1. 1
The UN: Centerpiece
Instructor: Cheunboran Chanborey
Of Global Governance

2. 2
The UN Milestones
 1941:Churchill and Roosevelt announced the
Atlantic Charter in which the initial beginnings of
a new order for peace and cooperation are
embedded.
 01/01/1942: The name “United Nations”
appeared for the first time in the declaration
made by the Allies during the Second World War,
in which 26 states pledged themselves to
continue the fight against the Axis powers. 25
more countries joined the alliance by the end of
the war.

3. 3
The UN Milestones
 30/10/1943: First Foreign Minister Conference by
the Allies in Moscow. The USA, Great Britain, the
USSR and China declared that a general
international organisation of all peace-loving
states is to be created to retain world peace and
international security.
 01/12/1943: At the conference in Teheran,
Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin declared that they
and the United nations were responsible for
creating lasting freedom.

4. 4
The UN Milestones
 Sept. 1944: In Dumbarton Oaks, USA,
representative of the USA, Great Britain, the
USSR and China prepared the basic outline of a
charter for the United Nations.
 Feb. 1945: In Yalta, Churchill, Roosevelt and
Stalin agreed on the special status of the major
powers in the Security Council (veto right)

5. 5
The UN Milestones
 April–June 1945: Representatives from 50
League member nations drew up the United
Nations Charter at the United Nations
Conference in San Francisco.
 26/06/1945: The Charter is signed by the 50
founding states (Poland declared 51st founding
state later).

6. 6
The UN Milestones
 24/10/1945: The United Nations Charter came
into force following ratification by the majority of
the founder members.
 Observe how meetings had been more frequent
the nearer to end of WWII
 The UN was indeed a product of WWII

7. 7
UN Functions and Objectives

8. 8
Assurance of Peace
 After two devastating world wars, the
assurance of peace and international
security form the central tasks of the world
organisation, whereby the endeavour is to
learn lessons from the failed attempt to set up
a collective security system under the League
of Nations in the period between the wars

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Protection of Human Rights
 The genocide and the crime against humanity
of the Hitler regime in particular, form the
background for the second major field of
tasks for the United Nations: the protection
of human rights and the continued
development of public international law.

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Economic and Social Development
 Economic and social development makes
up the third major field of tasks for the United
Nations. Peace, in the sense of the negative
peace, is not just understood as an absence
of war, but, in the sense of positive peace,
also encompasses questions of worldwide
development and justice

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Environmental Protection
 In the face of global problems such as the
greenhouse effect and the ozone hole,
environmental protection has been added
to this as an additional field of tasks in recent
times.

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UN Charter
 Article 1: Purposes
 Art. 1(1): Protection of international peace and
security.
 Art 1(2): Develop friendly relations among
nations based upon respect and implementation
of human and equal rights.
 Art 1(3): Global economic and social
development as a preventive measure to the
outbreak of war; promoting cooperation.

13. 13
UN Principles
 Sovereignty (Art. 2(1))
 Non-use of force against territorial integrity or
political independence of any member-state (Art. 2
(4))
 Collective Security (Art. 2 (5))
 Non-intervention in internal affairs (Art. 2 (7))
 Special responsibility of Great Powers: veto power
of P5 (Art. 27(3)).
 Legitimacy: The UN SC has the power to decide
what is and what is not a breach to international
peace and security and to decide upon legitimate
action (Art. 39).

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15. 15
Main Bodies
1. Committee: Disarmament and International Security
2. Committee: Economic and Financial
3. Committee: Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Issues
4. Committee: Special Political and Decolonisation
5. Committee: Administrative and Budget (internal)
6. Committee: Legal

16. 16

17. 17
The General Assembly
Functions:
 Rules and norms setting and codification of IL
 Consider and approve UN budget and assess
financial contribution of member states
 Elect the non-permanent members of UNSC and
members of other UN organs
 At the recommendation of UNSC, appoint the
UNSG
 Receive and consider reports of UN organs
 Recommendation, Recommendation and
Recommendations…

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The General Assembly
Voting System
 As a rule, decisions are reached by a simple
majority. A two-thirds majority is required for
important issues, such as accepting or excluding
new members or the election of non-permanent
members of the Security Council.
 Over the last few years, making decisions without
a formal vote in the consensus procedure has
become standard.

