Poland in the UN

Poland’s peace initiatives at the League of Nations and the United Nations in 1919–1989 in a historical context

Poland is an active member of the UN in each of its three pillars: human rights, peace and security, and development.

As a member of the United Nations, Poland implements the goals and principles laid down in the United Nations Charter.

Poland’s missions/representatives to the United Nations operate in:

New York – Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations in New York
Geneva – Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations Office in Geneva
Vienna – Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland to the UN Office and the International Organizations in Vienna
Paris – Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Poland to UNESCO
Nairobi – Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland at the UN Office in Nairobi
Rome – Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization

United Nations

United Nations Website

General information

The United Nations was created in 1945 with a view to rebuilding the landscape ruined by World War II.

Even though Poland was one of the most important allies in the struggle against Nazi Germany and a victim of the latter’s invasion, it did not take part in the founding conference in San Francisco. This resulted from an increasingly divergent stance of the superpowers on whether to recognize the communist authorities in Poland, which were not legitimized in free elections. But this in no way suggests that Poland had been forgotten at the conference. The Polish-born piano virtuoso, Artur Rubinstein, preceded his concert at the San Francisco opera hall by saying:

This Hall, where the great nations have gathered to make this world a better place, I don’t see the flag of Poland, on behalf of which this cruel war was waged. And added, And so now I will play the Polish national anthem.

Despite the absence of representatives of the Polish government at the founding conference, in recognition of Poland’s input in the fight against fascism, Poland was counted as one of the UN’s founding members by amending the wording of Article 3 of the United Nations Charter. Poland signed the Charter on 15 October 1945 and ratified it on the following day. In its declaration, the Government of Poland expressed its readiness to cooperate with the UN, emphasizing the significance of the common security system, the principle of inviolability of frontiers and the foundation of national political systems on the principles of democracy.

UN Funds and Programmes

Programmes and funds of the UN system are established mainly for undertaking actions aimed at development, providing humanitarian aid and promoting human rights. Among them, the most recognizable are: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and World Food Programme (WFP).

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has been founded in June 1972. Seven priority areas of UNEP’s Programme of Work include: climate change, resilience to disasters and conflicts, healthy and productive ecosystems, environmental governance, chemicals, waste and air quality, resource efficiency and environment under review. During Bureau’s 2017-2019 term the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland held the post of its rapporteur, in June 2020 he will assume the post of its vicechair. Every two years the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA), referred to as „the universal parliament for the environment” meets in Nairobi.

United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). The scope of UN Habitat activities includes urban planning and architecture. It carries its mandate by encouraging, promoting and undertaking activities aiming at the transformation of informal settlements (slums), securing the availability of safe drinking water and sanitation to all urban dwellers and their access to all basic municipal services. UN Habitat is one of the smallest of UN agencies but its importance is fast growing reflecting global demographic trends. The Permanent representative of the Republic of Poland currently holds the position of the vicechair of the Assembly and its Bureau. Poland is also a member of the UN Habitat Executive Board. Convened every 10 years the Habitat conferences are key programme-setting events in the UN Habitat calendar. Every two years the World Urban Forum (WUF) is organised. In 2022 WUF11 was held in Katowice. It was the first time ever that the World Urban Forum had been organised in Central and Eastern Europe.

UN Specialized Agencies

The UN specialized agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations. All were brought into relationship with the UN through negotiated agreements. The most important of these are: International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO), World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

UNESCO has been founded in 1945. The headquarters of the UNESCO Secretariat is located in Paris, but there are also more than 50 UNESCO field offices. UNESCO activities are organised according to five main themes: education, natural sciences, social sciences, culture, information and communication. One of the most visible areas of UNESCO activities is the protection of cultural heritage and the World Heritage List. The Polish National Commission for UNESCO was established as a separate institution in 1956 and it has the status of an advisory body to the Council of Ministers. The Polish National Commission consists of representatives of both governmental institutions as well as academia and culture.

UN Main Organs

UN General Assembly

The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN. It is made up of representatives of all UN member countries, each holding one vote. Ordinary sessions are held annually, beginning on the Tuesday after the second Monday of September. Decisions on key issues – such as the election of non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, the election of ECOSOC members, accepting new member countries to the UN, the suspension of the rights and privileges of membership, budget issues, and peace and security – are adopted by way of a two-thirds majority. Simple majority applies in all other matters.

