (to 2026). Non-procedural decisions need nine votes including the concurring votes of the permanent members.

The General Assembly approved a regular budget of $3.45 billion for 2026 on 30 December, about 7 per cent below the approved 2025 budget, following the UN80 reform initiative. Contributions follow a scale of assessments adopted for 2025 to 2027 by resolution 79/249. Peacekeeping is budgeted separately: the General Assembly approved $5.38 billion for peacekeeping operations for 2025-26, a figure the UN described as slightly down on the previous year. The UN has said that the Assembly's 2026 decision followed weeks of negotiation.

Treaties are a large part of the UN's global work. The Secretary-General is the depositary of more than 600 multilateral treaties, covering areas such as human rights, disarmament and protection of the environment. The UN also works with civil society: 6,494 non-governmental organisations are in active consultative status with ECOSOC, and the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library publishes guidance on finding how member states voted in UN bodies.

How to have a say

1. Read how the UN works with civil society and how groups can take part
2. Check whether your organisation can apply for ECOSOC consultative status
3. Find how a country voted in the General Assembly or Security Council
4. Look up a treaty's status, signatories and ratifications in the UN Treaty Collection
5. Read about the UK Mission to the UN, which represents the UK in negotiations in New York
6. Make a Freedom of Information request about UK positions at the UN

The records you can check

• UN General Assembly and Security Council voting records
• Each country's assessed contributions and arrears
• WTO dispute cases by country
• NATO members' defence spending

Official registers and data

• UN Member States
  Official list of the 193 members with dates of admission.
• UN Treaty Collection
  Status of multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary-General.
• Multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary-General
  Database of ratifications, reservations and declarations.
• UN voting research guide (Dag Hammarskjöld Library)
  Where to find recorded votes in UN bodies.
• Security Council current members
  Permanent and elected members, with end-of-term years.
• ECOSOC NGO Branch
  Information on NGOs in consultative status and how to apply.

The UK at this level

• UK compared: the UK beside other countries, from IMF, OECD and WHO data

The bodies at this level

• Commonwealth of Nations

  The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific, home to about 2.7 billion people. It grew from the British Empire; the London Declaration of 1949 created the modern Commonwealth of free and equal members, and the Commonwealth Charter was signed in 2013. Its leaders meet every two years at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and CHOGM 2026 is due in St John's, Antigua and Barbuda, on 1 to 4 November. The Commonwealth Secretariat in London is its central intergovernmental organisation, led by Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey. King Charles III is Head of the Commonwealth, a role the Commonwealth describes as symbolic with no fixed term, and not hereditary.

• International Court of Justice

  The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It settles legal disputes that states submit to it under international law and gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred by authorised UN organs and specialised agencies. The Court says it has 15 judges, elected for nine-year terms by the UN General Assembly and Security Council, no two of whom may share a nationality. It sits at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the only principal UN organ not located in New York, and works in English and French. Under Article 59 of its Statute a decision binds only the parties to that case. As of October 2026 its website lists 24 pending cases. It was established in June 1945 by the UN Charter and began work in April 1946.

• International Criminal Court

  The International Criminal Court is a permanent court based in The Hague that can prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. The Rome Statute was adopted on 17 July 1998 and entered into force on 1 July 2002. As of 23 October 2026 the UN Treaty Collection records 125 states parties and 137 signatories. The ICC is not part of the UN but works with it under a cooperation agreement, and the Security Council can refer situations to it. The court is a court of last resort, and it cannot make arrests without state support. The Assembly of States Parties elects its 18 judges and oversees its Prosecutor. In July 2026 the Assembly removed Prosecutor Karim Khan; two deputy prosecutors lead the Office of the Prosecutor.

• International Labour Organization

  The International Labour Organization is the United Nations agency for work and labour standards. The ILO says it is the only tripartite UN agency, bringing together governments, employers and workers of its 187 member states, who each have an equal voice in its decisions. It was created in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles and became a UN specialised agency in 1946. Its annual International Labour Conference sets international labour standards and adopts the biennial budget, a 56-member Governing Body acts as its executive council, and the International Labour Office in Geneva is its permanent secretariat under the Director-General. The ILO supervises how states apply the conventions they ratify, through expert and tripartite committees, and publishes the results in its NORMLEX database.

