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History of the UN

The name "United Nations", coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt,

was first sed in the "Declaration by United Nations" of ! anary !#$%, drin& theSecond 'orld 'ar, when re(resentatives of %) nations (led&ed their *overnments tocontine fi&htin& to&ether a&ainst the +is Powers.States first established international or&ani-ations to coo(erate on s(ecific matters. Thenternational Telecommnication Union was fonded in !/)0 as the nternationalTele&ra(h Union, and the Universal Postal Union was established in !/1$. 2oth are nowUnited Nations s(eciali-ed a&encies.

n !/##, the nternational Peace 3onference was held in The 4a&e to elaborateinstrments for settlin& crises (eaceflly, (reventin& wars and codifyin& rles of warfare.t ado(ted the 3onvention for the Pacific Settlement of nternational Dis(tes and

established the Permanent 3ort of +rbitration, which be&an work in !#5%.

The forernner of the United Nations was the 6ea&e of Nations, an or&ani-ationconceived in similar circmstances drin& the first 'orld 'ar, and established in !#!#nder the Treaty of 7ersailles "to (romote international coo(eration and to achieve (eaceand secrity." The nternational 6abor 8r&ani-ation was also created nder the Treaty of 7ersailles as an affiliated a&ency of the 6ea&e. The 6ea&e of Nations ceased itsactivities after failin& to (revent the Second 'orld 'ar.

n !#$0, re(resentatives of 05 contries met in San Francisco at the United Nations3onference on nternational 8r&ani-ation to draw ( the United Nations 3harter. Those

dele&ates deliberated on the basis of (ro(osals worked ot by the re(resentatives of3hina, the Soviet Union, the United 9in&dom and the United States at Dmbarton 8aks,United States in +&st:8ctober !#$$. The 3harter was si&ned on %) ne !#$0 by there(resentatives of the 05 contries. Poland, which was not re(resented at the 3onference,si&ned it later and became one of the ori&inal 0! ;ember States.

The United Nations officially came into eistence on %$ 8ctober !#$0, when the 3harterhad been ratified by 3hina, France, the Soviet Union, the United 9in&dom, the UnitedStates and by a ma.

'hen States become ;embers of the United Nations, they a&ree to acce(t the obli&ationsof the UN 3harter, an international treaty that sets ot basic (rinci(les of internationalrelations. +ccordin& to the 3harter, the UN has for (r(oses= to maintain international

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 (eace and secrity? to develo( friendly relations amon& nations? to coo(erate in solvin&international (roblems and in (romotin& res(ect for hman ri&hts? and to be a centre forharmoni-in& the actions of nations.

The United Nations is not a world &overnment and it does not make laws. t does,

however, (rovide the means to hel( resolve international conflicts and formlate (olicieson matters affectin& all of s. +t the UN, all the ;ember States @ lar&e and small, richand (oor, with differin& (olitical views and social systems @ have a voice and a vote inthis (rocess.

The United Nations has si main or&ans. Five of them @ the *eneral +ssembly, theSecrity 3oncil, the Aconomic and Social 3oncil, the Trsteeshi( 3oncil and theSecretariat @ are based at UN 4eadBarters in New Cork. The sith, the nternational3ort of stice, is located at The 4a&e in the Netherlands.

The General Asse!ly

+ll UN ;ember States are re(resented in the *eneral +ssembly @ a "(arliament ofnations" which meets to consider the worlds most (ressin& (roblems. Aach ;ember Statehas one vote. Decisions on sch key isses as international (eace and secrity, admittin&new members and the UN bd&et are decided by two:thirds ma

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Decisions of the 3oncil reBire nine yes votes. Ace(t in votes on (rocedral Bestions,a decision cannot be taken if there is a no vote, or veto, by a (ermanent member.

'hen the 3oncil considers a threat to international (eace, it first e(lores ways to settlethe dis(te (eaceflly. t may s&&est (rinci(les for a settlement or ndertake mediation.

n the event of fi&htin&, the 3oncil tries to secre a ceasefire. t may send a (eacekee(in& mission to hel( the (arties maintain the trce and to kee( o((osin& forcesa(art.

The 3oncil can take measres to enforce its decisions. t can im(ose economic sanctionsor order an arms embar&o. 8n rare occasions, the 3oncil has athori-ed ;ember Statesto se "all necessary means," incldin& collective military action, to see that its decisionsare carried ot.

The 3oncil also makes recommendations to the *eneral +ssembly on the a((ointmentof a new Secretary:*eneral and on the admission of new ;embers to the UN.

The E"onoi" an% So"ial $o#n"il

The Aconomic and Social 3oncil, nder the overall athority of the *eneral +ssembly,coordinates the economic and social work of the United Nations and the UN family ofor&ani-ations. +s the central form for discssin& international economic and socialisses and for formlatin& (olicy recommendations, the 3oncil (lays a key role infosterin& international coo(eration for develo(ment. t also conslts with non:&overnmental or&ani-ations N*8sG, thereby maintainin& a vital link between the United Nations and civil society.

