B is the closest choice, but its wording overstates what the United Nations can enforce. If you are answering a multiple-choice table question, that difference matters: the best option may still need a careful reading. An assessed contribution is a mandatory amount assigned to a member state toward a United Nations budget.
The organization works to support international cooperation, peace and security, and action on global issues. It does not act as a world government with power over every country or every international law. The table’s wording about cooperation points toward a real part of its work, while claims about its authority need more care.
Key Takeaways
- B is the closest available choice, with an important limit.
- The Security Council can take certain enforcement steps under the Charter.
- Member states must pay assessed contributions.
- The United Nations also supports cooperation on shared world issues.
- Its authority depends on the Charter and the body taking action.
Read the choice as a reference to Security Council action under the Charter, not as a claim that the UN enforces every international law.
Which Option Best Completes the Table Title the United Nations, and Why?
Choose B if the question requires one letter, but read “enforce international laws” as a loose reference to limited Security Council enforcement powers. The best available answer is B, although no option describes the organization perfectly.
The Security Council can act under Chapter VII, but it has no general power to enforce every international law. Article 17 also requires all 193 member states to contribute to the organization’s expenses.
| Choice | Claim | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| A | Funded only by voluntary dues | False: member states must contribute. |
| B | Authority to enforce international laws | Closest, but broader than Charter powers. |
| C | World’s most powerful military | False: the UN is not a military force. |
| D | Intended to promote international trade | Not its defining purpose. |
The phrase “funded voluntary dues” does not accurately describe the system. Contributions are required, even though the amount assigned to each member can differ.
Security Council enforcement must rest on a power the Charter grants; it is not a blanket law-enforcement role.
The choice best completes the table only if its enforcement claim is read narrowly. If the answer key marks A, it conflicts with the rule that member states must contribute.
What Are the United Nations’ Four Main Purposes?
Article 1 sets out four connected purposes, beginning with peace and security and ending with coordinated action among nations. The four purposes are peace and security, friendly relations, cooperation on shared problems and rights, and harmonized action.
These purposes describe a shared mission, not a promise that every global issue will be solved by the UN alone. The Charter calls on member states to work together toward those ends.
Peace, security and friendly relations
The first purpose is to maintain international peace and security. The UN can provide a place for countries to address threats and reduce conflict.
The Charter also calls for friendly relations among nations. Those relations should rest on equal rights and the self-determination of peoples, or their ability to choose their political future.
Cooperation, human rights and shared action
Another purpose is cooperation on economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems. The Charter also names the promotion of human rights as part of this work.
Climate change is one global issue that calls for cooperation across borders. It is an example of a shared problem, not a separate purpose listed in Article 1.
The Charter also asks the UN to help coordinate member states’ actions toward common goals. This is one way it can promote international cooperation and address world issues that reach beyond one country.
Read together, the purposes connect peace with friendly relations and practical cooperation. The table’s cooperation wording captures one part of the mission, not the whole list.
What Powers Do the United Nations’ Main Bodies Have?
The General Assembly debates and sets policy, while the Security Council has the Charter’s central enforcement role on peace and security. The key distinction is that the Assembly is a forum for member states, while Council enforcement powers have defined limits.
The Security Council can take Chapter VII measures, but it cannot enforce every international law as a general rule. The Charter gives it a role in responding to threats to peace and acts of aggression.
| Body or action | Main role | Decision or authority |
|---|---|---|
| General Assembly | Deliberation, policymaking and representation | Two-thirds vote on important questions; simple majority on others |
| Security Council | Peace and security | Determines threats or aggression; recommends dispute solutions |
| Chapter VII enforcement | Responds to threats to peace | Measures range from sanctions to international military action |
In the Assembly, members express views, debate proposals and seek consensus. Important-question decisions require a two-thirds majority, while other decisions use a simple majority.
The Security Council may call on parties to settle disputes peacefully. It can recommend ways to adjust or settle a dispute, and establish peacekeeping missions and special political missions.
Chapter VII allows enforcement measures such as economic sanctions and, when authorized, international military action. The UN Charter’s Chapter VII sets out those powers.
The wording in choice B is defensible only when tied to the Security Council’s defined Charter authority.
How Are United Nations Contributions and Budgets Set?
The UN is funded through required member-state assessments, not voluntary dues alone. An assessed contribution is the mandatory amount assigned to a member state for a United Nations budget.
All 193 member states are required to contribute to UN expenses under Article 17. The regular budget pays core administrative and operational costs, including work by the General Assembly, Secretariat and Security Council.
The regular budget and member assessments
The General Assembly sets the assessment scale every three years. Its formula considers gross national income, debt burden and income per person.
On December 30, 2025, the Assembly approved a 2026 regular budget of $3,450,426,300. That was $270 million below the 2025 budget.
The 2026 plan included an almost 19% cut in staff posts and abolished 2,900 positions. The United States was assessed 22% of the regular budget, more than $760 million.
Peacekeeping funding and US budget proposals
Peacekeeping has a separate budget from core operations. In 2026, it funded eleven active missions. For fiscal year 2026-2027, the US assessment was about 26%, or roughly $1.3 billion if fully funded.
As of April 30, 2026, unpaid regular-budget assessments totaled nearly $2.8 billion, including about $2 billion owed by the United States. Unpaid peacekeeping assessments totaled about $3.5 billion, including more than $2.3 billion owed by the United States.
