The United Nations

Outline of Presentation

• History of the UN• General Information/UN Finances• Structures of the UN

– General Assembly (GA)– Security Council (SC)– Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)– Trusteeship Council– International Court of Justice (ICJ)– Secretariat– Other important organizations

• Current Issues/Peacekeeping• Criticism of the UN• UN Reform

History of the United Nations

• Founded 24 October 1945 in San Founded 24 October 1945 in San FranciscoFrancisco

• After WW 1&2, desire for peaceAfter WW 1&2, desire for peace

• 50 Countries draw up the Charter50 Countries draw up the Charter

• Ratified by China, France, USSR, UK, Ratified by China, France, USSR, UK, USAUSA

• Charter — UN ConstitutionCharter — UN Constitution

History of the United Nations• Purposes: (Article 1)

– Maintain International Peace and Security, and prevent and solve them peacefully threats to peace

– Develop friendly relations among nations based on equal rights and self-determination of peoples

– strengthen universal peace– Achieve international co-operation in solving

international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character

– Promote human rights regardless of race, sex, language or religion

– To be a centre for harmonizing actions of nations

General Information• Consists of 192 Member States,Consists of 192 Member States,• Official Observers (Palestine) and NGO’s (HRW) Official Observers (Palestine) and NGO’s (HRW)

represented,represented,• Each Member State maintains its sovereignityEach Member State maintains its sovereignity• Issues range from Decolonization, to Human Rights, Issues range from Decolonization, to Human Rights,

International Trade, Breaches of the Peace, Legal issues, International Trade, Breaches of the Peace, Legal issues, etc.etc.

• There are 6 Official Languages accepted at the UNThere are 6 Official Languages accepted at the UN– Arabic, Chinese, Arabic, Chinese, English, FrenchEnglish, French, Russian and Spanish, Russian and Spanish

• Headquarters in NYCHeadquarters in NYC• Seat in GenevaSeat in Geneva• Organizations spread around the worldOrganizations spread around the world• 1971: Taiwan loses representation, replaced by PR China1971: Taiwan loses representation, replaced by PR China

UN Finances

• Budget is 3.8 Billion dollars (2006/2007)

• Main income source is Member State contributions

• Contributions based on factors such as the GNP

• Peacekeeping Budget additional $3.5 Billion

• WHO budget less than medium sized hospital

• May 2002: 40% paid dues• Private Funding: Corruption?

Member State (MS)

Contribution of UN Budget (%)

United States 22.00%

Japan 16.62%

Germany 8.66%

United Kingdom 6.13%

France 6.03%

Italy 4.89%

Canada 2.81%

China 2.67%

Spain 2.52%

Mexico 1.88%

Other MS 19.19%

Structures of the UN

• 6 original organs– GA, SC, ECOSOC, Trusteeship Council, ICJ, Secretariat

• 15+ other Agencies, Programs, and Bodies– HRC– WHO– UNICEF– UNESCO

• Funds and Programs subsidiary bodies of GA• Report to GA or ECOSOC• Organizations have own Charters, Mandates, and

Budgets

The General Assembly• Main Body of UNMain Body of UN• All 192 MS representedAll 192 MS represented• Every MS has one voteEvery MS has one vote

• Powers of the GA:Powers of the GA:– Set AgendaSet Agenda– Discuss any almost issueDiscuss any almost issue– Recommendations not bindingRecommendations not binding– Resolutions need a simple majority (50%+1), important Resolutions need a simple majority (50%+1), important

decisions need 2/3 majoritydecisions need 2/3 majority

• President of the GA presides, elected for each session (one President of the GA presides, elected for each session (one year), has 21 vice-presidentsyear), has 21 vice-presidents

• 6 Main Committees6 Main Committees

The General Assembly• First: Disarmament and International

Security

• Second: Economic and Financial (Trade)

• Third: Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural

• Fourth: Special Political and Decolonization

• Fifth: Administrative and Budgetary

• Sixth: Legal

The Security Council

• Most prestigious and powerfulMost prestigious and powerful• Resolutions are legally bindingResolutions are legally binding• Deal with Threats to Peace, mediate disputesDeal with Threats to Peace, mediate disputes• Functions: Peacekeeping Missions, Tribunals, Declare Functions: Peacekeeping Missions, Tribunals, Declare

rogue nations, Provide or revoke a nations' legitimacyrogue nations, Provide or revoke a nations' legitimacy• Recommend admission of new members (GA votes)Recommend admission of new members (GA votes)• 15 Members; P5 (China, France, Russia, UK, USA)15 Members; P5 (China, France, Russia, UK, USA)

– 3 Africa, 2 L.A, 1 Arab, 1 Asian, 1 E.EU, 2 W. EU: 2 3 Africa, 2 L.A, 1 Arab, 1 Asian, 1 E.EU, 2 W. EU: 2 year terms, no immediate reelection, year terms, no immediate reelection,

• Become more active recentlyBecome more active recently• Presidency of SC rotates every month (Mexico for April)Presidency of SC rotates every month (Mexico for April)

The Economic and Social Council

• 54 Members, GA elects them for three years54 Members, GA elects them for three years• 14 Africa, 11 Asia, 6 East Europe, 10 Latin 14 Africa, 11 Asia, 6 East Europe, 10 Latin

America and Caribbean, 13 West Europe and America and Caribbean, 13 West Europe and Others Others

• Many subsidiary councils: expert, regionalMany subsidiary councils: expert, regional• Functions include information gathering, Functions include information gathering,

advising member nations, and making advising member nations, and making recommendations. recommendations.

