THE UNITED NATIONS

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THE UNITED NATIONS

• Everything you might want to know.. and more!

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What is the United Nations?

• Organization of countries joined together to work
  for world peace

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What are the aims of the United Nations?

• Keep peace throughout the world
• Develop friendly relations among nations
• Work together to help poor people live better
  lives, remove poverty, disease and illiteracy
  and to encourage respect for each others rights
  and freedoms
• Be a center for helping nations achieve these
  goals

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How did the U.N. begin?

• The League of Nations, the forerunner of the
  United Nations was created because people
  believed that a world organization of nations
  could keep the peace and prevent a repetition of
  the horrors of the 1914-18 war in Europe.

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How did the U.N. begin?

• After W W II, it became obvious that the League
  couldnt prevent war, so the League of Nations
  was abandonedbut most of its ideals and some of
  its structure were kept by the United Nations.
• The ideals of peace and social/ economic progress
  remained the basic goals of the new world
  organization.

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How did the U.N. begin?2

• January 1, 1942
• 26 countries
• Signed United Nations Declaration
• Pledged to win war and accept the Atlantic
  Charter

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How did the U.N. begin?6

• 1945- Representatives of 50 countries met at the
  San Francisco Conference and drafted and adopted
  the United Nations Charter and laws of the
  International Court of Justice

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When was the United Nations Officially Born?

• October 24, 1945
• We now celebrate United Nations
• Day on October 24 throughout
• the world.

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How many members are in the United Nations?

• 192 MEMBERS
• Most Recently Admitted Montenegro

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What languages are used at the United Nations?

• Arabic
• Chinese
• English
• French
• Russian
• Spanish
• (FACERS)

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Where is the U.N.s Headquarters

• New York, United States
• Zoned International
• Flag
• Security officers
• Post office
• Postage stamps

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How many buildings are at the U.N.?

• 4 Buildings
• General Assembly Building
• Secretariat
• Conference Building
• Dag Hammarskjold Library

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How is the U.N. organized?

• 6 Main Organizations
• General Assembly
• Security Council
• Economic and Social Council
• Trusteeship Council
• International Court of Justice
• Secretariat
• (GESSIT)

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What is the General Assembly?

• Main body of the United
• Nations where everyone
• meets together to discuss
• topics and vote

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How does the General Assembly work?

• Every nation has an equal vote regardless of size
• Voting requires a 2/3 majority
• Meets once a year - 3rd Tuesday of September

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What does the General Assembly do?

• Elects a president every year
• Makes recommendations on any subject not being
  dealt with by the Security Council
• Admits new members recommended by the Security
  Council

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What does the General Assembly do?

• Appoints Secretary-General
• Elects members of other organs
• Decides how much money each country should pay to
  run the U. N. and how the money is spent
• Adopts resolutions but cannot enforce them

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What does the Security Council do?

• Guardian of world peace
• Deals with questions of peace and security

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Members of the Security Council

• 15 members
• 5 permanent members
• China
• France
• Russian Federation
• United Kingdom
• United States
• (CRUFU)

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How does the Security Council work?

• Does not hold regular meetings but can have
  called meetings at any time
• Any nation can bring a dispute
• President takes turns a month at a time based on
  the English alphabetical order of country

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How does the Security Council work?

• Voting requires 9 out of 15
• If any of the 5 permanent members vote no,
  resolutions are vetoed

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What kind of powers does the Security Council
have?

• Investigate disputes
• Recommend settlement options
• Determine if there is a possible threat to peace
  and security
• Call on nations to impose sanctions or other non
  violent means to prevent or stop war

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What kind of powers does the Security Council
have?

• Take military actions against an aggressor
• Recommend new members for admission to the UN
• Recommend the appointment of the Secretary
  General

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What does the Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC) do?

• Makes recommendations on how to improve
• education
• health conditions
• respect for human rights and freedom of people
  everywhere

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What are the Economic concerns of ECOSOC?

• Trade
• Transport
• Industrialization
• Economic development

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What are the Social Concerns of ECOSOC?

• Population
• Children
• Housing
• Womens rights
• Racial discrimination

• Narcotic drugs
• Crime
• Social welfare
• Youth
• Human environment
• Food.

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How does ECOSOC work?

• 54 member countries, elected by the GA for 3 year
  terms
• Holds one meeting a year
• Votes are by majority

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What are the Regional Commissions of the ECOSOC?

• Regional Economic/Social Commissions
• ECA - Africa
• ECE - Europe
• ECLAC - Latin America and the Caribbean
• ESCAP -Asia and Pacific
• ESCWA - Western Asia

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What doest the Secretariat do?

• Carries out the day-to day operations of the
  United Nations

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What is the work of the Secretariat?

• Administer peacekeeping operations
• Mediate international disputes
• Survey economic and social trends and problems
• Prepare studies on human rights and sustainable
  development

• Inform the media about the work of the United
  Nations
• Organize international conferences on issues of
  worldwide concern
• Interpret speeches
• Translate documents into the Organization's
  official languages.

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How does the Secretariat work?

• 8900 employees in NY with other workers spread
  all over the world
• Workers include economists, editors, librarians,
  translators and experts working behind the
  scenes
• Headed by the Secretary-General

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Secretary-General

• Heads the Secretariat
• Appointed by GA for 5 years
• Same power as a head of a member country
• Brings to Security Council problems threatening
  world peace

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What does the Secretary-General do?

• Propose issues to be discussed by the U.N
• Referee in disputes
• Helps resolve issues without going to Security
  Council or General Assembly

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What does the Secretary-General do?

• Heads the staff of international civil servants
• Staff prepares background information on problems
  to assist in decision making

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Past and Present Secretary-Generals

• 1946-52- Trygve Lie
• 1953-61- Dag Hammarskjol
• 1961-71- U Thant
• 1972-81 Kurt Waldheim
• 1982-91-Javier Perez de Cuellar
• 1992-1996-Boutrous Boutrous-Ghali
• 1997-2006-Kofi Annan
• 2007- present - Ban Ki-moon

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What is the Trusteeship Council?

• Supervises the social advancement of people who
  live in Trust Territories ( places where the
  people cant choose their own governments and are
  under the protection of the UN)
• Members are 5 permanent members of the Security
  Council
• Decisions made by simple majority

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How did the Trusteeship Council work?

• Met once a year
• Studied reports
• Checked to see that territory is being guided
  toward independence
• Looked into complaints from the Territory
• Sent representatives to determine help needed

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What did the Trusteeship Council do?

• Watched over colonies (territory being ruled by
  country making decisions for them)
• Set up the Special Committee on Decolonization,
  leading to 60 colonies becoming independent

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TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL

• The Trusteeship council is now defunct. All
  territories are independent nations.

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What is the International Court of Justice?

• Main organization handing down legal judgments
• Has 15 judges, 9 must agree before a decision is
  made
• Housed in The Hague, Netherlands
• In permanent session

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What does the International Court of Justice do?

• Countries (not individuals)take cases before the
  court
• When a case is tried, the country must agree to
  abide by the ruling

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How many countries are members of the UN?

• 192 Nations
• All peace-loving nations accepting the aims and
  rules of the Charter which express hope for world
  peace and works toward that goal