aim - to supervise the 1948 Arab-Israeli cease-fire; currently supports timely deployment of reinforcements to other peacekeeping operations in the region as needed; initially established by the UN Security Council
members - (23) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile,
China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Nepal,
Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden,
Switzerland, US
United Nations Trusteeship Council: established on 26 June 1945, effective on 24 October 1945, to supervise the administration of the 11 UN trust territories; members were China, France, Russia, UK, US; it formally suspended operations 1 November 1995 after the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau) became the Republic of Palau, a constitutional government in free association with the US; the Trusteeship Council was not dissolved
United Nations University (UNU): established - 3 December 1973
aim - to conduct research in development, welfare, and human survival and to train scholars
members - (24 members of UNU Council and the Rector are appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Director General of UNESCO)
Universal Postal Union (UPU): established - 9 October 1874, affiliated with the UN 15 November 1947; effective - 1 July 1948
aim - to promote international postal cooperation; a UN specialized agency
members - (191) includes all UN member countries except Andorra,
Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau (189
total); plus Holy See and Overseas Territories of the UK; note -
includes the following dependencies or areas of special interest:
Australia (Norfolk Island), China (Hong Kong, Macau), Denmark (Faroe
Islands, Greenland), France (French Polynesia including Clipperton
Island, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Mayotte, New Caledonia,
Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Scattered
Islands [Bassas da India, Europe, Juan de Nova, Glorioso Islands,
Tromelin], Wallis and Futuna), Netherlands (Aruba, Netherlands
Antilles), NZ (Cook Island, Niue, Tokelau), UK (Guernsey, Isle of Man,
Jersey; Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British
Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar,
Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and South
Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos), US (American Samoa, Guam, Northern
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands)
Warsaw Pact (WP): established 14 May 1955 to promote mutual defense; members met 1 July 1991 to dissolve the alliance; member states at the time of dissolution were: Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the USSR; earlier members included German Democratic Republic (GDR) and Albania