the united nations (by krupa maria varghese)

The United Nations

Its your world

A Brief Introduction

-Formed in 1945 after the 2nd World War by 51 countries on 24th October

-193 members

-Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the UN official languages

History

- The name United Nations was coined by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and used in 1942 Declaration by United Nations during the 2nd World War

- The forerunner of the UN was the League of Nations which was established in 1919 “to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security.”

- In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter

- The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of these 50 countries and the United Nations officially came in to existence on 24 October 1945

How it works

- 6 main organs: The General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice

- The UN deals with a range of issues; sustainable development, counter terrorism, human rights, gender equality, etc.

-It has 4 main purposes

i. To keep peace throughout the world

ii. To develop friendly relations among nations

iii. To help nations work together to improve the lives of poor, to conquer hunger, disease and illiteracy, and to encourage respect for each other’s rights and freedomsiv. To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals

The General Assembly

• All member nations are represented here

• The Assembly cannot force action by any State, but its recommendations are an important indication of world opinion

• The Assembly holds its annual regular session from September to December and holds special or emergency sessions on subjects of particular concern.

• Its work is carried out by its 6 Main Committees, other subsidiary bodies and the UN Secretariat

General Assembly

Disarmament and International Security

Economic and Financial

Social, Humanitarian and Cultural

Special Political and Decolonization

Administrative and Budgetary

Legal

The Security Council

• The Council is made up of 15 members. The 5 permanent members are China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and United States

• Under the Charter, all Member States are obliged to comply with Council decisions

Subs

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Counter-Terrorism and Non-Proliferation Committees

Military Staff Committee

Sanctions Committee

Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Bodies

Peacekeeping Operations

International Tribunals

The Economic and Social Council• Under the overall authority

of the GA, it coordinates the economic and social work of the UN

• It has 54 members, elected for 3 year term

• It consults with NGOs and focuses on issues such as social development, narcotic drugs, crime prevention, etc.

The International Court of Justice• Also known as the

World Court

• Comprised of 15 judges who are elected by the UNGA and UNSC

• The Court decides disputes between countries, based on voluntary participation of the States concerned.

The Secretariat• It is headed by The

Secretary-General

• It carries out the substantive and administration work of the UN as directed by the UNGA, the UNSC and other organs

Conclusion

• The UN plays and important role to world peace, security, and health

• Platform to resolve issues peacefully

Model United Nations

What

• It is an academic simulation of the actual United Nations

• Students participate as delegates to various UN committees and try to solve real world issues using the policies and perspectives of their assigned country

• Each committee is headed by an Executive Board which comprises– The Director, the Assistant Directors and a moderator

Important Terms

• Rules of Procedure• Position Paper• Opening Speech• Resolution• Motions• Points• Having Fun

From the beginning• COUNTRY ALLOCATION-Foreign Policy

-Bloc Formation

-Solution formation

-Your country DOES NOT predetermine your performance, your research does.

• RESEARCH-The assigned topic; your country’s culture, background and any current news; your country’s position on the assigned topic

-Keep the research material in a research binder for use during the conference

-Valid sources of information

• POSITION PAPER- It is a summary of your knowledge of the topic and the position of your country on the same.

- Your position paper should cover>Background of the topic>Past international actions>Country policy and possible solutions

• RULES OF PROCEDURE- VERY IMPORTANT

- Have a thorough understanding of the RoP for a smooth conference

- Diplomatic Conduct

• OPENING SPEECH- In the GSL for about 1min to 1min 30secs

- Explain your country’s policy and important sub-topics you would like the committee to focus on

- Use your position paper as a guide

• DEBATE- Moderate Caucus and Unmoderated Caucus

- Points

- Decides the resolution

• RESOLUTION- Stick to the prescribed format

- Work in collaboration with your bloc

- DO NOT have prewritten resolutions, instead have a rough draft of solutions that you can work on along with the members of your bloc to prepare the final resolution