The 3oncil has 0$ members, elected by the *eneral +ssembly for three:year terms. tmeets thro&hot the year and holds a ma

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ts work com(leted, the Trsteeshi( 3oncil now consists of the five (ermanent membersof the Secrity 3oncil. t has amended its rles of (rocedre to allow it to meet as andwhen the occasion may reBire.

The International $o#rt of '#sti"e

The nternational 3ort of stice, also known as the 'orld 3ort, is the main

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8ver the years, the UN has (layed a ma

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The 7ienna:based nternational +tomic Aner&y +&ency, thro&h a system of safe&ardsa&reements, ensres that nclear materials and eBi(ment intended for (eacefl ses arenot diverted for military (r(oses. +nd in The 4a&e, the 8r&anisation for theProhibition of 3hemical 'ea(ons collects information on chemical facilities worldwide

and condcts rotine ins(ections to ensre adherence to the chemical wea(onsconvention.

*ea"ea+in,

UN (eacemakin& brin&s hostile (arties to a&reement thro&h di(lomatic means. TheSecrity 3oncil, in its efforts to maintain international (eace and secrity, mayrecommend ways to avoid conflict or restore or secre (eace @ thro&h ne&otiation, foream(le, or recorse to the nternational 3ort of stice.

The Secretary:*eneral (lays an im(ortant role in (eacemakin&. The Secretary:*eneralmay brin& to the attention of the Secrity 3oncil any matter that a((ears to threaten

international (eace and secrity, se &ood offices to carry ot mediation or eercise Bietdi(lomacy behind the scenes @ either (ersonally or thro&h s(ecial envoys. TheSecretary:*eneral also ndertakes (reventive di(lomacy aimed at resolvin& dis(tes before they escalate.

*ea"e-!#il%in,

The UN is increasin&ly ndertakin& activities that address the nderlyin& cases ofconflict.

Develo(ment assistance is a key element of (eace:bildin&. n coo(eration with UNa&encies, donor contries, host &overnments and N*8s, the United Nations works tos((ort &ood &overnance, civil law and order, elections and hman ri&hts in contriesstr&&lin& to deal with the aftermath of conflict. +t the same time, it hel(s these contriesrebild administrative, health, edcational and other services disr(ted by war.

Some of these activities, sch as the UNs s(ervision of the !#/# elections in Namibia,mine:clearance (ro&rammes in ;o-ambiBe and (olice trainin& in 4aiti, take (lacewithin the framework of a UN (eacekee(in& o(eration and may contine when theo(eration withdraws. 8thers are reBested by &overnments @ as in 3ambodia, where theUN maintains a hman ri&hts office, or in *atemala, where the UN is hel(in& toim(lement (eace a&reements which affect virtally all as(ects of national life.

*ea"e+ee&in,

The Secrity 3oncil sets ( UN (eacekee(in& o(erations and defines their sco(e andmandate in its efforts to maintain (eace and international secrity. ;ost o(erationsinvolve military dties, sch as observin& a ceasefire or establishin& a bffer -one whilene&otiators seek a lon&:term soltion. 8thers may reBire civilian (olice or other civilian (ersonnel to hel( or&ani-e elections or monitor hman ri&hts. 8(erations have also beende(loyed to monitor (eace a&reements in coo(eration with the (eacekee(in& forces ofre&ional or&ani-ations.

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Peacekee(in& o(erations may last for a few months or contine for many years. The UNso(eration at the ceasefire line between ndia and Pakistan in the State of amm and9ashmir, for eam(le, was established in !#$#, and UN (eacekee(ers have been in3y(rs since !#)$. n contrast, the UN was able to com(lete its !##$ mission in the

+o-o Stri( between 6ibya and 3had in a little over a month.

Since the UN first de(loyed (eacekee(ers in !#$/, some !%H contries have volntarily (rovided more than 105,555 military and civilian (olice (ersonnel. They have served,alon& with thosands of civilians, in 0$ (eacekee(in& o(erations.

UN a"tion for &ea"e...

...In Afri"a

UN (eace efforts have taken many forms over the years, incldin& the lon& cam(ai&na&ainst a(artheid in Soth +frica, active s((ort for Namibian inde(endence, a nmber of electoral s((ort missions and some %5 (eacekee(in& o(erations. The most recent

o(erations @ in Sierra 6eone, the Democratic Re(blic of the 3on&o, and Athio(ia andAritrea @ were established in !### and %555. The UN has hel(ed re(atriate ref&ees to;o-ambiBe, (rovided hmanitarian assistance in Somalia and Sdan, and ndertakendi(lomatic efforts to restore (eace in the *reat 6akes re&ion. t has hel(ed (revent newnrest in the 3entral +frican Re(blic, and it is hel(in& to (re(are for a referendm onthe ftre of 'estern Sahara.

