Chapter 28.2

The United Nations

The Purpose of the United Nations Internationalism is the idea that nations

should cooperate to promote common aims. They do this through membership in an organization made up of many nations.

The League of Nations was formed after WWI. The U.S. refused to join, fearing entanglement in foreign conflicts. Without American support, the League became a weaker organization and could not prevent WWII.

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In 1944, delegates from the U.S., Britain and the Soviet Union drafted a charter for the UN. In 1945, representatives of 50 countries signed the charter.

The UN’s main purposes are to maintain international peace, develop friendly relations among nations, promote justice and cooperation and seek solutions to global problems.

The UN has 190 members and is headquartered in New York City. All members belong to the General Assembly. The assembly meets regularly to debate international issues. Decisions are made by a majority vote.

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The Security Council is the UN’s peacekeeping arm. It has five permanent members – the U.S., Britain, Russia, France and China. It also have 10 nonpermanent members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.

Decisions require nine “yes” votes. However, any permanent member can veto any motion, blocking actions they oppose.

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The Security Council meets regularly and holds emergency sessions to handle crises. It tries to help nations solve problems peacefully. It can also send UN troops, drawn from various nations, to prevent or stop war.

The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day business, led by the secretary-general, the UN’s chief executive officer. The General Assembly appoints the secretary-general to a five-year term, with a two-term limit.

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The International Court of Justice, or World Court, is the UN’s judicial arm, headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands. Its 15 justices hear disputes between nations. It has no power to enforce its rulings and must rely on cooperation from nations.

The Economics and Social Council promotes a higher standard of living around the world, including improvements in health, education and human rights.

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By 1994, the Trustee Council had helped 11 territories become either independent nations or part of other nations. Then it ceased operations.

The World Health Organization works to improve the level of health across the globe.

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UNICEF helps needy children in developing countries get the care they need. It also encourages families to educate girls as well as boys, tries to reduce childhood death and illness, and works to protect children caught in war and natural disasters.

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The World Bank makes loans to developing countries at low interest rates.

The International Monetary Fund provides financial and technical assistance, especially to promote economic growth in developing countries.

Recent Activities of the United Nations The UN has helped settle wars and relieve

sickness, poverty and ignorance. However, lack of cooperation among permanent members has reduced its effectiveness.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, the Security Council placed trade sanctions on Iraq and set a deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. When the deadline passed, UN troops, led by the U.S., defeated Iraq in the Persian Gulf War.

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The UN has sent peacekeeping troops to oversee elections in Cambodia and aid starving people in Somalia. It carried out peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, East Timor and other places. It sent inspectors to try to stop Iraq from developing weapons of mass destruction.

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Globalization involves individuals and nations working internationally across barriers of distance, culture and technology. Secretary-General Kofi Annan of Ghana sees globalization as an engine to help lift people out of misery.

In 1992, the Earth Summit brought together representatives from 178 nations to discuss ways to protect the environment. Leaders signed treaties pledging to safeguard wildlife and limit pollution that causes global warming.

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Multinationals are firms that do business or have offices or factories in many countries. At the World Economic Forum in 1999, the UN proposed a “Global Compact” that would call upon leaders of multinationals to respect human rights and contribute to a fairer distribution of wealth throughout the world.