19. 19

20. 20
Non-Permanent Seats in UNSC
3 African states: (Morocco-2013, South
Africa-2012, Togo-2013)
2 Asian states: (India-2012, Pakistan-2013)
2 Latin American states: (Colombia-2012,
Guatemala-2013)
2 West European and other states
(Germany-2012, Portugal-2012)
1 East European state: Azerbaijan-2013

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Major Functions
 International peace & security, military action
against aggressor (Chap VII: Collective Security),
 Recommend admission of new member,
 Recommend the UNGA to appoint UNSG and
judges of the ICJ etc

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Security Council
 The ten non-permanent members are elected for
a period of two years by the General Assembly.
 The procedure here is that five non-permanent
members are elected each year, so that the
composition of Security Council changes each
year.
 procedural decisions (9/15)
 substantive issues (9 + absence of veto from P5)

23. 23
Security Council
 The Presidency changes every month and can
convene sessions at any time. These can take
place at the request of a Council member or
member state, the General Assembly or the UN
Secretary-General
 In 1963 Charter was changed to increase non
permanent members from 6 to 10

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25. 25
ECOSOC
 Promoting higher standards of living, full
employment, and socio-economic progress
 Identifying solutions to international
economic, social and health problems
 Facilitating international cultural and
educational cooperation
 Encouraging universal respect for HRs

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ECOSOC
 with the creation of special organs such as the
Development Programme (UNDP), or the
Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD), the General Assembly has deprived
the ECOSOC of further powers in the field of
development, so that hardly any operative fields
of duty remain, except that of human rights.
 The ECOSOC meets once a year for four weeks.
 A large part of its work is performed in numerous
parallel organisations

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ECOSOC
 Charter was changed twice to increase
members of ECOSOC
 In 1963 from 18 to 27
 In 1973 form 27 to 54

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Trusteeship Council
 Examining and discuss reports from the
Administering Authority on the political,
economic, social and educational advancement
of the peoples of Trust Territories
 The Trusteeship Council suspended its work
following the release of the last of eleven trust
territories (Palau) into independence on 1st
October 1994.
 Despite this, the corresponding chapters in the
Charter (Chapters XII and XIII) have not been
deleted.

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The Secretariat
 The UN is headquartered in New York and has
external offices in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi.
In 2000, the Secretariat employed a workforce of
8,900 from 170 states (around 4,4000 in 2010).
 The Secretariat is the central administrative
organ of the world organisation.
 It consists of the Secretary-General, who is
elected on the recommendation of the Security
Council by the General Assembly for a five year
renewable period, and a hierarchically structured
administrative apparatus

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31. 31
The ICJ
 The ICJ is essentially different to 'normal' courts
of justice. This is made quite clear by the fact that
only states are permitted to go in front of the ICJ.
 Two main functions: (1) Contentious and
(2)advisory opinion
 The ICJ is the only principal organ not to be
headquartered in New York, but in The Hague.

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UN Performance
 UN has many faces, and means different things to
different people or groups
 To European journalists, UN implies peace keeping
and security issues in central Europe
 To LA, and SEA countries UN means IMF/WB
 To international lawyers and human rights
advocates, UN means legal texts and offices
involved Universal Declaration of Human Rights
 To other critics, UN painted the picture of the
bureaucracy, wasting taxpayers’ money
Paul Kennedy, Foreign Affairs Sep/Oct 1995

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UN Performance
 During the Cold War
 Low Point 1970s-1980s
 End of the Cold War

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Cold War Period
 Any cooperation was difficult due to East-West
conflicts
 Activities limited to areas where major powers
not affected
 Expansion of UN Secretariat and affiliated bodies
 1950 beginning of Peace Keeping Mission

