POLITICAL

GLOBALIZATION
 League of
Nation (1919)
 • The UN was established after
World War II with the aim of
FOUNDING preventing future wars,
succeeding the rather ineffective
OF League of Nations.
• On 25 April 1945, 50

UNITED governments met in San Francisco

for a conference and started

NATION drafting the UN Charter, which

was adopted on 25 June 1945 and
took effect on 24 October 1945,
when the UN began operations.
CONFRONTING
THE CHALLENGES
OF GLOBAL
GOVERNANCE:
MEET THE
UNITED NATIONS
UNITED NATIONS
• The United Nations is an organization of
sovereign States, which voluntarily join the UN
to work for world peace.
• It formally came into being on 24 October 1945.
At that time, it had 51 countries as Members.
• Currently, 193 countries are UN members
• Though sometimes described as a “parliament
of nations”, the United Nations is neither a
supra-State. It does not have an army nor does
it impose taxes. It depends on the political will
of its Members to have its decisions
implemented and relies on contributions of its
Members to carry out its activities.
ONE BIG FUNCTION
OF THE UNITED
NATIONS: IT IS TO
ACT AS A FORUM
AND TO ORGANIZE
THE MEETINGS
WHERE
REPRESENTATIVES
OF GOVERNMENTS
COME TOGETHER
AND ADOPT SHARED
STANDARD OF
BEHAVIOR IN
DIFFERENT AREAS.
 • to save succeeding generations from the
scourge of war
• to reaffirm faith in fundamental human

United rights
• to establish conditions under which justice
Nation’s and respect for the obligations arising

Overall from treaties and other sources

of international law can be maintained
Aims: • to promote social progress and better
standards of life in larger freedom.
IN SHORT: achieving worldwide
cooperation to solve international economic,
social, cultural, and humanitarian problems
to achieve peace and security
 UN TODAY:
• The United Nations plays a central role in
reducing international tensions, preventing
conflicts and putting an end to fighting
already under way. It deals with our
environment, outer space, and the sea-bed.
It has helped wipe out many diseases and
expand food production. It cares for and
protects refugees, expands literacy and
responds quickly to natural disasters. It also
protects and promotes rights of individuals
by setting a global standard for human
rights.
 • the UN is based on the sovereign equality
of its members; disputes are to be settled
Objectives of by peaceful means; members are to
the refrain from the threat or use of force in
contravention of the purposes of the UN;
Organization each member must assist the organization
and in any enforcement actions it takes under
the Charter; and states that are not
Administratio members of the organization are required
n to act in accordance with these principles
insofar as it is necessary to maintain
international peace and security.
6 main UN the General Assembly,

organs: the Security Council

the Trusteeship Council

the Economic and Social Council

the International Court of Justice

and the Secretariat.

 • Main deliberative organ comprised of all
member states, each of which has one
THE vote, no matter its size or influence.

GENERAL • Two-thirds majority of these members

states decide on international peace and
ASSEMBLY: security, admission of new member
states, and the UN budget (other matters
are decided by simple majority)
• Session lasts a year starting in mid-
September. Special sessions may be
requested by the Security Council and
majority of the members
• Assembly holds 2-week general debate
about social issues in which heads of
states present their views. Each year, GA
elects president as the presider of the
meeting and a neutral party which acts
as the UN.
 UN SANCTIONS
• According to Article 41 of the UN Charter,
the Security Council may call on Member
States to “apply measure not involving the
use of armed force to give effects to its
decisions.” These measures are sanctions,
which are meant to enforce international
law.
• E.g. Economic Sanctions
• Travel Sanctions
• Diplomatic Sanctions
• Military Sanctions
 Reasons • 1. First category involves such
sanctions that are designed to force
for cooperation with international law.

Sanctionin • 2. The second category of design is

those sanctions with the purpose to
g contain a threat to peace within a
geographical boundary.
• 3. The third category involves the
United Nations Security Councils
condemnation of actions of a
specific action or policy of a
member/non-member nation.
UN SANCTIONS
 6 Main • 1. First Committee (Disarmament and
International Security)

Committee • 2. Second Committee ( Economic and

Financial)
s of the • 3. Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian,
and Cultural)
General • 4. Fourth Committee (Special Political and

Assembly Decolonization)
• 5. Fifth Committee (Administrative and
Budgetary)
• 6. Sixth Committee (Legal)
 • Unlike the General Assembly, the security

THE council can be convened any time whenever

international peace is threatened.

SECURITY • Decisions are legally binding, when a threat to

peace is brought before the Council, it asks
COUNCIL the parties involved to resolve agreement by
peaceful means.
• If fighting breaks out, the Council tries to
secure a negotiation thru negotiation,
establishment of sanctions, or by authorizing
the use of force carried by willing member
states.
• The Council has 15 members (5 permanent
U.S. France, UK, Russia, China) (10 members
every 2 yrs)
• In order to pass a resolution, 9 out of 15
members of the council must vote yes.
However, if the P5 voted no (veto), the
 • Central body for coordinating the

The economic and social work of the UN and

the UN system.
Economic • The council has 54 members which are

and Social
chosen for equal geographical
representation and serve a 3 year term.

Council • Voting in the Council is simply by the

majority; each member has one vote.
• As much as 70 percent of the work of the
UN system is devoted to prompting
higher standards of living, full
employment, and conditions of economic
and social progress of development,
growth of developing countries
• ECOSOS team up with Food and
Agricultural Org, WHO, UNESCO, UNDP,
 • The system was created after the WWII to

The
promote the advancement of the
inhabitants of those dependent territories

Trusteeshi and their progressive development

towards self-governance or independence

p Council • The council supervise the administration

of 11 Trust Territories-former colonies or
dependent territories which were placed
under the International Trusteeship
System.
• Since its creation, more than 70 colonial
territories including all 11 trust territories
have attained independence with the help
of the UN.
• The Council is composed of the P5. Each
member has one vote, and decisions are
made by a simple majority
 • UN’s main judicial organ also known
as the World Court, located in
The Netherlands
Internationa • It settles legal disputes only between
nations and not between individuals,
l Court of in accordance with international law
Justice in which all judgments passed by the
court are final and without appeal
• If a country does not wish to take part
in the proceeding, it does not have to
do so, unless required by special
treaty provisions. Once a country
accepts the Court’s jurisdiction, it
must comply with its decision
 The • It is presided over by 15 judges elected for 9
year terms, each from a different nation by

Internatio the general assembly and security council

• Election takes place every 3 years for 1/3 of

nal Court the seats, and retiring judges may be re-

elected. It takes 9/15 judges to make a

of Justice
decision.
• The members of the court do not represent
their government but are independent
magistrates
• Cases: econ rights, envi protection, rights of
passage, non-use of force, non-interference
in the internal affairs of state, diplomatic
relations, hostage-taking, the right of
asylum and nationality
 The • It consists of departments and offices with a
total staff of 16, 000 drawn from most

Secretariat member states.

• They carry out the day-to-day work of the
organization
• It is responsible for the servicing the other
organs of the United Nations and
administering the programs and policies laid
down by them
• It is headed by the Secretary-General, who is
the appointed by the General Assembly on the
recommendation of Security Council for a 5 yr.
term and is responsible for implementing
decisions taken by various organs of the UN.
• Staffs are known as “international civil
servants”
 The • Unlike diplomats, who represent a
particular country and its interests,
Secretariat international civil servants work for
all international civil servants work
for all 193 member states and take
their orders not from the government
but from the Secretary-General
• The Secretary- General may also act
on his own initiative to deal with
humanitarian or other problems of
special importance