The United Nations

Learning Intentions

1. I will gain an understanding of the purpose of the United Nations

2. I will gain an understanding of how the UN cooperates with NATO and the EU in trying to resolve conflicts

The United Nations

The United Nations

1. Put “The United Nations” as your heading

2. Stick your picture in the middle of the page

3. As we work through the slides, add information in a mind-map format

The United Nations

• The UN is a world organisation which tries to promote world security, justice, welfare and human rights

The United Nations

• It does this by providing aid to developing countries

The United Nations

• It also tries to settle disputes peacefully

The United Nations

• The UN was setup in 1945

The United Nations

• It has 192 members and meets in New York

• Its general secretary is Ban Ki-moon who is from South Korea

The United Nations

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• The UN has several Specialised Agencies (You learned about these during the unit on Politics of Aid)

The United Nations

• Some of the agencies you need to know about are:

• UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund

• WHO – World Health Organisation

• FAO – Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations

Task Today…

• Put the heading “Actions international organisations like NATO and the UN take to resolve conflicts”

• Copy the table on page 95 of your standard grade revision book

Actions international organisations like NATO and the UN take to resolve conflicts

Economic Actions Military ActionsSanctions – UN can ask members not to trade with groups involved in a conflict or to supply weapons to them. The aim is that groups will respond by stopping conflict. For example, the UN recently imposed sanctions on North Korea after it tested nuclear weapons

Military Action – such as the NATO invasion and current activity in Afghanistan. Can send in ground troops (e.g. British soldiers in Helmand Province). Can also, use special forces for covert operations. Can also carry out bombing raids. UN does not have own army so relies on armies of members

Boycott of goods – member countries can be asked to deliberately avoid buying products from a particular country

Blockades – to physically cut off access to a country by using troops and warships

Cut-off aid projects – to stop helping a particular country

No fly zones – to prevent aircraft from getting in and out of a country

Actions international organisations like NATO and the UN take to resolve conflicts

• The aim of these policies is to pressure governments into looking for peace like:

• Cease-fires – agreement to stop fighting to allow talks to take place. UN acts as a mediator.

• Peace Talks – UN tries to get sides to talk on neutral territory and agree to resolve conflict

• Peacekeeping troops – members send troops under the UN banner to ensure that sides keep to peace plan

Lesson Starter – describe 3 of the actions below

• Sanctions• Boycott of goods• Cut-off aid projects• Military action – bombing• Blockades• No fly zones• Cease-fires• Peace talks• Peacekeeping troops

KU Question…

• What can NATO and the UN do to resolve conflicts?

8 marks

Action taken by UN, EU and NATO

The former Yugoslavia

• Country made up of several different groups of people including Serbians and Bosnians

• Similar to United Kingdom – made up of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland

• Yugoslavia made up of Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Slovenia, Macedonia

The former Yugoslavia

• In 1991, the country of Yugoslavia broke up so all the different groups of people wanted to rule themselves

• This would be similar to Britain splitting up into independent countries - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

• This led to bitter fighting between the different ethnic groups and various war crimes

The former Yugoslavia

• Serbs wanted to create a Greater Serbia and tried to occupy parts of Bosnia

• They also wanted to remove Bosnian Muslims from the country through ethnic cleansing

The former Yugoslavia

Bosnia – action by the UN, NATO and the EU (1991-

1995)• The UN sent a peacekeeping force to Bosnia to

protect aid convoys taking food and medicines to victims of the conflict

• The Serbs would not let the aid through so the UN asked NATO to back them up with soldiers and aircraft

• Eventually, NATO carried out air-strikes against the Serbs after evidence of massacres – this was the first time in its history that NATO used force

• NATO also sent in 60,000 troops which were eventually replaced by EU peacekeeping soldiers

Kosovo – action by the UN, NATO and the EU (1999)

• Fighting broke out in Kosovo between ethnic Albanians and Serbs

• The Serbs wanted to force Albanians out of the area

• The UN condemned the fighting

• NATO were sent in and bombed Serbian targets and forced the Serbian leader (Slobodan Milosevic) to allow a NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo

• Milosevic was removed from power

International Terrorism

• The 11 September attacks in the United States caused NATO to invoke Article 5 of the NATO Charter for the first time in its history.

• The Article says that an attack on any member shall be considered to be an attack on all.

International Terrorism

International Terrorism

• Attacks of 9/11 and in London, Madrid and Glasgow increased the need for security against international terrorism

• People linked to Al-Qaeda which was led by Osama bin Laden carried out the attacks

• Many countries including Britain joined the “War against Terror”

Action taken against terrorists

• Tougher anti-terrorism laws

• In UK – tighter control at airports

• Terrorism Act – police can detain suspected terrorists for 30 days without charge

• EU members agree not to finance terrorist groups or give them safe haven

• They also agree to share information and help to arrest terrorists

Action taken against terrorists

• NATO members help each other in various ways:

1. NATO forces are trained to deal with chemical/biological attacks

2. The 21,000 strong NATO Response Force can be deployed anywhere in the world at 5 days notice. NATO troops took part in US led missions to destroy Al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan

3. Cooperate with non NATO members – NATO-Russia Council set up to share information and target terror suspects

Operations against Operations against Somali PiratesSomali Pirates

• Beginning on 17 August 2009, NATO deployed warships in an operation to protect ships in the Indian Ocean from Somali pirates

• This involves warships mostly from the United States though vessels from many other nations are also included

• Operation Ocean Shield focuses on protecting the ships which are distributing aid to the poor in Somalia.

NATO Action in Libya• During the 2011 Libyan civil war, violence between

protestors and the Libyan government under Colonel Gaddafi escalated, and on 17 March 2011 led to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which called for a ceasefire, and military action to protect civilians

• A coalition that included several NATO members began enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya shortly afterwards. On 20 March 2011, NATO states agreed on enforcing an arms embargo against Libya using NATO ships

• NATO would monitor, report and, if needed, intercept ships suspected of carrying illegal arms or soldiers

• By the end of the mission in October 2011, after the death of Colonel Gaddafi, NATO planes had carried out thousands of missions against Gaddafi

Syria• There is currently bitter

fighting in Syria

• Many people want an end to the current government and are protesting

• There is pressure on the UN and NATO to get involved but currently no action has been taken

• Some estimates say that around 8,000 protestors have been killed so far

Group Task…• Each group will be given

information about one conflict which the UN, NATO or the EU have been involved in

• On flipchart paper, create a spider-diagram about each conflict and what intervention took place

• You will then present what you have learned to the rest of the class at the end of the period

KU Question

• Describe two ways that European countries have been involved in recent international conflicts.

4 marks

Learning Intentions

1. I will gain an understanding of the purpose of the United Nations

2. I will gain an understanding of how the UN cooperates with NATO and the EU in trying to resolve conflicts

The United Nations