The US 2027 budget request proposed these changes for four accounts:
- Contributions to International Organizations: about $292 million, 79% below the prior year’s enacted amount.
- Peacekeeping Operations: $27 million, 92% below the fiscal year 2026 enacted level.
- International Organizations and Programs: no proposed funding.
- Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities: no proposed funding.
The UN’s peacekeeping funding system relies on member assessments. A proposed request is not enacted funding or proof that the United States stopped paying assessed contributions. Keep proposed budget cuts, enacted appropriations and unpaid assessments separate when describing US funding.
What Charter Principles Limit the United Nations’ Authority?
The UN brings 193 member states together, but the Charter does not give it unlimited power over them. Its starting rule is sovereign equality: all members have equal status under the Charter.
The Charter also requires peaceful dispute settlement and bars threats or force against another state’s territorial integrity or political independence. These rules guide how members relate to one another.
The Charter sets out three core principles that shape the relationship between the UN and its members:
- Sovereign equality: each member state has equal status under the Charter.
- Peaceful settlement: members must seek peaceful ways to settle disputes.
- Restraint from force: members must not threaten or use force against another state’s borders or political independence.
These limits matter because the UN is an organization of states, not a world government. Its 193 members do not hand over unlimited control of domestic affairs.
The Charter bars UN intervention in matters essentially within a state’s domestic jurisdiction. That limit has an exception for Security Council enforcement measures under Chapter VII.
The Charter’s purposes and principles frame international cooperation while preserving those boundaries. The key exception to the domestic-jurisdiction limit is Security Council enforcement under Chapter VII.
Where Is the United Nations, and Who Leads It Now?
The United Nations is headquartered in New York City, and António Guterres remains Secretary-General in October 2026. The headquarters address is 46th Street and First Avenue, New York, NY 10017.
Guterres’s second and final term ends on December 31, 2026. The next Secretary-General is scheduled to take office on January 1, 2027.
The 81st General Assembly session began its High-Level Week in September 2026. Its General Debate began on September 22 and was scheduled to include senior representatives from all 193 member states.
The UN’s event schedule placed the General Debate from September 22 to 28. It was the final General Assembly session to begin under Guterres.
The timeline marks both the annual gathering and the planned leadership change:
- September 2026: High-Level Week for the 81st General Assembly session.
- September 22, 2026: General Debate begins.
- January 1, 2027: The next Secretary-General is scheduled to start.
The 2026 High-Level Week schedule set the meeting dates for the session. The scheduled January 1, 2027 start date marks the leadership transition after Guterres’s final term.
How Does the United Nations Differ From NATO?
Neither organization is simply “stronger” across every measure, because NATO and the United Nations have different mandates. The UN supports broad cooperation among states, while NATO is a collective-defense alliance.
NATO’s Article 5 commitment rests on the self-defense right recognized in Article 51 of the UN Charter. NATO is a powerful military alliance, but the UN’s wider remit includes diplomacy and shared global issues.
The organizations built a framework for expanded consultation and cooperation in September 2008. NATO’s Military Liaison Officer post at the UN dates to 1999, and its Civilian Liaison Officer post began in 2010.
Compare NATO and the UN by task: collective defense and broad international cooperation are different measures of strength.
A military alliance and a broad international body cannot be ranked by one simple measure. NATO’s collective-defense commitment is grounded in a right recognized by the UN Charter.
Conclusion
For this table, B is the closest available answer, but it is not a precise description of unlimited UN authority. Its enforcement claim makes sense only when tied to the Security Council’s powers under the Charter.
The table’s cooperation statement gives a broader and more accurate account of the UN’s purpose than the other choices do as written. If you must mark one letter, choose B and keep that limit in mind.
On a similar question, check whether the claim describes a specific Charter power or overstates what the organization can do.
FAQ
What are the four main purposes of the United Nations?
The four purposes are maintaining peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, cooperating on shared problems and human rights, and coordinating member states’ actions. Article 1 of the Charter names these aims. They work together: cooperation can help countries address issues that cross borders, while peaceful relations support security and shared action.
Where is the United Nations now?
The United Nations is headquartered at 46th Street and First Avenue in New York City, New York, NY 10017. The headquarters is the organization’s main office, but the UN also works through offices and missions in other locations. Its New York address is not the location of every UN body or operation.
Has Trump defunded the UN?
No, a proposed budget cut is not the same as enacted funding or proof that the United States stopped paying required assessments. The US 2027 budget request proposed steep cuts to several international accounts, including peacekeeping. Member-state assessments remain a separate obligation, and unpaid assessments are tracked separately from proposed spending.
Who is stronger, NATO or UN?
There is no single ranking because NATO and the UN serve different roles. NATO is a collective-defense alliance whose members commit to mutual defense under Article 5. The UN has a wider role in cooperation among states, diplomacy and peace and security. Which has more power depends on the task being compared.
Who runs the United Nations now?
António Guterres is the UN Secretary-General in October 2026. His second and final term ends on December 31, 2026, and his successor is scheduled to take office on January 1, 2027. The Secretary-General leads the Secretariat and serves as the organization’s chief administrative officer, while member states make decisions through UN bodies.
