United Nations BY: Chelsey Cintron

United Nations

Why was the United Nations created? On January 1 1942 the name united nations was coined. It was coined by Franklin D. Roosevelt. This was put in place to make sure that governments of major countries continue to actively fight against the axis powers in world war 2.

League of Nations

What came before the United Nations? Why was it created? The league of nations came before the united nations after world war 1. It was an international organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, created after the First World War to provide a forum for resolving international disputes.

What is the ultimate goal of the United Nations? The main goals for the united nations is maintaining international peace, and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.

United Nations headquarters

Where is the United Nations Headquarters? New York City, NY

How does the United Nations work? The main organs of the UN are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat.

What countries take part in the United Nations?

countries in United Nations
security council

What is the Security Council? The Security Council is the United Nations' most powerful body, with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security." Five powerful countries sit as "permanent members" along with ten elected members with two-year terms.

What does the Security Council do? The Security Council has primary responsibility, under the United Nations Charter, for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is for the Security Council to determine when and where a UN Peacekeeping operation should be deployed.

Why does the Security Council get a veto over all proposals? The United Nations Security Council "power of veto" refers to the veto power wielded solely by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States), enabling them to prevent the adoption of any "substantive" resolution.

Why do countries have different voting abilities? Each member of the Security Council shall have one vote. Decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members.

What type of problems does the United Nations attempt to solve in the world? To its initial goals of safeguarding peace, protecting human rights, establishing the framework for international justice and promoting economic and social progress, in the seven decades since its creation the United Nations has added on new challenges, such as climate change, refugees and AIDS. While conflict resolution and peacekeeping continue to be among its most visible efforts, the UN, along with its specialized agencies, is also engaged in a wide array of activities to improve people’s lives around the world – from disaster relief, through education and advancement of women, to peaceful uses of atomic energy.

What committees has the United Nations formed and what are their goals? First Committee (Disarmament and International Security Committee) is concerned with disarmament and related international security questions; Second Committee (Economic and Financial Committee) is concerned with economic questions; Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee) deals with social and humanitarian issues; Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization Committee) deals with a variety of political subjects not dealt with by the First Committee, as well as with decolonization;Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary Committee) deals with the administration and budget of the United Nations; and Sixth Committee (Legal Committee) deals with international legal matters.

What has been the greatest achievement of the United Nations to date? Food aid: Food supply is always a significant issue. Especially in the 21st century, when the global population increases exponentially, the food problem becomes more vital and imperative. In that context, UN’s World Food Program has removed the pressure burdening the shoulders of many countries. The World Food Program is known as one of the most successful programs UN has ever ratified because of its enormous impacts on global community. Every year, the UN feeds 104 million people in 80 countries. They feed people in war zones, natural disasters, health emergencies and poor countries. Aid to refugees: UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) is another success of the United Nations. Founded in 1949, UNHCR has helped 17 million asylum-seekers and refugees. The officers of UNHCR help the refugees directly, working to ensure governments meet their responsibilities to the expatriates. Two Nobel Peace Prizes in 1954 and 1981 are persuasive evidences for the success of UNHCR. Right now, UNHCR is facing a problematic financial issue, trying to protect and assist 700,000 people who had fled conflict in Syria, Mali, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is truly the hope of millions of refugees all over the world. Protecting children: Perhaps, many of us are too familiar with the phrase “UNICEF” because it is repeated myriad of times on the media. Yes, UNICEF (United Children’s Fund) is an agency belonging to United Nations whose headquarters are based in New York. This organization protects the rights of children everywhere in the world and works to enhance the living standards of children. With the significant contribution of UNICEF, the number of deaths for children under the age of 5 has declined from nearly 12 million in 1990 to 6.9 million in 2011. Peace keeping: Currently, the UN has 16 active peacekeeping missions in hotspot like Syria, Kosovo, North Korea…International Peace is always the greatest concern of the UN because its main purpose is encouraging peaceful diplomatic relations between different countries around the world. With the intervention of the UN, many conflicts have been reconciled, saving the lives of many people. The contribution the UN has given to global peace is undeniable and therefore, peacekeeping should be regarded as one of the most successful task the UN has undertaken in its 68 years of history. Running elections: Incontrovertibly, free election is one of the most basic political rights of everybody around the world. But in fact, not everyone gets access to freedom of choice. The UN has fought continuously for the voting right of people in areas where the ideology of dictatorship or monarchy is still dominating. A great example of this is with Iraq. With the external support from an international community, represented by the UN, Iraq successfully overthrew Saddam’s government and installed an interim administration in which the government was completely elected by Iraqi citizens. The successful election in Iraq did not only create a momentous turning point in Iraq’s history but it also marked a new step for the UN in the war against dictatorship and totalitarianism.

Do you think the United Nations should be kept or abolished and why? Reform of the United Nations is a much debated subject constantly on the UN agenda. UN reform is necessary in order to strengthen the UN’s effectiveness as a multilateral organization, bring more transparency to the institution and enhance its credibility. The main focus is on the reform of the Security Council (SC), as this is the most powerful UN institution with the most potential for bringing change. However, by further investigating the existing problems of the SC, it becomes clear that in fact the implementation of reform is extremely complex and widely contested.

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