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Cold War Period
 Decolonization resulted in increase in UN
membership, mostly developing countries
 Hence more emphasis on development policy at
the UN
 UNCTAD was founded to counter the Bretton
Woods institutions
 Third world countries called on NIEO
 Issues on North-South gained momentum

36. 36
Cold War Period
 Berlin crisis in 1950, UN served as forum for
discussion
 Korea crisis in 1950, an exception due to Soviet
walkout
 Suez crisis of 1956, peace keeping troops
deployed
 Congo conflict of 1960-64, saw UN over
burdened and UN troops became a party to
conflicts
 Cuba crisis of 1962, UN played a mediation role

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Period of 1970s-1980s
 Securing Peace: UN failed in a series of peace
keeping missions
 A period of deep crisis, UN failed to prevent
conflicts or find solutions to conflicts in
Nicaragua, West Sahara, Cambodia,
Afghanistan, and Iran-Iraq war

38. 38
The End of Cold War
 UN was back at center stage again
 End of ideological war made cooperation and
conflict resolution easier
 Iraq/Kuwait conflict was through UN
 14 new pk missions were undertaken between
1988-1992 with mixed results

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1990s and Global issues
 1990s saw the UN involved more on global
issues of various kinds
 More participation of NGOs
 More involve in forum dealt with global problems
 More central role in global governance concepts

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UN Performance
 Mixed results at best
 Some success, some failure
 Issues dealt with if of political or ideological
concerns then most difficult
 Easier to handle issues are development,
social, and environmental issues
 Budget constraint will be a limit to activities

41. UN Approach to Peace
Agenda for Peace (Boutros Boutros-Ghali)
1. Preventive Diplomacy
Confidence-building measures
Fact-finding
Early warning
Preventive Deployment
Demilitarized zones

42. 2. Peacemaking
 The world court
 Assistance (good office, mediation…)
 Sanctions
 Use of military forces
3. Peacekeeping  Blue Helmets

43. II. UN Approach to Peace
4. Post-conflict peacebuilding
 Disarmament and demobilization
Restoration of order
Repatriation of refugees and displaced people
Support for security personnel
 Monitoring elections
Institutional capacity building
Human rights and democracy
Socio-economic development

44. The UN and Development
 Economic development as an instrumental
factor for sustainable peace.
“The United Nations cannot be a strong force
for peace unless it is also strong force for
development…[which cannot be separated
from the universal goals of] freedom, social
justice and environmental quality.”
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, An Agenda for
Development (1994)
 Why is economic development so important
for peace?

45. ECOSOC:
 What are the major duties of ECOSOC?
 Has ECOSOC been successful? Why?

46. Regional Commissions:
 Economic Commission for the Europe –
1947
 Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific – 1947
 Economic Commission for Latin America –
1948
 Economic Commission for Africa – 1958

47. New Specialized Agencies and Regional
Banks:
 World Food Program (WFP),
 UN Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO),
 World Food Conference,
 International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD),
 Regional Banks: Inter-American Development
Bank (IDB), Asian Development Bank (ADB).
 Is ADB active in Cambodia???

48. The creation of United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development in 1964 was shaped
by Marxism and Dependency Theories.
 Why UNCTAD was established as the world
already had existing mechanisms, such as
GATT and World Bank?
 Successful?--- globalism versus regionalism

49. What is NIEO?

50. MDGs:
 What are the 8 goals?
 Do you think that MDGs will be achieved by
the agreed timeframe? Why and why not?
International Conference on Financing for
Development or Monterrey Summit?

51.  1972 Stockholm UN Conference on Human
Environment
 Creating UNEP
 Spaceship Earth
 “Think globally, and act locally”
 More involvement of NGOs, Scientists
 Moving toward Sustainable Development
 UNGA established Word Commission on
Environment and Development
The UN and Environment

52.  The United Nation Conference on the Environment and
Development (UNCED) was held in Rio in 1992, or the
Earth Summit. RELEVANT! Agenda 21:
 Adoption of the two treaties: the Convention on
Climate Change and the Convention on Biological
Diversity.
 The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997, entered
into force in 2005, 5% reduction of GHG within
(2008-2012) vis-à-vis 1990 level.
 Developed Countries agreed on “Common but
Differentiated Responsibilities.”
 Financial Pledge: 0.7 % of GNP of Developed
Countries to foreign assistance by 2000.
 Pledge: US$607 annually to implement
environment related conventions of the UN.

