THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION

• • The United Nations Organization came into existence during the Second World War as a result of the failure of the League of Nations.
  • The League of Nations had failed in its most important task of maintaining world peace and security.
  • As such, there was the need to establish another world organization to maintain peace after the defeat of the Axis powers in the 2^nd World War.
  • President F.D Roosevelt of the USA initiated the idea for a world organization to maintain World peace and security.
  • The UN came into existence on 26^th June, 1945 after 50 countries signed the United Nations Charter at the San Francisco Conference in the USA.
  • However, the UN started its Operation on 24^th October 1945 with its Headquarters in New York.

  STEPS THAT LED TO THE FORMATION OF THE U.N.O

  • Plans for the formation of the UN were laid down long before the 2^nd World War ended.
  • This was done through a series of meetings and conferences among the Allied Nations.
  • These talks were initiated by President Roosevelt of the USA.
  • The First step leading to the formation of the UN was the signing of the Atlantic Charter of August 1941.
  • This agreement was signed between President Roosevelt of the USA and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
  • This meeting took place on board a British Battleship called the “Prince of Wales”.
  • By this Charter, the two leaders to create a more Permanent system of General Security that would ensure freedom for all people and international cooperation between all nations after the defeat of the Axis Powers.
  • The signing of the Atlantic Charter was followed by the Washington Declaration of January 1942.
  • This was a speech by President Roosevelt outlining the terms of the Atlantic Charter which had laid down guidelines for the formation of a “united nation”.
  • The Washington Declaration was signed by 26 Countries who also pledged to aid in the achievements of the Atlantic Charter and the defeat of the Axis Powers.
  • In October 1943, the Moscow Conference was held in the USSR.
  • The Conference was attended by President Roosevelt, Churchill of Britain, Stalin of the USSR and the host and Chiang Kai Shek of China.
  • The leaders discussed details of the plans of the work of the UN.
  • The Moscow Conference was followed by a series of meeting between August and October 1944 at Dumbarton Oaks Conference near Washington D.C.
  • The aim of this Conference was to prepare the groundwork for the final formation of the UN.
  • At this conference, the countries represented agreed on the main Structure of the UN and paying particular attention to the Security Council.
  • In February 1945, another meeting was held in the USSR which came to be known as the Yalta Conference.
  • Among the issues discussed were the voting procedures and eligibility to join.
  • From 26th April to 25^th June 1945, a very important and final conference was held in San Francisco, USA. 50 countries attended this Conference and signed the drafted UN Charter.
  • The signing of the UN Charter marked the official formation of the UN, on 26^th June 1945.
  • Unfortunately, President Roosevelt, who had initiated and coined the term “United Nations” did not live to see the final formation of the UN as he died on 12^th April, 1945.
  • The UN started its operations on 24^th October 1945 and its headquarters are based in New York, USA.

   

  AIMS OF THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION

  • To bring international Peace and security in the world.
  • To achieve international cooperation in solving economic, social, and political issues and problems.
  • To promote respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms.
  • To promote friendships among member countries.
  • To preserve the independence of member countries.
  • To complete disarmament under effective control.

