The United Nations

The United Nations, whose membership comprises almost all the states in the world, is founded on the principle of the equal worth of every human being.

Trivia: What are the{ 5 permanent members of the UN

security council? Hint:

How well do you know the world and its countries?

{ Try this: http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just

_fun/games/mapgame.html

There are 192 countries in the UN currently.

Which countries are NOT members of the UN?

Founding of the UN

{ Charter of the UN signed in 1945 in San Francisco.

{ Aimed at setting up an organisation which could:

1) Keep the peace in the aftermath of WW2

2) Remove the factors which led to war in the first place (e.g. poverty)

Structure of the UN

{ General Assembly{ Security Council{ Trusteeship

Council{ International Court

of Justice{ Secretariat and

Secretary-General

Do you know what these acronyms of subsidiary UN bodies stand for?

{ UNDP{ UNEP{ UNHCR{ FAO { ICJ{ UNICEF { UNESCO

Answers:

{ UNDP: United Nations Development Programme

{ UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme

{ UNHCR: United Nations High Commission for Refugees

{ FAO: Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations

{ ICJ: International Court of Justice{ UNICEF: United Nations Children Fund { UNESCO: United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organisation

Main aims of the United Nations

1) To maintain international peace and security through:

{ Peacekeeping{ Settlement of border disputes{ International cooperation on vital

transborder issues (e.g. terrorism){ ICJ{ Addressing human rights violations

Peacekeeping

The International Court of Justice{ Located in The Hague,

the Netherlands{ Is the principal judicial

organ of the UN{ main functions are to

settle legal disputes submitted to it by member states

{ E.g. Singapore & Malaysia, Pedra Blanca Issue

Main Aims of the United Nations

2) Humanitarian and development work

{ assist refugees{ fight disease and improve medical

care and knowledge{ gender equality{ to provide loans, mainly to

developing countries

UN Humanitarian Appeals 2008

Required funding

Funding obtained

Main aims of the United Nations3) To foster international cooperation

in environmental issues{ working to fight global warminge.g. UN Framework Convention on Climate

Change, Kyoto Protocol

Activity: SWOT Analysis of the UN

{ Strengths{ Weaknesses{ Opportunities{ Threats

Looking at the images/cartoons, jot down 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses of the UN.

Strengths of the UNEvery member state of the UN, whether

large or small, has a right to vote in the General Assembly.

Strengths of the UN

{ Maintains peace and security among member states, e.g. ICJ facilitates peaceful resolution of disputes

{ General Assembly is like a world parliament where small nations can have a voice

{ Helps countries with immediate problems e.g. peace-keeping, food aid

Weaknesses of the UN

Weaknesses of the UN

Weaknesses of the UN

Weaknesses of the UN

Weaknesses of the UN{ The state-centric nature of the UN system: national

interests vs. collective interests; human rights vs. sovereign rights of member states. While the UN Charter insists on concern for human rights, it also enshrines the principle of the sovereign equality of states, Article 7 (2) exclaims:

Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter.

As a result, there are tensions between the concept of sovereignty and the need for humanitarian intervention. In short, the UN does not have sufficient authority.

Weaknesses of the UN{ Unfair allocation of power The Security Council consists of 5 permanent members

or big brothers China, Russia, the U.S., U.K and France. Any one of the great powers can use its right of VETO to block the call for action by the UN. The real power of decision-making falls upon its permanent five members.

Weaknesses of the UN

The UN has insufficient resources due to member countries unpaid dues.

Opportunities for the UN

{ Emergence of new forms of conflict and trends that transcend political and territorial boundaries and require concerted global action, e.g. terrorism, drug trafficking, global epidemics, global warming, intellectual property rights

Threats to the UN

{ Intra-state conflicts in the aftermath of the Cold War

{ Authority of the UN has been undermined by the USs invasion of Iraq

{ Lack of funds { The problem of rogue states in the

general assembly

Assignment: An Evaluation Report of the United Nations

{ Work individually. { You must submit a yearly report for the

United Nations achievements (2007-08) in each of the areas listed in the document to its Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.

{ Make a list of the successes and failures of the United Nations for each.

{ For each one you should be able to provide examples to show what the UN has achieved in 2007-08.

{ Give a final grade to the UN: A, B, C, D or E, and justify your assessment.

Assignment: An Evaluation Report of the United Nations

{ Use the Student Handout: Background on the United Nations to help you.

{ You may want to do additional research to come up with examples under each assessment category.

{ Deadline: Term 3 Week 1 (23rd June 2008)