United Nations

UNITED
ORIGINS
NATIONS
The Atlantic Charter of 1941 was singed between Winston
Churchill of Britain and Roosevelt of the USA laying down
aims if post-war period.
The UN declaration was signed in January 1942. This confirmed
the agreements of the Atlantic Charter.
Russia, Britain and USA signed the Moscow Declaration in
1943. They agreed to set up an organisation that would
maintain peace after the war.
In 1944, the structure of the UN was drawn in the USA.
Fifty-one countries held the San Francisco Conference in 1945 to
finalize the UN Charter proposed by Russia, China, USA and
Britain. The UN headquarters were set up in New York, USA.
AIMS OF THE UNITED NATIONS
 To maintain international peace and security.
This would be achieved through taking
military action and/or economic sanctions.
 To promote economic and social development
through financial institutions and UN agencies.
 To uphold and promote fundamental human
rights.
STRUCTURE OF THE UN
MAIN ORGANS OF THE UN AND FUNCTIONS
1. The General Assembly: composed of all members of the UN with each member having one
vote.
 -debates and makes proposals about international problems concerning peace and
cooperation.
 -it elects the non-permanent members of the Security Council.
 -works on the budget of the UN.
 -supervises the Minor organs of the UN.

2. The Security Council made up of USA, China, Britain, France and USSR (Russia) as
permanent members. It’s also made up of non-permanent members selected by the Assembly
for two year term.
 -to maintain international peace and security.
 -it recommends military and economic sanctions on the aggressors.
 -each permanent member has the power to reject a decision known as the Power of Veto.

3 The International Court of Justice with the headquarters at the Hague in Holland. It is made
up of 15 judges elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council for three years.
 It judges cases involving boarder disputes between countries.

4. The Secretariat which is the administrative body of the UN headed by
the Secretary General appointed by The Assembly to serve five years.
 Does administrative work for the UN including preparing minutes,
filing and translations.
 The Secretary General consults the Security Council on important
matters.
5. The Economic and Social Council made up of fifty-four countries

serving for three years.
 It coordinates economic and social work of the UN and its agencies.
 It initiates development, world trade, industrialization, human
rights, social welfare, prevention of crime and economic problem.
THE UN SPECIALISED AGENCIES OR MINOR ORGANS
 The Human Rights Commission

 It promotes the rights of people across the world with the belief that every
person should have basic human rights. These include; the right to
EDUCATION, the right to LIFE, the right to HEALTH and SHELTER.
 International Labour Organization which promotes workers’ rights and

investigates working conditions across the world. They work with trade
unions worldwide.
 World Health Organization (WHO) which advices countries on public

health. It also helps to prevent or fight pandemics such as malaria,
tuberculosis, small pox, ebola and lately, COVID 19.
 The International Monetary Fund which provides short-term loans to

countries facing financial difficulties.
 The World Bank is responsible for providing countries with long-term loans
for development projects such as building dams and roads.
SUCCESSES OF THE UN FROM 1945 TO 1965
 The UN resolved the conflict in Palestine in 1947. The dispute the Jews and
Arabs was brought before the UN. After an investigation the UN decided to
divide the Palestine, setting up the state of Israel. Although the decision was
not accepted by majority of the Arabs who remained in Palestine, the UN
succeeded in arranging ceasefires between the two countries.
 The Korean War 1950-1953
 North Korea which was a communist state attacked/invaded South Korea in
1950. The Security Council passed a resolution condemning North Korea.
The council also called on 16 members to send armies to help South Korea
and guard boarders between the two countries. Through this action war
between the countries was prevented.
 Kashmir Crisis of 1965

