Sri Lanka attended all GA sessions; ran the 1976 GA session; proposed the 1978 Disarmament Session. The assembly is the UN's main forum for debate. It is the only UN body which includes representatives from all member countries. Each member country has one vote. Members can discuss any subject in the UN Charter, from international security to the UN budget. The assembly can issue recommendations, based on its deliberations. But it has no power to force countries to act on these. The General Assembly meets for three months of the year from mid-September, and for special and emergency sessions. Its annual sessions open with a "General Debate", in which each member country delivers a statement about its perspective on world events. Read more:

Sri Lanka was a non-permanent member between 1960-65 The council is tasked with ensuring global peace and security. It has five permanent member nations: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. Ten other countries have temporary membership on a rotating basis. The council can impose economic sanctions and can authorise the use of force in conflicts. It also oversees peacekeeping operations. Read more:

	Jayantha Dhanapala was a candidate at the last vote for Secretary-General Many Sri Lankans have worked for the Secretariat The Secretariat undertakes the day-to-day work of the UN, administering the programmes and policies of the organisation. Some 7,500 Secretariat staff drawn from 170 countries are working in the Secretariat. Read more:

	The council spearheads the UN's economic, social, humanitarian and cultural activities. It oversees the work of commissions which deal with human rights, social development, technology, drugs, among other issues. Its 54 members are elected by the General Assembly. Read more:

	The court is the main judicial body of the UN and is tasked with settling legal disputes submitted to it by states. It sits in The Hague in the Netherlands. The court's 15 judges are elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council. Read more:

Sri Lanka is the 16th largest troop contributing country to the UN. 1000 Sri Lankan UN troops have served in Haiti, Cote d’Ivoire, Sudan, Western Sahara, Mozambique, Timor-Leste, Liberia. United Nations peacekeeping is a unique and dynamic instrument to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace. The Security Council sets up UN peacekeeping operations and defines their scope and mandate. Since the first UN peacekeeping mission was established in 1948, there have been a total of 63 UN peacekeeping operations around the world. Read more:

Sri Lanka is a signatory to most of the important UN Conventions. (Find here the conventions ratified by Sri Lanka.) International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (in force 20 March 1982) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (in force 11 September 1980) Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (in force 03 January 1998) International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (in force 11 September 1980) Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (in force 04 November 1981) Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (in force 15 January 2003) Convention Against Torture, and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (in force 02 February 1994) Convention on the Rights of the Child (in force 11 August 1991) Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (in force 12 February 2002) Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (22 October 2006) International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (in force 1 July 2003) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Signatory: 30-Mar-07) Read more:

Sri Lankan resolutions proposed and accepted on Indian Ocean Peace Zone (IOPZ) in 1971; Declaration of 1987 as the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless; and 1999 recognition of Vesak as a UN holiday A United Nations resolution is a formal text adopted by a UN body. Although any UN body can issue resolutions, in practice most resolutions are issued by the Security Council or the General Assembly. A General Assembly Resolution is voted on by all member states of the United Nations in the General Assembly and requires a simple majority to pass (with the exception of 'important questions which require two-thirds majority). Read more:

The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations. The current Secretary-General is Ban Ki-moon, a former South Korean foreign minister, who took office on January 1, 2007. His first term will expire on December 31, 2011 and he will be eligible for reappointment. Mr Ban says he will be a "bridge-builder", seeking to restore trust in a UN that had to be "dynamic and courageous". He has identified the Middle East, Sudan and North Korea as priorities. He will be the first Asian secretary-general for 35 years. Read more:

	Many Sri Lankan employees work in the Agencies and on governing councils

	Sri Lanka is a member of the Economic and Social Council Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva is the Chairman of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Executive Committee.

	Gamini Corea, was the Secretary-General of UNCTAD Jayantha Dhanapala held the most senior posts in UNIDIR, Disarmament Affairs C. Weeramantry was Vice-President of International Court of Justice Radhika Coomaraswamy is Under Secretary-General for Children and Conflict Palitha Kohona was chief of the UN’s Treaty Section