Modern Global Concerns and International Organizations

Modern Global Concerns

Objective

  • Identify the purpose of intergovernmental organizations and define their roles in addressing global challenges.
  • Examine the impact of globalization on world economies and the rise of regional economic blocks.
  • Analyze the reasons nuclear proliferation is a major global issue affecting relationships between countries.

International Organizations

  • Intergovernmental organizations:
    • Composed of three or more states (countries) that have formed an organization in pursuit of shared goals.
    • Allow for international cooperation to solve tough problems.
    • Goals focus on issues such as:
      • The environment.
      • Political and foreign relations.
      • Economic cooperation and equity.
      • Development and scientific study.

United Nations (UN)

  • The largest international organization.
  • Founded in 1945.
  • Involved in many different issues that affect people around the world.
  • Most sovereign states around the world are members.
  • Major divisions:
    • General Assembly
    • Security Council
    • Economic and Social Council
    • Secretariat
    • International Court of Justice
  • Responsibilities of these divisions:
    • Peacekeeping
    • International dialogue, cooperation, and diplomacy
    • Economic and social assistance (especially to developing nations)
    • International research and record keeping

Specialized Agencies within the UN

  • World Food Program (WFP):
    • A humanitarian organization that provides food aid to countries faced with starvation and malnutrition.
    • Addresses issues of hunger and famine, especially in cases of drought.
  • United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF):
    • Provides long-term humanitarian care to children and mothers in developing countries.
    • Focuses on health care and food assistance.
  • World Health Organization (WHO):
    • The world's global authority on international public health.
    • Monitors outbreaks of infectious diseases.
    • Conducts investigations to determine the origin and spread of diseases.
    • Distributes vaccines and medications.
    • Promotes healthy living, diet, and access to clean drinking water.

Other International and Intergovernmental Organizations

  • Institute of Refrigeration:
    • Promotes the use of refrigeration, especially in the developing world.
    • Educates people about food safety.
  • International Labor Organization:
    • Monitors the treatment of workers.
    • Addresses issues like wages and working conditions around the world.
  • North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO):
    • A military alliance started by the United States and Great Britain after World War II.
    • Many European nations are members.
  • International Whaling Commission:
    • Regulates the whaling industry around the world.
  • Asian Development Bank:
    • An intergovernmental organization promoting the eradication of poverty in Asia.
    • Focuses on developmental programs to increase the economic strength of the poorest nations in Asia.
  • World Trade Organization:
    • Monitors trade disputes between nations.
    • Promotes free trade and free access of goods around the globe.
  • International Olive Council:
    • Promotes the use of olives, olive oils, and other olive products.
    • Shares methods for growing olives and addresses environmental concerns within the olive industry.
  • Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC):
    • Dedicated to setting global prices on oil.
    • Opens new markets for oil and resources for oil production.
  • International Civil Defense Organization:
    • Concerned with the protection and assistance of populations.
    • Safeguards property and people from natural disasters.

Review

  • Intergovernmental organizations have members, which are sovereign states working together towards shared goals.
  • The United Nations is the largest intergovernmental organization in the world, and its major divisions include the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice.
  • These major divisions also have agencies within them to promote everything from health, monitor disease outbreaks, to ensuring that food is given to those suffering from famine and malnutrition.
  • Other intergovernmental organizations focus on economic, social, political, environmental, and scientific issues around the globe.