  ORGANISATION/STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS

  • The UNO’s structure comprises of 6 main organs plus specialized agencies that help in achieving the aims of the UN.
  • These are;
  • The General Assembly.
  • The General Assembly is the World Parliament of the UN. It has representatives from all member countries.
  • Each member country sends up to 5 representatives but when it comes to voting, each country had one vote regardless of the status or size of a country.
  • The General assembly meets annually every September for 3months.
  • Decision Making in the General Assembly is based on a 2/3 majority.
  • Its functions were:
  • It is the main law-making body of the UN.
  • Discusses and Debates on all Matters affecting the UN
  • Appoints the Secretary-General based on Recommendations from the Security Council.
  • Appoints/elects members of the other organs e.g. non-permanent members of the Security Council
  • The Secretariat.
  • The Secretariat is the Civil Service or the Database of the UN. It carries out all the paperwork of the UN.
  • It comprises of the Secretary-General who is the Chief Administrative Officer of the UN.
  • It also comprises of about 500 other members drawn from member countries.
  • The Secretary-General was chosen from a non-allied member country, had to be impartial and to have great experience in International relations.
  • Since 1945, there have been 8 Secretary Generals. These have been; Trygve Lie from Norway (1945-1953), Dag Hammarskjold from Sweden (1953-1961), U Thant from Burma (1961-1971), Kurt Waldheim from Austria (1972-1981), Javier Perez de Cueller from Peru (1982-1992), Boutros Boutros Ghali of Egypt (1992-1997), Koffi Annan from Ghana (1997-2007) and the current Ban Ki-Moon from South Africa from January 2007.
  • Its functions were.
  • Sends reminders for meetings
  • Carries out research on issues and produces documents.
  • Keeps of records for the UN
  • Translates documents into the main world languages.
  • Carries out decisions of the General Assembly.
  • Supervises the work of the specialized agencies.
  • It is responsible for the everyday running of the UN
  • The Security Council.
  • The Security Council is the most important organ of the UN whose aim is to keep peace and security in the World.
  • The Security Council comprises of 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members who are chosen for a two-year rotational term.
  • The 5 permanent members are Britain, France, China, the USA and USSR.
  • The 5 permanent members have the power to Veto i.e. they can stop any motion before the council or stop any action the Security Council wanted to take.
  • Its functions were:
  • It recommends the appointment of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly.
  • It recommends the admission of new members.
  • It is responsible for general disarmaments.
  • It also recommends political and economic sanctions on offending member countries.
  • It is also responsible for sending peace Keeping forces to war-torn areas.
  • The International Court of Justice.
  • This is the international Judiciary. The headquarters of the International Court of Justice is based at The Hague in the Netherlands.
  • The I.C.J comprises of 15 judges who are elected by the General Assembly from member countries.
  • Its functions were:
  • To settle disputes referred to it by member countries through legal means than resorting to war.
  • To give legal advice to other organs of the UN.
  • To interpret legal documents and treaties.
  • However, the ICJ cannot enforce its decisions and a country can choose to accept or refuse its decisions thereby risking diplomatic isolation.
  • The Economic and Social Council.
  • The Economic and Social Council Comprises 18 member countries who are elected for a 3-year term of office by the General Assembly.
  • Its functions were:
  • To initiate studies and produce reports on International Social, economic, cultural, and political issues in member countries.
  • To ensure the protection of Human rights and freedoms in member countries.
  • To offer recommendations and financial assistance for the improvement of Socio-economic situations in member countries.
  • The Trusteeship Council.
  • The Trusteeship Council was created to look after the interests of the people in the mandated colonies of the League of Nations.
  • Its functions were:
  • Ensure that the administering powers of the mandated colonies and not exploit them.
  • To ensure that all the mandated colonies attained self-independence.

  AGENCIES OF THE UNO

  • The specialized agencies were created to facilitate and complement the Work of the UN organs. Among the specialized agencies are;
  • The United High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
  • The main function of this Agency is to give assistance to refugees by providing Shelter, medical help, education, clothing, clean water and ensuring that the refugees are repatriated to their countries of origin.
  • The Food and Agriculture Organization. (FAO)
  • FAO works in close collaboration with the World Food Program.
  • The aim of FAO is to ensure food security by increasing food production throughout the world.
  • This is achieved through educating farmers about more effective agriculture methods.
  • FAO also gives loans to poor countries to improve their food production and sometimes donate food.
  • The United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization. (UNESCO)
  • This agency provides scientific research and produces and disseminates information on educational methods.
  • UNESCO also aims at promoting freedom of the press and the training of teachers.
  • World Health Organization. (WHO)
  • The main aim of this agency is to improve health standards in all member countries.
  • It also aims at promoting good health for all as a basic human right.
  • WHO also carries out research work to eradicate contagious diseases like TB, measles, Cholera and currently working hard to find a cure/vaccine for HIV/AIDS?
  • The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.(I.B.R.D/World Bank)
  • The World Bank gives loans for developmental projects to member countries such as the rehabilitation of schools, hospitals, roads etc.
  • The World Bank also provides member countries with expert advice and assistance to identify and prepare developmental projects to make their economies more productive.
  • International Labour Organization. (ILO)
  • The ILO was formed by the League of Nations after the 1^st World War and it was continued after the formation of the UNO.
  • ILO aims at improving the working conditions of all workers in member countries.
  • It is also instrumental in the formulation of labor laws throughout the world.