Alsewhere in +frica, UN field missions contine their (eace:bildin& activities in*inea:2issa and 6iberia, and remain in +n&ola and 2rndi to s((ort variosinitiatives aimed at (romotin& (eace and reconciliation. +t the reBest of the Secrity3oncil, the Secretary:*eneral has (rovided a com(rehensive analysis of conflicts in+frica alon& with recommendations on how to (romote drable (eace.

...In Asia an% the *a"ifi"

The UN family contines workin& to stren&then 3ambodian civil society, hman ri&htsand democracy followin& the massive !##%:!##H UN (eacekee(in& mission in thatcontry.

n +f&hanistan, the UN worked thro&hot the last decade to facilitate nationalreconciliation and reconstrction, needed as a reslt of the contrys (rotracted civil war.2t des(ite intense di(lomatic efforts by the Secretary:*eneral and his (ersonal envoys,fi&htin& contined at &reat hmanitarian cost, severely hinderin& attem(ts by the UNsystem to (rovide assistance to the +f&han (eo(le.

'ith the escalation of the conflict in +f&hanistan followin& the !! Se(tember %55!terrorist attack on the United States, the Secretary:*eneral in 8ctober a((ointed 6akhdar2rahimi as his S(ecial Re(resentative for +f&hanistan. +s the sitation there nfolded,the UN (layed a central role in (romotin& dialo&e amon& the +f&han (arties, aimed atestablishin& a broad:based, inclsive &overnment.

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n Aast Timor, UN:brokered talks between ndonesia and Port&al clminated in a ;ay!### a&reement which (aved the way for a (o(lar consltation on the stats of theterritory. Under the a&reement, a UN mission s(ervised voter re&istration and an +&st!### ballot, in which 1/ (er cent of Aast Timorese voted for inde(endence overatonomy within ndonesia. n +&st %55!, a ma.

n Ta

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n +bkha-ia, *eor&ia, while the UN military observer mission carries ot its (eacekee(in& mandate, di(lomatic efforts have contined to find a com(rehensivesettlement of the *eor&ianE+bkha- conflict.

...In the Aeri"as

UN (eacemakin& and (eacekee(in& have been instrmental in resolvin& (rotractedconflicts in 3entral +merica. n !#/#, in Nicara&a, the (eace effort led to volntarydemobili-ation of the resistance movement, whose members trned in their wea(ons tothe UN. n !##5, a UN mission observed Nicara&as elections @ the first UN:observedelections in an inde(endent contry. n Al Salvador, (eace talks mediated by theSecretary:*eneral ended !% years of fi&htin& and a UN (eacekee(in& mission verifiedim(lementation of all a&reements.

n *atemala, UN:assisted ne&otiations ended a H0:year civil war. Today, the UN7erification ;ission in *atemala, works to see that the com(rehensive (eacea&reements are flly im(lemented. n 4aiti, followin& international action to restore the

democratically elected &overnment, the UN has (t a com(rehensive (ro&ramme in (lace, em(hasi-in& hman ri&hts, consenss:bildin& and conflict:redction, with thestron& (artici(ation of civil society.

...In the i%%le East

UN concern over the +rab:sraeli conflict s(ans five decades and five fll:fled&ed wars.The UN has defined (rinci(les for a

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 /. WHAT THE UN )OES FOR 'USTI$E0 HUAN RIGHTS AN)

INTERNATIONA AW 

Thro&h UN efforts, &overnments have conclded many mltilateral a&reements thatmake the world a safer, healthier (lace with &reater o((ortnity and

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ca(acities in hman ri&hts le&islation, administration and edcation? investi&ate re(ortedviolations? and assist &overnments in takin& corrective measres when needed.

Promotin& res(ect for hman ri&hts is increasin&ly central to UN develo(ment assistance.n (articlar, the ri&ht to develo(ment is seen as (art of a dynamic (rocess which

inte&rates civil, cltral, economic, (olitical and social ri&hts, and by which the well: bein& of all individals in a society is im(roved. 9ey to the en

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re&ardin& terrorist movements and decided that States shold afford one another the&reatest measre of assistance for criminal investi&ations or (roceedin&s relatin& toterrorist acts.

En%in, inity

;assive violations of hmanitarian law drin& the fi&htin& in the former C&oslavia ledthe Secrity 3oncil in !##H to establish an international tribnal to try (ersons accsedof war crimes in that conflict. n !##$, the 3oncil set ( a second tribnal to hear casesinvolvin& accsations of &enocide in Rwanda. The tribnals have fond severaldefendants &ilty and sentenced them to (rison. The Rwanda Tribnal in !##/ handeddown the first:ever verdict by an international cort on the crime of &enocide, as well asthe first:ever sentence for that crime.

