What is the UN?
It is the most important international organization in the world. Almost every country is a member and at times of crisis they look to the UN to prevent war and keep peace. But while the UN aims to encourage cooperation and stability, it often finds itself at the center of controversy for what it does or does not do. The UN was founded in 1945 at the end of World War II. The UN charter sets out three main aims: (1) maintaining international peace and security, (2) developing friendly relations between states, and (3) encouraging countries to work together to solve economic, cultural, social and humanitarian problems. It also expressed hope for the equality of all people and the expansion of basic freedoms.
The work of the UN is controlled by the Secretariat, which is headed by the Secretary-General. The current Secretary-General is Ban Ki-moon. A key part of the UN is the General Assembly, where every country is represented by one seat no matter how big or small they are. The assembly discusses policy and decides how the UN spends it budget. It can also hold emergency session to discuss issues of immediate importance, such as approving war against Iraq in 1991.
The Security Council has the responsibility of maintaining peace and security around the world. It has five permanent members – the US, Russia, China, Britain and France; and ten temporary members, elected for two years by the General Assembly to represent each continent. The five permanent members can veto (vote against) to any measure they dislike as a last resort, causing it to fail.
Who Pays?
The UN requires large amounts of money to work efficiently and deliver the programs the member states have voted for. The UN spends its money on its regular budget, tribunals and peace keeping missions. The United States and Japan are the top contributors of money. Every member state has to pay a minimum of 0.01 percent of the total budget.
Diplomacy
The UN is like a world legislature where diplomats from nations can discuss issues they disagree about. If a country refuses to cooperate, the UN can place sanctions (restrictions) on a country’s activities, like preventing sales of its goods to other countries, and setting up blockades. This can be effective but can also be detrimental; for example, sanctions against Saddam Hussein in the 1990s did not change his ways but instead kill many Iraqi children who were denied life-saving drugs because trade with Iraq was restricted.
Social Issues
The UN Charter requires its member states to work for higher standards of living, including jobs, health, and education. The UN tries to achieve its social aims through various specialist agencies. Some of these, such as UNICEF, are a part of the UN itself; other agencies are related to the UN, like the World Health Organization (WHO). All of them report of UN’s Economic and Social Council.
Human Rights
In 1948, the UN approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration set out “a common standard of achievement of all peoples and all nations,” although few countries have lived up to the document’s high ideals.
Facing Critics
The United Nations has been in existence for almost 66 years and every year it has been criticized for its actions or inaction. It is criticized for doing too much and too little. So how successful has the UN been and if it didn’t exist, would we bother to invent it now?