• Provides policyProvides policycoherence and coordinate the coherence and coordinate the overlapping functionsoverlapping functions

Trusteeship Council

• Suspended operations in 1994• Created to monitor the transition of colonies to

independent countries• To promote interests of groups without self-rule• Suspended with the independence of Palau• Has a president and vice-president and can

meet when it feels necessary

International Court of Justice

• ““World Court”World Court”• Situated in Den Haag in the Peace PalaceSituated in Den Haag in the Peace Palace• U.S only accepts jurisdiction for some casesU.S only accepts jurisdiction for some cases• Any country can bring up a caseAny country can bring up a case• Deals with cases between countries, judges Deals with cases between countries, judges

international, regionally de factointernational, regionally de facto• ICC: works on cases concerning genocide, war ICC: works on cases concerning genocide, war

crimes, etc. separate entity, but works with the crimes, etc. separate entity, but works with the UN via treatiesUN via treaties

Secretariat

• The Bureaucracy of the UN• Headed by the Secretary General

– Voted by the GA for 7 years• 8,900 staff drawn from some 170

countries• Staff members and the Secretary-

General answer to the United Nations alone

• Oath not to seek or receive instructions from any Government

• Regular presence in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Beirut, Geneva, Nairobi,Sagainstago and Vienna

• Senior Management Group functionsas Cabinet

Ban Ki Moon, the current Secretary-General

Other Organizations • FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization• IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency• OHCHR: Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights • UNCTAD: United Nations Conference on Trade and

Development• UNDP: United Nations Development Program• UNEP: United Nations Environment Program• UNICEF: UN International Children's Emergency Fund• WB: World Bank • WHO: World Health Organization• WTO: World Trade Organization

Wide variety of subjects and problems covered by UN (affiliated) Programs

Current issues

• Iraq, Syria, Israel-Palestine

• Sustainable Development

• Labor• Refugees• Disarmament• Drugs and Crime

Current issues

• Millennium Development Goals (2015)

• End extreme Poverty and Hunger

• Universal Primary Education• Promote Gender Equality and

Empower Women• Reduce Child Mortality/Child

Health• Improve Maternal Health• Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and

other Diseases• Environmental Sustainability• Global Partnership for

Development

Peacekeeping

• 1948 in Israel first operation• MS rent soldiers for missions• Peacekeepers only enter

when allowed by combatants• Strict mandates, ex. Can’t fire

unless attacked• Brahimi Report 2000• 93-03: 14 missions, 45 000

deployed• 16 Current/Recent Missions:

Haiti, Kosovo, Lebanon, Darfur, Timor-Leste,

UN forces, also known as ‘blue helmets‘

Points of Criticism

• Bureaucratic• Politicized• Inefficient• Unaccountable• Dominated by Western States (USA)

– European Union– Group 77– OAS– African Union

Security Council Reform

• Increase number to 24 (add Permanent or not)• Abolish Veto power• Redistribute P5

– Brazil, (largest country in LA, Mexico and Argentina against)– Germany, (3rd largest Contributor, Italy against)– India, (Nuclear weapons, 1/6 pop, Pakistan against)– Japan, (2nd largest Contributor, PR China, Korea’s against)– Africa: Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria, Egypt– Muslim-majority Nation, stabilize region?, veto?

• Variety of positions, each P5 different, hard to change due to P5 veto power and sensitivity of issue

UN Reform• Review each mandate and update or end where necessary• Consolidated Office of Drugs and Crime• Reformed Secretariat

– Created position of Deputy Secretary-General and Cabinet• Lesson amount of offices for information gathering (9 became one for EU)• Efficiency: redistribution of funds according to new needs• Investment into better technology• Management Performance Board to monitor organizations performance• Strengthen Peacekeeping Abilities, Planning and Co-ordination

• Every day we are reminded of the need for a strengthened United Nations, as we face a growing array of new challenges, including humanitarian crises, human rights violations, armed conflicts and important health and environmental concerns. Seldom has the United Nations been called upon to do so much for so many. I am determined to breathe new life and inject renewed confidence into a strengthened United Nations firmly anchored in the twenty-first century, and which is effective, efficient, coherent and accountable."

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon• Strengthen OHCHR to improve Human Rights globally