+ key United Nations &oal @ an international mechanism to im(ose accontability in theface of mass violations of hman ri&hts @ was reali-ed in !##/ when &overnmentsa&reed to establish an nternational 3riminal 3ort. The 3ort will (rovide a means for

 (nishin& (er(etrators of &enocide and other crimes a&ainst hmanity. n votin& to set (the 3ort, the international commnity made it clear that im(nity @ the assm(tion thatcrimes will &o n(nished @ is no lon&er (ossible for those who commit atrocities. The3ort will come into bein& on ! ly %55%.

The UN has also contribted to the elaboration of conventions relatin& to internationalhmanitarian law, sch as the !#$/ 3onvention on *enocide and the !#/5 nhmane'ea(ons 3onvention concernin& wea(ons which are ecessively in

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res(ect for hman ri&hts. 4manitarian workers have been denied access to (eo(le inneed, and warrin& (arties have deliberately tar&eted civilians and aid workers. Since!##%, more than %55 UN civilian staff members have been killed and some %)0 takenhosta&e while servin& in hmanitarian o(erations worldwide. n the effort to (reventhman ri&hts violations in the midst of crisis, the UN 4i&h 3ommissioner for 4man

Ri&hts has (layed an increasin&ly active role in the UN res(onse to emer&encies.

The UN coordinates its res(onse to hmanitarian crises thro&h a committee of all thekey hmanitarian bodies, chaired by the UN Amer&ency Relief 3oordinator. ;embersinclde the UN 3hildrens Fnd UN3AFG, the UN Develo(ment Pro&ramme UNDPG,the 'orld Food Pro&ramme 'FPG and the UN 4i&h 3ommissioner for Ref&eesUN43RG. 8ther UN a&encies are also re(resented, as are ma

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+nd in contries nder&oin& etended emer&encies or recoverin& from conflict,hmanitarian assistance is increasin&ly seen as (art of an overall (eace:bildin& effort,alon& with develo(mental, (olitical and financial assistance.

*alestine ref#,ees

Relief work for Palestine ref&ees has been carried ot since !#$# by the UN Relief and'orks +&ency for Palestine Ref&ees in the Near Aast UNR'+G. Today, the +&ency (rovides essential health, edcation, relief and social services and im(lements income:&eneration (ro&rammes for more than $ million Palestine ref&ees in the re&ion. + UN3oordinator oversees all develo(ment assistance (rovided by the UN system to thePalestinian (eo(le in *a-a and the 'est 2ank.

Offi"e of the Ira4 *ro,rae

n !##), (endin& flfilment by raB of a nmber of Secrity 3oncil resoltions, raB andthe United Nations a&reed on an "oil:for:food (ro&ramme" to alleviate the hmanitarianim(act of com(rehensive sanctions im(osed a&ainst the contry in !##5. The 8ffice of

the raB Pro&ramme was established in !##1 to consolidate mana&ement of the (ro&ramme, which incldes the sale of raBi oil, the (rocessin& of contracts between raBand its s((liers for the (rchase of hmanitarian s((lies, and observin& raBsdistribtion of those s((lies.

 5. WHAT THE UN )OES FOR )E6EO*ENT

8ne of the UNs central mandates is the (romotion of hi&her standards of livin&, fllem(loyment, and conditions of economic and social (ro&ress and develo(ment. +s mchas 15 (er cent of the work of the UN system is devoted to accom(lishin& this mandate.*idin& the work is the belief that eradicatin& (overty and im(rovin& the well:bein& of (eo(le everywhere are necessary ste(s in creatin& conditions for lastin& world (eace.

The UN has niBe stren&ths in (romotin& develo(ment. ts (resence is &lobal and itscom(rehensive mandate s(ans social, economic and emer&ency needs. The UN does notre(resent any (articlar national or commercial interest. 'hen ma

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achievin& niversal (rimary edcation? (romotin& &ender eBality and em(owerin&women? redcin& child mortality? im(rovin& maternal health? combatin& 47E+DS,malaria and other diseases? and ensrin& environmental sstainability @ thro&h a set ofmeasrable tar&ets to be achieved by the year %5!0. +mon& these are= cttin& in half the (ro(ortion of those who earn less than a dollar a day? achievin& niversal (rimary

edcation? eliminatin& &ender dis(arity at all levels of edcation? and dramaticallyredcin& child mortality while increasin& maternal health.

Assistan"e for %e7elo&ent

The UN system works in a variety of ways to (romote economic and social &oals.

The mandates of the s(eciali-ed a&encies cover virtally all areas of economic and socialendeavor. The a&encies (rovide technical assistance and other forms of (ractical hel( tocontries arond the world. n coo(eration with the UN, they hel( formlate (olicies, setstandards and &idelines, foster s((ort and mobili-e fnds. The 'orld 2ank, foream(le, (rovided more than K!1 billion in develo(ment loans in fiscal year %55! to

more than !55 develo(in& contries.