• Interpol

  Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, is an inter-governmental organisation of 196 member countries that helps police work together across borders. Its General Assembly, with one vote per member country, sets policy and budget, while a General Secretariat in Lyon runs police databases and issues notices such as Red Notices at member countries' request. Interpol says a Red Notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest a wanted person, not an arrest warrant.

• NATO

  NATO is an alliance of 32 countries in Europe and North America, created by the North Atlantic Treaty of 4 April 1949. Under Article 5 an armed attack on one member is treated as an attack on all; NATO says every decision is taken by consensus, with no voting, starting with the North Atlantic Council where each member has a representative. The UK was one of the 12 founding members.

• UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

  UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is the United Nations body that leads international action to protect refugees, returnees, internally displaced and stateless people. The UN General Assembly established it on 14 December 1950 with a three-year mandate, and the 1951 Refugee Convention is the legal foundation of its work. It is headquartered in Geneva and operates in more than 125 countries and territories, with about 89 per cent of staff working in the field. UNHCR's Global Trends report, published in June 2026, put forced displacement at 117.8 million people at the end of 2025, the first fall in a decade, including 41.6 million refugees. Barham Salih of Iraq has been High Commissioner since 1 January 2026, elected by the General Assembly on the Secretary-General's nomination for a five-year term.

• United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council)

  The United Nations is the world body of 193 member states, set up under the UN Charter in 1945. Under the Charter, the General Assembly, where every member has one vote, approves the UN budget and makes recommendations, while the 15-member Security Council has primary responsibility for international peace and security and can take decisions that members agree to carry out, including sanctions and the use of force. The UK is one of the Security Council's five permanent members.

• United Nations Children's Fund

  UNICEF is the United Nations agency that works for children. It says it was established in 1946 in the aftermath of World War II to help children whose lives and futures were at risk, and that it now works in over 190 countries and territories with over 17,000 staff. Its work is funded entirely through voluntary contributions: total income was US$8,084 million in 2025, of which US$1,517 million was unearmarked Regular Resources, and spending was US$8,151 million. An Executive Board provides intergovernmental support and oversight under the policy guidance of the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. UNICEF says it responded to 414 humanitarian emergencies in 2025 and estimates that 213 million children needed humanitarian assistance that year. Catherine Russell is its eighth Executive Director.

• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

  UNESCO is the United Nations specialised agency for education, science, culture and communication and information. It describes its role as strengthening international cooperation, setting standards and developing knowledge, and its constitution says peace must rest on the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind. It has 194 member states and 12 associate members, 53 field offices, 201 national commissions and 138 institutes and centres. Three bodies run it: the General Conference of all member states, which meets every two years with one vote each and appoints the Director-General; the 58-member Executive Board, which monitors implementation; and the Secretariat under the Director-General. Khaled El-Enany took office as the 12th Director-General on 15 November 2025.

• United Nations Human Rights Council

  The UN Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body of 47 UN member states based in Geneva. The General Assembly created it by resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006 to replace the Commission on Human Rights, as a subsidiary organ of the Assembly. The resolution makes it responsible for promoting universal respect for human rights, addressing violations including gross and systematic violations, and carrying out a Universal Periodic Review of every UN member state. Members are elected directly by secret ballot of the General Assembly for three-year terms on a regional allocation of seats, and cannot be immediately re-elected after two consecutive terms. The Assembly can suspend a member that commits gross and systematic violations by a two-thirds majority, as it did with Russia in April 2022.

• United Nations Security Council

  The United Nations Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security under Article 24 of the UN Charter, and members agree under Article 25 to accept and carry out its decisions. It has 15 members: five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and ten elected members chosen by the 193-member General Assembly. Procedural decisions need nine votes; all other decisions need nine votes including the concurring votes of the permanent members, which is the basis of the veto. The presidency rotates monthly in English alphabetical order. The UN says non-members can take part in discussion, without a vote, when their interests are affected or they are party to a dispute.

• World Food Programme

  The World Food Programme is the United Nations' food assistance agency, which describes itself as the world's largest humanitarian organisation. It works in over 120 countries and territories, has about 20,000 staff, and says two-thirds of its work is in conflict-affected countries. WFP says it assisted 121 million people in 2025. It is funded entirely by voluntary contributions, which totalled US$6.5 billion in 2025, and its 2026 requirement is US$13 billion to reach 110 million people. A 36-member Executive Board is its supreme governing body, and an Executive Director is appointed jointly by the UN Secretary-General and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization for a five-year term. Luke J. Lindberg was named the next Executive Director in September 2026.