There are six Main Committees of the General Assembly which provide a forum for the UN Members to hold discussions on a variety of topics grouped into thematic groups:

First Committee (Disarmament & International Security),
Second Committee (Economic & Financial),
Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian & Cultural),
Fourth Committee (Special Political & Decolonization),
Fifth Committee (Administrative & Budgetary),
Sixth Committee (Legal).

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UN Security Council

The Security Council comprises 15 countries, with five permanent members (France, China, Russia, UK, USA). The remaining 10 countries are elected by the General Assembly for a two-year term, with five non-permanent members elected every year. Outgoing members are not eligible for immediate re-election. In order to maintain a geographical balance, in 1963 the General Assembly decided to grant 5 seats to African and Asia/Pacific countries, 1 seat to East European countries, 2 seats to Latin American and Caribbean countries, and 2 seats to countries from Western Europe and the remaining regions. Additionally, there is an informal rule that one seat (alternately from the African or Asia-Pacific group) is given to the Arab states as the so called “Arab swing seat”). Under the UN Charter the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.

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Poland in the UN Security Council

The Security Council comprises 15 countries, with five permanent members (France, China, Russia, Umited Kingdom, USA). The remaining 10 countries are elected by the General Assembly for a two-year term, with five non-permanent members elected every year. Poland was an elected (non-permanent) member of the UN Security Council in 2018 –2019.

The Security Council is one of the main bodies of the United Nations. Under the UN Charter it has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The Security Council has a Presidency, which rotates, and changes, every month. So far, its 2018– 2019, Poland has held the UNSC presidency twice – in May 2018 and in August 2019. In the past, Poland was a Security Council member five times: 1946–1947, 1960, 1970–1971, 1982–1983 and 1996–1997.

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

The Economic and Social Council serves as the central forum for international discussions on economic and social issues. It is also the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social, development, cultural, education- and health related issues, as well as implementation of internationally agreed development goals. It serves as the central mechanism for activities of the UN system and its specialized agencies in the economic, social and environmental fields, supervising subsidiary and expert bodies. In fulfilling its mandate the ECOSOC holds consultations with academic institutions, businesses and representatives of NGOs that enjoy consultative status with the Council.

The Council's 54 members are elected by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms. Seats on the Council are allotted based on geographical representation with fourteen allocated to African states, eleven to Asian states, six to Eastern European states, ten to Latin American and Caribbean states, and thirteen to Western European and other states.

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International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the main UN judicial body, created in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations. The ICJ has its seat in the Hague (Kingdom of the Netherlands). The Court’s system, its competencies, proceedings, and advisory capacities are defined in the ICJ Statute, which constitutes an integral part of the UN Charter. The Court’s role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by states only.

The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council, with a possibility of reelection.

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Secretariat

The Secretariat is headed by the UN Secretary-General (SG). Secretariat staff function as international officials serving the United Nations. They may not receive or implement any instructions from their national governments. The Secretariat, one of the main organs of the UN, is organized along departmental lines, with each department or office having a distinct area of action and responsibility. Offices and departments coordinate with each other to ensure cohesion as they carry out the day to day work of the Organization in offices and duty stations around the world.

Peacekeeping Operations

The UN has been conducting peacekeeping operations since 1948, when the Security Council authorised the presence of observers in the Middle East. The UN has conducted 70 peacekeeping operations so far, including 57 after 1988. Over several decades, hundreds of thousands of military personnel have been involved in UN peacekeeping operations, as well as tens of thousands of police officers and civilians from over 120 countries. More than 3,300 peacekeepers from nearly 120 countries were killed in the line of duty under the UN flag. Poland has a long and glorious history of taking part in peacekeeping missions. In 2018, Poland formally notified its willingness to increase its contribution to UN peacekeeping missions.

More detailed information on current and past UN peacekeeping operations is available here.

Human Rights in the UN system

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

The High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) is a UN body established in December 1993 pursuant to General Assembly resolution 48/141. According to its mandate, the Commissioner heads the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.

The High Commissioner is tasked primarily with promoting and protecting human rights around the world and coordinating activities undertaken by member states and UN agencies with a view to ensuring respect for universal human rights.

The current UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is Michelle Bachelet, who assumed her functions on 1 September 2018.

Poland is one of the countries voluntarily supporting the budget of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, including the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMU).

Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council (HRC) is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them. It meets at the UN Office at Geneva. The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly. The Human Rights Council was established in 2006 by UNGA resolution 60/251 and replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Poland was a member of the Human Rights Council in the years 2006-2007, 2010-2013 and was elected for the 2020-2022 term.