3lose coordination between the UN and the s(eciali-ed a&encies is ensred thro&h theUN System 3hief Aectives 2oard for 3oordination 3A2G, com(risin& the Secretary:*eneral, the heads of the s(eciali-ed a&encies, fnds and (ro&rammes, the nternational+tomic Aner&y +&ency and the 'orld Trade 8r&ani-ation.

The UN (ro&rammes and fnds work nder the athority of the *eneral +ssembly andthe Aconomic and Social 3oncil to carry ot the UNs economic and social mandate. Toenhance overall coo(eration, the Secretary:*eneral in !##1 set ( the UN Develo(ment*ro(, com(risin& the UN o(erational (ro&rammes and fnds.

The UN Develo(ment Pro&ramme UNDPG, the UNs lar&est (rovider of &rants forsstainable hman develo(ment worldwide, is actively involved in attainin& themillennim develo(ment &oals. The UN 3hildrens Fnd UN3AFG is the lead UNor&ani-ation workin& for the lon&:term srvival, (rotection and develo(ment of children.+ctive in some !)5 contries, areas and territories, its (ro&rammes focs onimmni-ation, (rimary health care, ntrition and basic edcation.

;any other UN (ro&rammes work for develo(ment, in (artnershi( with &overnments and N*8s. The 'orld Food Pro&ramme 'FPG is the worlds lar&est international food aidor&ani-ation for both emer&ency relief and develo(ment. The UN Po(lation FndUNFP+G is the lar&est international (rovider of (o(lation assistance. The UNAnvironment Pro&ramme UNAPG works to encora&e sond environmental (racticeseverywhere, and the UN 4man Settlements Pro&ramme UN:4abitatG assists (eo(lelivin& in health:threatenin& hosin& conditions.

To increase the (artici(ation of develo(in& contries in the &lobal economy, the UN3onference on Trade and Develo(ment UN3T+DG (romotes international trade.

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UN3T+D also works with the 'orld Trade 8r&ani-ation 'T8G, a se(arate entity, inassistin& develo(in& contries e(orts thro&h the nternational Trade 3entre.

*oolin, reso#r"es

The UN system is increasin&ly (oolin& its efforts to tackle com(le (roblems that ct

across or&ani-ational areas of e(ertise and defy the efforts of any contry actin& alone.

The oint UN Pro&ramme on +DS (ools the e(ertise of ei&ht UN a&encies and (ro&rammes to combat an e(idemic that has strck more than 01 million (eo(leworldwide. The UN System:'ide S(ecial nitiative on +frica @ a !5:year, K%0 billionendeavor lanched in !##) @ brin&s virtally all (oints of the UN into a common (ro&ramme to ensre basic edcation, health services and food secrity in +frica. The*lobal Anvironment Facility, a KH.0 billion fnd administered by UNDP, UNAP and the'orld 2ank, hel(s develo(in& contries carry ot environmental (ro&rammes.

UN3AF, UNDP, the 'orld 2ank and '48

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• ;F nternational ;onetary FndG=Facilitates international monetary coo(eration

and financial stability and (rovides a (ermanent form for consltation, adviceand assistance on financial isses.

• 3+8 nternational 3ivil +viation 8r&ani-ationG=Sets international standards forthe safety, secrity and efficiency of air trans(ort, and serves as the coordinatorfor international coo(eration in all areas of civil aviation.

• UPU Universal Postal UnionG=Astablishes international re&lations for (ostal

services, (rovides technical assistance and (romotes coo(eration in (ostalmatters.

• TU nternational Telecommnication UnionG= Fosters international coo(eration

to im(rove telecommnications of all kinds, coordinates sa&e of radio and T7freBencies, (romotes safety measres and condcts research.

• ';8 'orld ;eteorolo&ical 8r&ani-ationG= Promotes scientific research on the

Aarths atmos(here and on climate chan&e, and facilitates the &lobal echan&e ofmeteorolo&ical data.

• ;8 nternational ;aritime 8r&ani-ationG= 'orks to im(rove international

shi((in& (rocedres, raise standards in marine safety, and redce marine (olltion by shi(s.

• 'P8 'orld ntellectal Pro(erty 8r&ani-ationG= Promotes international

 (rotection of intellectal (ro(erty and fosters coo(eration on co(yri&hts,trademarks, indstrial desi&ns and (atents.

• F+D nternational Fnd for +&ricltral Develo(mentG= ;obili-es financial

resorces to raise food (rodction and ntrition levels amon& the (oor indevelo(in& contries.

• UND8 UN ndstrial Develo(ment 8r&ani-ationG= Promotes the indstrial

advancement of develo(in& contries thro&h technical assistance, advisoryservices and trainin&.

•

+A+ nternational +tomic Aner&y +&encyG= +n atonomos inter&overnmentalor&ani-ation nder the ae&is of the UN, it works for the safe and (eacefl ses ofatomic ener&y.

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A"hie7eents of the UN

• The United Nations was established in the aftermath of a devastatin& war to hel(

stabili-e international relations and &ive (eace a more secre fondation.