53.  2002 Johannesburg Summit (PoA)
 Restoration of fisheries by 2015
 Reduction of biodiversity loss by 2015
 Better use of chemicals by 2020
 More use of renewable energy
 COP15?
 COP16?
 COP17?

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Human Rights
The United Nations was established
with the primary goal of bolstering
international peace and preventing
conflict. The essence of these
emerging human rights principles was
captured in President Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union
Address;
…a world founded on four essential freedoms: freedom of
speech and religion and freedom from want and fear…

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The calls came from across the globe for human rights
standards to protect citizens from abuses by their
governments, standards against which nations could
be held accountable for the treatment of those living
within their borders. These voices played a critical role
in the San Francisco meeting that drafted the United
Nations Charter in 1945

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International Human Rights Law
and Organizations
 International Human Rights Law
 Geneva Conventions
 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
 International Bodies
 Regional Human Rights Systems

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 Charter of the United Nations (1945)
 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
 The Covenants on Human Rights (1966)
a) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
b) International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights
 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination (1965)
 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (1979)
 Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984)
 Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all
Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (1990)
Basic Instruments on Human Rights

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International Bodies
 The United Nations
 Human Rights Council
 Security Council
 Other UN Treaty Bodies
 Regional Human Rights Bodies

59. 59
The United Nations
The United Nations is the only multilateral governmental agency
with universally accepted international jurisdiction for universal
human rights legislation.
All UN organs have advisory roles to the United Nations
Security Council and the United Nations Human Rights Counci
l, and there are numerous committees within the UN with
responsibilities for safeguarding different human rights treaties.
The most senior body of the UN with regard to human rights is the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

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Although human rights are fundamental to all functions of the UN,
human rights issues mainly fall under the Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC). The Economic and Social Council oversees the work of
many intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and certain UN commissio
ns, such as the UN Commission on Human Rights.

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Human Rights Council
The Human Rights Council is a subsidiary body of
the General Assembly and reports directly to it. It
ranks below the Security Council, which is the
final authority for the interpretation of the United
Nations Charter. Forty-seven of the one hundred ni
nety-two member states sit on the council, electe
d by simple majority in a secret ballot of the
United Nations General Assembly. Members serve a
maximum of six years and may have their memb
ership suspended for gross human rights abuses
.
The United Nations Human Rights Council, created at the 2005 World
Summit to replace the United Nations Commission on Human Rights,
has a mandate to investigate violations of human rights.

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The Human Rights Council may request that
the Security Council take action when human
rights violations occur. This action may be
direct actions, may involve sanctions, and
the Security Council may also refer cases to
the International Criminal Court (ICC) even
if the issue being referred is outside the
normal jurisdiction of the ICC
The Council is based in Geneva, and meets three times a year; with
additional meetings to respond to urgent situations. Independent
experts (rapporteurs) are retained by the Council to investigate
alleged human rights abuses and to provide the Council with reports.
Human Rights Council

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Security Council
The United Nations Security Council has the primary
responsibility for maintaining international peace and
security and is the only body of the UN that can authorize
the use of force (including in the context of peace-
keeping operations), or override member nations
sovereignty by issuing binding Security Council
resolutions.

64. 64
 The UN Charter gives the Security Council the power to hears
reports from all organs of the United Nations, and can take
action over any issue which it feels threatens peace and
security, including human rights issues.
 It has been criticized for failing to take action to prevent
human rights abuses, including the Darfur crisis, the
Srebrenica massacre and the Rwandan Genocide.

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Other UN Treaty Bodies
The UN has set up a number of treaty-based bodies to
monitor and study human rights, under the leadership of the
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR). The
bodies are committees of independent experts that monitor
implementation of the core international human rights treaties.
They are created by the treaty that they monitor.