• World Health Organization

  The World Health Organization is the United Nations specialised agency for health, set up by a Constitution that came into force on 7 April 1948. WHO says its World Health Assembly, attended by all 194 member states, sets policy, appoints the Director-General and approves the budget; the Assembly can adopt binding health regulations and, by a two-thirds vote, conventions. A 34-member Executive Board prepares the Assembly's agenda.

• World Trade Organization

  The World Trade Organization is the only international organisation dealing with the global rules of trade between nations, according to the WTO. Its 166 members negotiate trade agreements, settle trade disputes and review each other's trade policies; the WTO says decisions are typically taken by consensus among all members. Its top body, the Ministerial Conference, includes every member and meets at least once every two years.

Up and down the ladder

Above: The IMF, World Bank and global finance. Below: Regional blocs and supranational bodies.

Common questions

What does the un and global treaty bodies decide?

Security Council resolutions, sanctions and peacekeeping mandates; Trade dispute rulings between countries (WTO); International health regulations and emergency declarations (WHO); Members' assessed contributions to budgets.

Which records show what the un and global treaty bodies do?

UN General Assembly and Security Council voting records; Each country's assessed contributions and arrears; WTO dispute cases by country; NATO members' defence spending.

How many countries are in the UN?

The United Nations lists 193 member states on its Member States page, each with its date of admission. The General Assembly, which all members belong to, approved the 2026 regular budget as the 193-member General Assembly. Each member has one vote in the Assembly under the UN Charter.

Who are the permanent members of the UN Security Council?

China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Council has 15 members in total, and ten non-permanent members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. The UN Charter requires nine affirmative votes for non-procedural decisions, including the concurring votes of the permanent members.

How is the United Nations funded?

Member states pay assessed contributions under a scale of assessments. The General Assembly adopted the scale for 2025, 2026 and 2027 by resolution 79/249 on 24 December 2024. The regular budget for 2026 is $3.45 billion, and peacekeeping is budgeted separately, with $5.38 billion approved for 2025-26.

How big is the UN's budget?

The General Assembly approved a $3.45 billion regular budget for 2026 on 30 December 2025. The UN says this is about 7 per cent lower than the approved 2025 budget and roughly $200 million higher than the Secretary-General's proposal under the UN80 initiative. Peacekeeping, at $5.38 billion for 2025-26, is separate.

How many treaties does the UN look after?

The UN Treaty Collection says the Secretary-General is the depositary of more than 600 multilateral treaties covering subjects such as human rights, disarmament and protection of the environment. Its status database describes itself as covering over 560 major multilateral instruments. The figures differ because of how each page counts.

Can a non-governmental organisation take part in UN work?

Yes, through consultative status with ECOSOC. The UN says status gives NGOs access to ECOSOC, its subsidiary bodies and human rights mechanisms. There are currently 6,494 NGOs in active consultative status. The UN's NGO Branch says applications received by 1 June 2026 are taken up in 2027 and later ones in 2028.

Sources

• Member States - United Nations, read 23 October 2026
• Current Members - Security Council, read 23 October 2026
• Security Council - United Nations, read 23 October 2026
• UN Charter, Chapter IV: The General Assembly, read 23 October 2026
• UN Charter, Chapter V: The Security Council, read 23 October 2026
• General Assembly approves $3.45 billion regular budget for 2026 - United Nations, read 23 October 2026
• General Assembly approves $3.45 billion UN regular budget for 2026 - UN News, read 23 October 2026
• Assessments - Committee on Contributions - UN General Assembly, read 23 October 2026
• United Nations Treaty Collection, read 23 October 2026
• Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General, read 23 October 2026
• Apply For Consultative Status - ECOSOC, read 23 October 2026
• NGO Branch - ECOSOC, read 23 October 2026
• The UN and Civil Society - United Nations, read 23 October 2026
• Voting in UN bodies, in general - Dag Hammarskjöld Library, read 23 October 2026
• UK Mission to UN in New York - GOV.UK, read 23 October 2026
• How to make a freedom of information (FOI) request - GOV.UK, read 23 October 2026