   

  ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE UNO.

  • The UN has scored a number of achievements since its formation in 1945.
  • These have been;
  • The UN has been Successful in its major task of peacekeeping in some cases since its formation in 1945.
  • This has been done through;
  • Persuading conflicting Nations to Negotiatee.g. in 1946, Iran formally charged the USSR with interference in her internal affairs.
  • The Security Council asked the two countries to settle their differences by direct negotiations. On 23^rd May, 1946.
  • The two reached an agreement which led to the Evacuation of Soviet troops from Iraq.
  • Sending observer /fact-finding missions to conflicting Nations.
  • Sending peace-keeping forces.
  • To conflicting nations from members to help prevent further conflicts or the re-occurrence of fighting between parties.
  • The UN has also been successful in Resolving Conflicts between or within members.
  • Some examples of these are;
  • The Congo Crisis in 1960-when there was a conflict in the Congo after independence, the UN Secretary-General organized an operation in the Congo. The UN intervened in the Congo and helped in Uniting Congo.
  • The UN also helped in restoring peace in a country that was torn apart by rebellions, mutiny, and civil war. (More recently, Charles Taylor and the Rebels in Liberia)
  • The UN was also able to resolve the war in Korea. Korea was a Japanese Colony since 1910. 
  • The UN has also been successful in its efforts at achieving disarmament.
  • The UN has succeeded in discouraging armaments since its formation.
  • The main focus of the UN has been in discouraging the use and production of Nuclear weapons.
  • This has been achieved through the creation of a disarmament commission and the UN Nuclear Weapons Inspectorate.
  • In 1982, the UN launched a World Disarmament Campaign that has been quite successful though the UN still faces problems from the more powerful member states especially the superpowers.
  • The UN has also been extremely successful through the work of its specialized agencies
  • It has been able to improve the social, political, and economic conditions of its member countries.
  • This has been done through technical and financial assistance to member countries (Give examples).

  FAILURES OF THE UNO

  • The UN has failed in tackling issues of collective security in some areas i.e. conflicts still prevail between and among countries in Africa and the Middle East such as in Palestine and Israel.
  • The UN has also failed to control the acts of terrorism in the World especially from extremist Islamic groups e.g. the September 11 attacks on the USA and suicide bombings in Iraq and the Middle East.
  • The UN has also failed to be completely autonomous or independent from the USA and other big powers. This has been due to the fact that the big powers are the financiers of the operations of the UN. This led to the big powers to disregard the recommendations of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly e.g. the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
  • The UN has also failed to completely eradicate some socio-economic problems threatening humanity today e.g. the issue of the HIV/AIDS and the complete eradication of poverty in the Third World countries.
  • The UN has also failed to completely disarm and impose effective sanctions on offending member countries especially the big powers.

   

  QUESTIONS.

  1. (a) What were the aims of the United Nations Organization?
  • Describe the Composition and Functions of the following;
  1. The General Assembly
  2. The Security Council
  • The Secretariat.
  • Describe two incidents that show direct UN involvement in an effort to achieve its Aims
  2. Write on the following aspects of the United Nations Organization;
  • Aims
  • The Composition and functions of:
  1. The General Assembly
  2. The Security Council
  • The Secretariat
  • The Functions of the Following agencies;
  1. World Health Organization (WHO)
  2. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
  • The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
  3. (a) State the aims of the United Nations Organization and describe the functions of FOUR of its Organs.

  (b)Name FOUR past Secretary Generals of the UN before the current one.

  4. Write on any FOUR of the following aspects of the UN;

                     (a) The aims of the UN

                      (b) The General Assembly

                      (c)The Security Council

                      (d)The Secretariat

                      (e) The International Court of Justice

                       (f) The Economic and Social Council

  5. What steps led to the formation of the United Nations Organization? Discuss the

  successes and failures of the UN.