• +mid the threat of nclear war and seemin&ly endless re&ional conflicts, (eace:kee(in& has become an overridin& concern of the United Nations. n the (rocess,the activities of ble:helmeted (eace:kee(ers have emer&ed as the most visiblerole associated with the world or&ani-ation.

• The United Nations, however, is mch more than a (eace:kee(er and form for

conflict resoltion. 8ften withot attractin& attention, the United Nations and itsfamily of a&encies are en&a&ed in a vast array of work that toches every as(ectof (eo(les lives arond the world.

• 3hild srvival and develo(ment. Anvironmental (rotection. 4man ri&hts. 4ealth

and medical research. +lleviation of (overty and economic develo(ment.+&ricltral develo(ment and fisheries. Adcation. Family (lannin&. Amer&encyand disaster relief. +ir and sea travel. Peacefl ses of atomic ener&y. 6abor andworkers ri&hts. The list &oes on. 4ere, in brief, is a sam(lin& of what the United Nations or&ani-ations have accom(lished since !#$0 when the world or&ani-ationwas fonded.

• ;aintainin& (eace and secrity : 2y havin& de(loyed a total of 0$ (eace:kee(in&

forces and observer missions as of Se(tember %55!, the United Nations has beenable to restore calm to allow the ne&otiatin& (rocess to &o forward while savin&

millions of (eo(le from becomin& casalties of conflicts. There are (resently !0active (eace:kee(in& forces in o(eration.

• ;akin& (eace : Since !#$0, the United Nations has been credited with ne&otiatin&

many (eacefl settlements that have ended re&ional conflicts. Recent casesinclde an end to the ran:raB war, the withdrawal of Soviet troo(s from+f&hanistan, and an end to the civil war in Al Salvador. The United Nations hassed Biet di(lomacy to avert imminent wars.

• Promotin& democracy : The United Nations has enabled (eo(le in many contries

to (artici(ate in free and fair elections, incldin& those held in 3ambodia, Namibia, Al Salvador, Aritrea, ;o-ambiBe, Nicara&a, Soth +frica, 9osovoand Aast Timor. t has (rovided electoral advice, assistance, and monitorin& ofreslts.

• Promotin& develo(ment : The UN system has devoted more attention and

resorces to the (romotion of the develo(ment of hman skills and (otentials thanany other eternal assistance effort. The systems annal disbrsements, incldin&

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loans and &rants, amont to more than K!5 billion. The UN Develo(mentPro&ramme UNDPG, in close coo(eration with over !15 ;ember States and other UN a&encies, desi&ns and im(lements (ro

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was a ma

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• Providin& safe drinkin& water : UN a&encies have worked to make safe drinkin&

water available to !.H billion (eo(le in rral areas drin& the last decade.

• Aradicatin& small(o : + !H:year effort by the 'orld 4ealth 8r&ani-ation reslted

in the com(lete eradication of small(o from the (lanet in !#/5. The eradication

has saved an estimated K! billion a year in vaccination and monitorin&, almostthree times the cost of eliminatin& the scor&e itself. '48 also hel(ed wi(e ot (olio from the 'estern hemis(here, with &lobal eradication e(ected by the year%555.

• Pressin& for niversal immni-ation : Polio, tetans, measles, whoo(in& co&h,

di(htheria and tberclosis still kill more than ei&ht million children each year. n!#1$, only 0 (er cent of children in develo(in& contries were immni-ed a&ainstthese diseases. Today, as a reslt of the efforts of UN3AF and '48, there is an/5 (er cent immni-ation rate, savin& the lives of more than H million childreneach year.

• Redcin& child mortality rates : Thro&h oral rehydration thera(y, water and

sanitation and other health and ntrition measres ndertaken by UN a&encies,child mortality rates in the develo(in& contries have been halved since !#)5,increasin& the life e(ectancy from H1 to )1 years.

• Fi&htin& (arasitic diseases : Afforts by UN a&encies in North +frica to eliminate

the dreaded screw worm, a (arasite that feeds on hman and animal flesh, (revented the s(read of the (arasite, which is carried by flies, to A&y(t, Tnisia,sb:Saharan +frica and Aro(e. + '48 (ro&ramme also has saved the lives of 1million children from &oin& blind from the river blindness and resced many

others from &inea worm and other tro(ical diseases.

• Promotin& investment in develo(in& contries : The United Nations, thro&h the

efforts of the UN ndstrial Develo(ment 8r&ani-ation UND8G, has served as a"match:maker" for North:Soth, Soth:Soth and Aast:'est investment, (romotin& entre(renershi( and self:reliance, indstrial coo(eration andtechnolo&y transfer and cost:effective, ecolo&ically:sensitive indstry.

