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As things became more complicated in the world, countries found it necessary to create international organizations to help solve problems. These organizations are known as IGOs or intergovernmental organizations.
In today’s discussion, we will look primarily at the UN or United Nations and some of the events and organizations that led up to its formation on 24 October 1945.
World War I was a very serious and damaging event in the world. The effects of this war were so serious that nations felt that this should be the last war of its kind.
It was felt that there must be a way to help nations with problems or complaints against each to resolve those conflicts without the need for war.
To that end, the League of Nations was created in 1920.
The League of Nations was to be a place where two or more governments could come and attempt to solve their problems. The League of Nations had no power to become involved without being invited and most nations chose not to be involved with or ask for help from the League of Nations.
The United States never agreed to become a part of the League of Nations. France and Britain became its two most important members. The League of Nations lost most of its power and importance by the early 1930’s and in 1939, World War II began.
During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed upon the need for a new organization to help the world manage its crises.
They knew that this new organization would have to have more power and be larger than the League of Nations in order to be successful. The result of this effort became the United Nations (UN) on October 24, 1945.
The United Nations, while strong in some areas, is notably weak in others. The UN is a voluntary organization where each country more or less agrees to respect the independence and sovereignty of each of its country members.
The UN does not have binding power to force any country to do anything that that country does not want to do. The sovereignty of a country is considered sacred and it cannot be overruled by the UN. This lack of binding power is probably the UN’s biggest weakness.
Before we explore the composition or make-up of the UN, let’s learn its definition…
“An international organization composed of
most of the countries of the world. It was founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and economic development.”
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We will now look at the composition of the UN, in detail. The UN is composed or made up of 6 major organizations…
- General Assembly
- Security Council
- International Court of Justice
- Economic & Social Council
- Trusteeship Council
- Secretariat
The General Assembly is a deliberative body in which all member countries are represented. Decisions are discussed and voted upon in session.
General Assembly
The General Assembly is the world’s main political forum. It meets together in the last four months of each year and includes all of the UN’s 193 member nations.
The General Assembly is an international forum, but not an international parliament. The decisions that are passed are not binding on sovereign countries. Countries must therefore agree voluntarily to accept UN decisions and resolutions.
The UN Security Council is the permanent peacekeeping organ of the United Nations. It is composed of five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and ten elected members.
Security Council
The Security Council is designed to meet at any time, day or night, to discuss and manage threats to international peace and security.
The 5 permanent members are described on the preceding slide. The 10 elected members are voted in by the member nations and each elected country serves a 2-year term.
The Security Council has perhaps the most power of all of the UN’s six organizations.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the main judicial tribunal or legal court of the United Nations. It is often informally referred to as the World Court.
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
The ICJ is the world’s main legal body or organization. However, only about 33% of all UN member nations accept the power and decisions of the ICJ. The U.S. has not been a party to the ICJ for over 20 years. It does not bring its problems or conflicts to the ICJ and it does not recognize or follow the decisions of the ICJ. The ICJ has judges from all over the world and from all different forms of legal systems. Cultural problems sometimes arise, as a result.
The UN Economic & Social Council is the organization that is responsible for facilitating
international cooperation on standards-making and problem-solving on economic and social issues.
Economic & Social Council
The Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC) creates reports and makes recommendations to the General Assembly, UN member nations, and specialized agencies on economic, social, and cultural matters.
There are 16 specialized agencies that perform work under the Economic & Social Council. A few examples include the WHO, UNICEF, and UNESCO.
The Trusteeship Council is the organization of the United Nations that commissions or gives power to a country to undertake the administration of a territory. Operations were suspended on Nov. 1, 1994.
Trusteeship Council
For much of history, countries found themselves in need of help and professional guidance. This may have been as a result of war or decolonization.
As a result, the UN Trusteeship Council was established. The TC gave the power and responsibility to certain nations to oversee and manage countries that needed help.
Because the world is now a more stable place, the Trusteeship Council discontinued operations on November 1, 1994.
The UN Secretariat is the administrative arm or part of the United Nations. The Secretariat provides administrative support for all of the other parts of the UN. Examples include payroll, research, record-keeping, and human resources.
Secretariat
The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary General and it supplies support and personnel for the main UN organizations.
Staff members of the Secretariat are supposed to be truly international civil servants. The problem is…many of the people working at the Secretariat take their orders from their home country governments, instead of concentrating on the needs of the international community.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat. The post is currently held by Mr. Ban Ki Moon of South Korea.
Limitations of the United Nations
The UN is often widely criticized for being an ineffective organization. The UN is often blamed for an inability to resolve complicated situations. However, can only help with issues that countries agree to cooperate with. When countries do not cooperate, there is little that the UN can do to help in these situations.
A current example of an on-going dispute in which the UN has little power is the conflict between Iran and Israel. Iran has called for Israel’s destruction and does not recognize it as a country.
Continuing Problems for the UN
The UN continues to be troubled by the same two on-going problems: lack of central vision and money.
In short – because countries are not bound to follow the advice or guidance of the UN, they often don’t. That means that we have 193 different countries going in 193 different directions. The second problem is money. Countries are often unwilling to pay their agreed upon percentage and that often leaves the UN short of necessary funding.