Review of United Nations Structure and Goals

HISTORY OF THE UNITED NATIONS

  • Successor to League of Nations.

  • Established June 26, 1945.

  • Aimed to prevent World Wars.

  • Faced issues: Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Congo, Israel.

POST COLD WAR HISTORY

  • UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations expanded.

  • Successes: Salvador Civil War, Namibia, Cyprus, Desert Storm, South Africa, Cambodia.

  • Failures: Somalia, Rwanda.

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs)

  • Established by Kofi Annan.

  • Eight goals focusing on poverty, education, gender equality, health, sustainability, and global partnership.

  • Goals: 1) Eradicate Poverty and Hunger, 2) Universal Education, 3) Gender Equality, 4) Reduce Child Mortality, 5) Improve Maternal Health, 6) Combat Diseases, 7) Environmental Sustainability, 8) Global Development Partnership.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)

  • Adopted in 2015 to replace MDGs, targeting 2030.

  • Seventeen goals categorized into: People, Planet, Peace, Prosperity, Partnership.

STRUCTURE OF THE UN

  • Five primary bodies: General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, Secretariat, International Court of Justice (ICJ).

  • Headquartered in NYC; additional offices in Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi.

  • Six official languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Mandarin.

SECRETARY GENERAL

  • Chief administrative officer, apolitical, appointed by General Assembly upon Security Council's suggestion.

  • Past secretaries include Trygve Lie, Dag Hammarskjöld, Kofi Annan, Antonio Guterres.

SECURITY COUNCIL

  • Maintains international peace and security.

  • Comprised of 15 members: 5 permanent (P5: China, France, Russia, UK, USA), 10 temporary (elected for 2-year terms).

  • Has power to establish peacekeeping operations and issue binding resolutions.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  • Powers: Budget considerations, elect Security Council members, and discuss international peace.

  • Members: 193 full members; non-member observers include Holy See and Palestine.

PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS

  • Over 100,000 personnel deployed globally; largest contributors are Bangladesh, Nepal, India.

  • Types: Observation Missions, Interpositional Missions, Multidimensional Missions, Peace Enforcement Missions.

  • Guiding principles: consent, impartiality, non-use of force except for self-defense.

PEACEKEEPING AND PEACEBUILDING DEFINITIONS

  • Peacekeeping: Military/civilian deployment to prevent conflict.

  • Peacemaking: Bringing parties to agreement.

  • Peacebuilding: Strengthening peace structures.

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

  • Only UN court for disputes between nations.

  • Composed of 15 judges, elected for 9-year terms.

  • Jurisdiction requires consent from involved states.

WORKING FOR THE UN

  • Positions typically require a Master's degree.

  • Young Professionals Programme (YPP) available for underrepresented countries.

  • Benefits include salary adjustments for local cost of living, health insurance, and leave provisions.