• 8rientin& economic (olicy toward social need : ;any UN a&encies have

em(hasi-ed the need to take accont of hman needs in determinin& economicad

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oil s(ills and has (redicted lon&:term dro&hts. The system has allowed for theefficient distribtion of food aid to dro&ht re&ions, sch as sothern +frica in!##%.

• Providin& food to victims of emer&encies : Nearly /!0 million (eo(le are

crrently sfferin& from chronic malntrition, incldin& H55 million children. n%55!, the 'orld Food Pro&ramme 'FPG distribted $.% million tons of food to11 million (eo(le in /% contries for a total o(erational e(enditre of K !.1$ billion. %5 million (eo(le received, thro&h develo(ment (ro

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• Protectin& consmers health : To ensre the safety of food sold in the market

 (lace, UN a&encies have established standards for over %55 food commodities andsafety limits for more than H,555 food containers.

• Redcin& fertility rates : The UN Po(lation Fnd UNFP+G, thro&h its family

 (lannin& (ro&rammes, has enabled (eo(le to make informed choices, andconseBently &iven families, and es(ecially women, &reater control over theirlives. +s a reslt, women in develo(in& contries are havin& fewer children : fromsi births (er woman in the !#)5s to H.0 today. n the !#)5s, only !5 (er cent ofthe worlds families were sin& effective methods of family (lannin&. The nmber now stands at 00 (er cent.

• Fi&htin& dr& abse : The UN nternational Dr& 3ontrol Pro&ramme UND3PG

has worked to redce demand for illicit dr&s, s((ress dr& traffickin&, and hashel(ed farmers to redce their economic reliance on &rowin& narcotic cro(s byshiftin& farm (rodction toward other de(endable sorces of income.

• m(rovin& &lobal trade relations : The UN 3onference on Trade and Develo(ment

UN3T+DG has worked to obtain s(ecial trade (references for develo(in&contries to e(ort their (rodcts to develo(ed contries. t has also ne&otiatedinternational commodities a&reements to ensre fair (rices for develo(in&contries. +nd thro&h the *eneral +&reement on Tariffs and Trade *+TTG,which has now been s((lanted by the 'orld Trade 8r&ani-ation 'T8G, theUnited Nations has s((orted trade liberali-ation, that will increase economicdevelo(ment o((ortnities in develo(in& contries.

• Promotin& economic reform : To&ether with the 'orld 2ank and the nternational

;onetary Fnd, the United Nations has hel(ed many contries im(rove theireconomic mana&ement, offered trainin& for &overnment finance officials, and (rovided financial assistance to contries e(eriencin& tem(orary balance of (ayment difficlties.

• Promotin& worker ri&hts : The nternational 6abor 8r&ani-ation 68G has

worked to &arantee freedom of the ri&ht to association, the ri&ht to or&ani-e,collective bar&ainin&, the ri&hts of indi&enos and tribal (eo(les, (romoteem(loyment and eBal remneration and has so&ht to eliminate discriminationand child labor. +nd by settin& safety standards, 68 has hel(ed redce the tollof work:related accidents.

• ntrodcin& im(roved a&ricltral techniBes and redcin& costs : 'ith assistance

from the Food and +&ricltral 8r&ani-ation F+8G that has reslted in im(rovedcro( yields, +sian rice farmers have saved K!% million on (esticides and&overnments over K!05 million a year in (esticide sbsidies.

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• Promotin& stability and order in the worlds oceans : Thro&h three international

conferences, the third lastin& more than nine years, the United Nations hass(earheaded an international effort to (romote a com(rehensive &lobal a&reementfor the (rotection, (reservation and (eacefl develo(ment of the oceans. The UN3onvention on the 6aw of the Sea, which came into force in !##$, lays down

rles for the determination of national maritime

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TranBillity" and the o(enin& of "3orridors of Peace" to (rovide vaccines andother assistance des(erately needed by children ca&ht in armed conflict.

• *eneratin& worldwide commitment in s((ort of the needs of children : Thro&h

UN3AFs efforts, the 3onvention on the Ri&hts of the 3hild entered into force as

international law in !##5 and has become law in !)) contries by the end ofSe(tember !##$? followin& the !##5 'orld Smmit for 3hildren convened byUN3AF, more than !05 &overnments have committed to reachin& over %5s(ecific measrable &oals to radically im(rove childrens lives by the year %555.

• m(rovin& edcation in develo(in& contries : +s a direct reslt of the efforts of

UN a&encies, over )5 (er cent of adlts in develo(in& contries can now read andwrite, and #5 (er cent of children in these contries attend school.

• m(rovin& literacy for women : Pro&rammes aimed at (romotin& edcation and

advancement for women hel(ed raise steadily the female literacy rate in

develo(in& contries from H) (er cent in !#15 to 0) (er cent in !##5 and to 1% (er cent in %555.

• Safe&ardin& and (reservin& historic cltral and architectral sites : +ncient

monments in /! contries incldin& *reece, A&y(t, taly, ndonesia and3ambodia, have been (rotected thro&h the efforts of UNAS38, and internationalconventions have been ado(ted to (reserve cltral (ro(erty.

