3. SECTION 1
Purposes of the united nation
The United Nations was established
following to the conclusion of the Second World
War and in the light of Allied planning and
intentions expressed during that conflict.
The United Nations is a complex
intergovernmental organization that includes a
network of bodies, agencies, and affiliates; Its
charter has given all principal organs a direct or
indirect role in the field of human rights.
4. The purposes of the UN are set out
in article 1 of the charter as follows:
1-To maintain international peace and
security , and to that end , to take effective
collective measures for the prevention and
removal of threats to the peace, and for the
suppression of acts of aggression or other or
other breaches of the peace, and to bring
about by peaceful means, and in conformity
with the principles of justice and international
law, adjustment or settlement of international
disputes or situations which might lead to a
breach of the peace.
5. 2-To develop friendly relations among nations
based on respect for the principle of equal rights
and self –determination of peoples, and to take
other appropriate measures to strengthen
universal peace.
3-To achieve international cooperation in solving
international problems of an economic
, social, cultural or humanitarian character , and
in promoting and encouraging respect for human
rights and for fundamental freedoms for all
without distinction as to race, sex, language or
religion.
4-To be a center for harmonizing the actions of
nations in the attainment of theses common
ends.
6. The UN has six principles
organs
The general
assembly.
Social and The Security
economic Council.
council.
International
Secretariat court of
justice.
Trusteeship
council
8. The General Assembly is the main body that grants each
member state one vote and the only one in which all
member nations have equal representation.
It is an important discussion forum, and declarations and
treaties are adopted only after they have been voted on in
the General Assembly.
It can also issue recommendations and pass resolutions,
but the General Assembly has no powers to compel
member states to act. Nevertheless, in addition to the
proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, the General Assembly was crucial in setting the
principles with regard to war crimes and crimes against
humanity, in 1946, the General Assembly affirmed that
genocide was a crime against international law. This was
an important step toward the Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
In 1945, the UN had 51 members. It now has 192, of which
more than two-thirds are developing countries.
10. It includes five permanent members—China,
France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the
United States—each of which has veto power
on any Security Council resolution. It also
includes ten rotating members elected for
two-year terms by the General Assembly, in a
manner that would reflect a balance in the
representation of major geographic regions.
The Security Council is expected to resolve
disputes by peaceful means but is also
empowered to impose binding economic and
military sanctions to enforce UN resolution
and international law.
12. The International Court of Justice, located at
the Hague in the Netherlands, is the principal
judicial organ of the United Nations.
It settles legal disputes between states and
gives advisory opinions to the UN and its
specialized agencies.
Its Statute is an integral part of the United
Nations Charter.
14. The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day
work of the Organization.
It services the other principal organs and
carries out tasks as varied as the issues dealt
with by the UN: administering peacekeeping
operations, surveying economic and social
trends, preparing studies on human
rights, among others.
16. is an intergovernmental body charged by the
UN Charter to undertake studies and make
recommendations on a broad spectrum of
issues, including human rights. The size of
the membership was expanded , into fifty-
three.
18. The Trusteeship Council was established in
1945 by the UN Charter to provide
international supervision for 11 Trust
Territories placed under the administration of
7 Member States, and ensure that adequate
steps were taken to prepare the Territories
for self-government and independence.
By 1994, all Trust Territories had attained
self-government or independence. Its work
completed, the Council has amended its rules
of procedure to meet as and where occasion
may require.
20. A-International instruments
(general instruments)
The most basic instrument laying the
foundation of international human rights law
is the charter of the United Nations.
The various human rights clauses of the
U.N. charter speaks in terms of promoting
and encouraging respect for human rights
and for fundamental freedoms for all without
distinction as to race, sex, language or
religion.
21. The elaboration of the generally worded human rights clause of the UN Charter
took the form of the International Bill of Human Rights, which encompasses:
1-The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
2-The International Covenant on Economic , social and
cultural rights of 1966.
3-The International covenant on Civil and Political Rights
of 1966.
4-The optional protocol to the International Covenant on
Civil and Political rights.
These instruments present with a view to establish a
world-wide system for the promotion and protection of
human rights, a comprehensive enumeration of a wide
variety of human rights and fundamental freedom, in
recognition that " the inherent dignity and the equal and
inalienable rights of all members of the human family is
the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world."
22. B-Regional instruments
Other comprehensive instruments, covering a large
number of human rights, which have been drown up
at the regional level, are:
1-The American declaration of the rights and duties
of man of 1948 and the American convention on
human rights of 1969.
2-The European convention of human rights and
fundamental freedoms of 1950 with its five protocols
and European social charter of 1961.
3-The African charter on human and people's rights
of 1981.
"The regional conventions represent an effort by the
states concerned to try out new methods of realizing
human rights in practice, and that, from this point of
view, they are justified."
23. C-Specific Instruments
There are also some specific instruments such as;
1-The convention on the prevention and punishment
of the genocide 1948.
2-The international convention on the elimination of
all forms of racial discrimination of 1965.
3-The international convention on the suppression
and punished of the crime of apartheid of 1973.
4-The convention of the elimination of all forms of
discrimination against women of 1979.
5-The conventions and recommendation of the
international labor organization.
24. 6-The convention of the U.N.E.S.C.O United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization
The UNESCO works to create the conditions for
dialogue among civilizations, cultures and
peoples, based upon respect for commonly
shared values. It is through this dialogue that the
world can achieve global visions of sustainable
development encompassing observance of
human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation
of poverty, all of which are at the heart of
UNESCO’S mission and activities
(This Convention is on the Means of Prohibiting
and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and
Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property 1970)