 Kashmir was a large province between India and Pakistan, claimed by the
two countries. India occupied the southern part of Kashmir while Pakistan
occupied the north. Pakistan invaded the Indian side and a short war started.
The UN called for a ceasefire, the two countries agreed and peace was
restored.
RECENT SUCCESS OF THE UN
 The UN was able to bring independence to Namibia when the
apartheid South Africa failed to grant Namibia independence. The UN
imposed economic sanctions on South Africa and later Namibia
gained independence in 1990.
 The UN was also in the Gulf War of 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait
which was rich in oil production. Iraq was defeated by the UN peace-
keeping force and forced to withdraw from Kuwait. After the war
permanent members of the Security Council imposed economic and
military sanctions on Iraq.
 The UN was successful in ending an eight year war between Iran and
Iraq. The UN was able to negotiate a ceasefire between the two
countries and war ended.
 The UN was able to restore law and order during the civil war in
Mozambique. After gaining independence from Portugal in 1975, the
two parties of FRELIMO and RENAMO went to war. With the help of
the UN, the two parties signed a ceasefire in 1992. Elections were held
peacefully in 1994.
FAILURES OF THE UN
 The 1965 Hungarian Uprising; Hungary wanted independence
from Russia. Instead Russia sent their army to Hungary to crush
the revolt. When Hungary appealed to the UN for help, the
Security Council passed a resolution ordering Russian army to
withdraw from Hungary. Russia used the veto power to reject
the UN resolution. No progress was made and this showed that
the UN was ineffective when dealing with some of the
permanent members of the Security Council.
 In 1968, Czechoslovakia wanted independence from the USSR
block and the Eastern Europe block known as the Warsaw Pact.
Russia sent troops to Czechoslovakia to enforce obedience. The
Security Council condemned Russia. Russia vetoed the motion
claiming Czechoslovakia had asked for their intervention. Russia
refused to cooperate making it difficult for the UN to solve the
issue.
 The UN also failed during the Rwanda Civil
war. Two ethnic groups of the Hutu and the
Tutsi fought between 1993 and 1996 where over
5 000 people were killed. Thousands were
displaced as the Hutu killed thousands of
minority Tutsi. The UN only intervened when
the damage was already done.
 The UN failed to prevent a civil war in Bosnia
where thousands of Serbs were killed and
misplaced. The UN only acted when the damage
was already done marking yet another failure.
WHY THE UN HAD SOME SUCCESSES FROM 1945 TO
1965
 During this period the UN had Quick Response to issues. The Security
Council made sure that countries released their armies well on time to fight the
aggressors. For example; there was quick response during the Gulf War
between Iraq and Kuwait. The other example was the quick response during
the Korean War.
 The USA joined the UN and became a permanent member of the Security
Council. The presence of the USA boosted the UN as the USA had the most
powerful economy and military. The USA helped the UN by releasing her
troops when military intervention was needed.
 The Power of the Secretary General gave the UN an advantage. The
increased prestige of the Secretary General gave him power to recommend the
Security Council to take action to preserve peace.
 The UN Security Council had been able to impose Economic and Military
sanctions effectively without the power of veto which hindered action
during the league. The UN was able to impose military and economic sanction
on Iraq when they invaded Kuwait.
 Under the UN, the General Assembly had the power to act when the Security
Council could not. Unlike the league where the assembly was toothless, the
UN Assembly needed two thirds majority to act when the Security Council
could not making the UN more effective.
PROBLEMS FACED BY THE UN
SINCE 1945
 The UN Lacks a Permanent Army. The UN relies on member states to
provide troops to enforce its decisions. This is ineffective because
powerful countries choose self-interest first. That is, countries would
ignore the UN if they feel their interests are threatened and refuse to
release their armies.
 There is a problem concerning ‘When the UN Should Be Involved
during the dispute.’ Sometimes it takes too to react and the problem
becomes too difficult to solve. The UN always faces accusation of taking
sides in disputes and failing to act firmly and fairly. The example of
taking too long is that of the Vietnam war where the UN only acted
after 8 years of war.
 Lack of Funds also make it difficult for the UN to be effective. The
UN needs large sums of money for its operation. It depends on
contributions from member states who contribute according to their
wealth. Most of the UN members are poor states who contribute very
little or sometimes do not even contribute because of economic
problems. Lack of funds prevents the UN from carrying out its
 The Power of Veto in the Security Council which gives permanent
members the power to reject motions is also a big problem. This is
because sometimes member states use veto power to safeguard their
own interest making it very difficult for the UN to deal with its
powerful members. An example of this is the Hungarian Uprising of
1956 where Russia rejected the UN resolution.
 After WW2 the USA and Russia emerged as powerful countries who
attacked each other with propaganda, economic measures and
ideologies. The USA was Capitalist and had her block of supporters
while the Communist USSR also had her own block. This divided the
UN members into two blocks during this period known as the Cold
War. There was mistrust between USSR and USA which extended to
their blocs. The mistrust between the two blocs made it very difficult
for the UN to make decisions as neither bloc supported the other.
This was known as Power Bloc Politics and it paralysed the UN in most
cases.

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UNITED

5. The Economic and Social Council made up of fifty-four countries

 The Human Rights Commission

 International Labour Organization which promotes workers’ rights and

 World Health Organization (WHO) which advices countries on public

 The International Monetary Fund which provides short-term loans to

 Kashmir Crisis of 1965

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