• Facilitatin& academic and cltral echan&es : The United Nations, thro&h

UNAS38 and the United Nations University UNUG, have encora&ed scholarlyand scientific coo(eration, networkin& of instittions and (romotion of cltral

e(ressions, incldin& those of minorities and indi&enos (eo(le.

n%ias atte&t to ,et into the se"#rity "o#n"il'hile ndia has thrown its hat into the United Nations Secrity 3oncil rin&, the (rocessof actally &ainin& a (ermanent seat on the body J which has the (ower to introdcesanctions and athori-e the se of force in conflicts J may (rove to be a lon& drawn:otaffair, accordin& to e(erts.

t is a slow:motion (rocess and it wold be wise not to &et too ecited at this sta&e," Ra

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2ra-il, *ermany, ndia and a(an, based on the firmly shared reco&nition that they arele&itimate candidates for (ermanent membershi( in an e(anded Secrity 3oncil,s((ort each others candidatre

"+s thin&s stand, 3hina may be more o((osed to a(an than to ndia," observed ;ohan

indicatin& the kind of hrdles that stand in the way of an e(anded Secrity 3oncil.

Pakistan has already made known its o((osition to the ndian candidatre, while taly iso((osed to *ermany &ainin& a seat. +lso, several 6atin +merican contries have lobbieda&ainst 2ra-il.

";ch de(ends on how bi& the e(ansion of the Secrity 3oncil is &oin& to be andndias candidacy is in fact the weakest of the for," said Prof. 3hristo(her Ra

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"There are wheels within wheels in this &ame, and nobody e(ects anythin& to ha((en ina hrry altho&h everybody a&rees that the concils com(osition is otdated andnre(resentative," said Ra

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$riti"is of the UN

Thro&hot its history, the UN has been a sorce of controversy, datin& back to thehandlin& of its involvement in the conflict in 9atan&a, incldin& alle&ations of massivera(e cam(ai&ns and &enocide. 8ver the (ast decade, an increasin& nmber of voices haveBestioned the overall direction that the UN has taken. ;any now see it as ineffective,

overly breacratic, (rone to corr(tion, and actin& otside the intended limits of itsori&inal charter or, on the converse, not actin& sfficiently within its charter or that thecharter is too weak for (resent:day needsG.

Some res(ond that mch of the blame can only lie with the member states that s((ort itor fail to s((ort itG, incldin& their (erceived failre to make needed systemic chan&esto the instittion whether in its own administrative breacracy or in its strctre&overnin& member contriesG. See the reform section below on (ro(osals for addressin&the (erceived systemic failres of the latter ty(e.

General "riti"iss of its str#"t#re ,o7ernin, e!er "o#ntries:

3har&es that the UN is increasin&ly attem(tin& to sr( or forceflly establish nationalsoverei&nty.These inclde the ori&inal controversies srrondin& UN involvement in 9atan&aThe UN involvement in the 9orean 3onflict in which the UN was instrmental in casin&the (er(etation of the (olitical division of the 9orean (eninsla, rather than in (romotin& a (eacefl resoltion to the conflict.;ost sch char&es crrently revolve arond the nternational 3ort of stice, and UN (ressre to acce(t com(lsory

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+lle&ations of mismana&ement and corr(tion re&ardin& the 8il:for:Food Pro&ramme for raB nder Saddam 4ssein.Strctre &overnin& member contriesnclsion on the United Nations 3ommission on 4man Ri&hts of nations, sch asSdan, 3ba and 6ibya, which demonstrably have abyssmal records on hman ri&hts,

and also 6ibyas chairmanshi( of this 3ommission. These contries, however, ar&e that'estern contries, with their history of colonialist a&&ression and brtality, have no ri&htto ar&e abot membershi( of the 3ommission.Failre to act or scceedG in secrity isses=Failre to act drin& the ethnic cleansin& cam(ai&n in Rwanda, when crrent Secretary*eneral 9ofi +nnan oversaw (eacekee(in& forces there.Failre to intervene drin& killin&s in Srebrenica, des(ite the fact that the UN desi&natedit a "Safe 4aven" for ref&ees and assi&ned )55 Dtch (eacekee(ers to (rotect it.Failre to sccessflly deliver food to starvin& citi-ens of Somalia? the food was sallysei-ed by local warlords instead of reachin& those who needed it. + USEUN attem(t toa((rehend the warlords sei-in& these shi(ments reslted in the 2attle of ;o&adish.

3riticism that the UN is rled by "tyranny of the ma

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more trans(arent, accontable and efficient? makin& the UN more democratic? andim(osin& an international tariff on arms manfactrers worldwide.

Alsewhere in the re&ion, a UN observer mission monitors the demilitari-ed -one betweenraB and 9wait followin& the restoration of 9waits soverei&nty in !##!