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Formation and Purpose
Origins: In 1945, representatives from the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and China discussed forming an international organization to prevent conflicts from escalating into wars, leading to the creation of the United Nations (UN) on October 24, 1945.
Membership: Initially, there were 51 member states, which grew to 193 by 2019.
League of Nations vs. United Nations
League of Nations: Established in 1920 after World War I to resolve international disputes but failed to prevent World War II and was disbanded.
United Nations: Created to be more effective, with all major powers as members to ensure its success.
Main Bodies of the United Nations
General Assembly:
Includes all member states.
Decides on peace, security, new member admissions, and budget issues with a two-thirds majority vote.
Security Council:
Acts on General Assembly issues, can use military force, and includes five permanent members (US, France, Great Britain, Russia, China) with veto power and ten rotating members.
Secretariat:
Administrative arm led by the Secretary-General, approved by all permanent Security Council members, with staff loyal to the UN.
International Court of Justice:
Settles international law disputes brought by countries, though it cannot enforce decisions directly.
Economic and Social Council:
Handles economic, social, humanitarian, and cultural activities, promoting green energy and raising wages in poorer countries.
Trusteeship Council:
Supervised trust territories to help them become self-governing and independent, with operations suspended after Palau's independence in 1994.
Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): Established basic rights and freedoms, such as freedom from slavery, equality before the law, and rights to property, thought, and expression.
UN Investigations: The UN investigates human rights abuses, including genocide and war crimes.
Peacekeeping
Prevention and Diplomacy: Sends envoys to resolve problems peacefully and sends peacekeeping forces to trouble spots.
Expansion in the 1990s: Increased peacekeeping missions from 5 in 1988 to 28 in 1993, with contributions from various countries.
Challenges: Slow response and high expectations for peacekeeping missions have been issues.
Other UN Priorities
Protecting Refugees: Provides food, medicine, and shelter through agencies like UNHCR.
Feeding the Hungry: World Food Program (WFP) has fed over 1.7 billion people since 1962.
Education, Science, and Culture: UNESCO promotes literacy, free education, and protects cultural sites.
Health and Children: WHO improves global health, while UNICEF aids children, especially in developing countries.
Human Rights Watch (HRW): Monitors human rights abuses and advocates for prevention policies.
Global Goals
Sustainable Development Goals (2015): Set 17 goals to achieve by 2030, including ending hunger and poverty, achieving gender equality, and combating climate change.
International Financial NGOs
World Bank: Provides loans for poverty reduction and development, sometimes criticized for environmental and cultural impact.
International Monetary Fund (IMF): Promotes stable currency exchange rates and economic advice, but criticized for serving wealthier nations' interests.
Pathways for Peace (2018): A collaborative report by the World Bank and IMF on preventing violent conflicts.
NGOs Separate from the UN
International Peace Bureau: Founded in 1891, focuses on nuclear disarmament and reducing military spending, with 300 member organizations in 70 countries by 2019.
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