Model UN test #1

imperialism

(mostly) European countries taking over distant territorys, usually by force, and forcing inhabitants to be members of the empire

veto power

enabling them to prevent the adoption of any resolution, regardless of the level of international support for the draft

international system

how all states engage with each other, informal rules and formal rules about how to interact

core contributions

member states pay "dues" to the UN

colonialism

people from the home ("mother") country settling amongst the indigenous peoples whose territories have been annexed

donor contributions

special donations that are put into trust funds for special issues

Secretariat

- "unwritten rule" that the Secretary General should rotate among the regions of the world - traditionally, the five permanent Security Council members are excluded from offering candidates

ICJ

- 15 judges - Elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council - Hold nine-year terms - UN Charter lists methods for solving disputes between States - Judicial settlement is one of them

Security Council

- 15 members - 5 permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, UK, and USA - All permanent members get veto power - 10 non-permanent members - 2 year terms - Elected by the General Assembly - Countries whose interests are being discussed, but aren't members of the Security Council, may participate in Security Council discussions but don't get a vote

Trusteeship Council

- 5 permanent members of the Security Council - formed in 1945 to oversee decolonization of mandate territories held by "in trust" by League of Nations - 11 territories total - formally suspended operations in 1994 with the independence of Palau, the last remaining United Nations Trust Territory - no longer meets annually, only meets occasionally as required

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

- 54 members, elected by the General Assembly - serve three-year terms - Coordinates UN agencies concerned with social, economic and humanitarian issues - has been criticized as being unfocussed - i.e. endless debate with no action - created to be a deliberative rather than operational body - helps other parts of the UN to examine and shape their programs

resolution

- A United Nations resolution (UN resolution) is a formal text adopted by a United Nations (UN) body. Although any UN body can issue resolutions, in practice most resolutions are issued by the Security Council or the General Assembly. - Outlines a plan of action that should be undertaken - 2/3 majority needed to pass a resolution

General Assembly

- All UN members have representatives on the General Assembly - Currently 193 Member States - Meet once per year - Each member country gets one vote on proposed resolutions, which are essential recommendations put forward to solve problems

Cold War and the UN

- Cold War: an ongoing series of conflicts and tensions between the US and its allies, and the USSR and its allies/satellite states - Lasted from late 1940s until the breakup of the USSR in 1991 - Confrontations between US and USSR defined much of the UN relationships, discussions, debates, programs, activities - UN was seen as a vehicle for US interests

sanction

- In international relations, a sanction is an action designed to control the conduct of a group or country. They usually take the form of a threat of possible punitive action agains a specific nation for conduct viewed as dangerous. It is a restriction. - UN sanctions are binding for all members. - Sanctions are usually economic in nature, but can be physical

UN history - purpose of UN

- Resolve dispute by peaceful means - Devising cooperative solutions to economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems - Encourage behavior that conforms with principles of justice and international law

League of Nations achievements

- Started development initiatives - Examples: digging fresh water wells health care and disease prevention eliminating child slave labour women's status

UN history - general history

- Two founding documents: UN Charter (1945) Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted in 1948) - UN Charter was signed at the San Francisco Conference, and the UN officially came into existence on Oct. 24, 1945 - Now, the UN is Based in New York City, USA - UN headquarters are considered international territory - 69 peacekeeping operations since 1945

UN history - founding members

- USA and its WWII allies (Britain, USSR, China) founded an international body - 51 original members - Only the countries that had declared war on Germany and Japan by March 1945 were invited to take part in the San Francisco Conference

League of Nations weaknesses

- United States didn't join - Lack of military force - Germany wasn't allowed -> not considered a member of the international community as punishment for starting WWII - Russia not allowed to join -> Communist - Strongest nations on the League were Britain and France - But they were financially and militarily depleted and not eager to get involved in other country's problems

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

- arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled - 30 articles

funding

- come from core contributions and donor contributions - countries pay dues based on their proportion of the world economy

UN Peacekeeping

- currently there are 16 UN peacekeeping missions - helps countries torn by conflict create conditions for lasting peace

nations/nationalism

- people feel united by a common past, languages, cultural customs, which motivates them to act politically - nationalism has been used as a justification for many actions - has to do with identity

NSGTs

- territories whose peoples have not yet attained a full measure of self-government - 17 in total (e.g. French Polynesia, British Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Turks and Caicos, Gibraltar)

sovereignty

- that a country can act according to its own interests within its own territory - BUT, sovereignty is constrained by laws, policies, and treaties - Protects small countries especially

UN Charter

- the foundational treaty of the UN - The Charter consists of a preamble and a series of articles grouped into chapters

League of Nations purpose

- to ensure war never broke out again - Create an international organization that would maintain world peace and resolve international disputes when they occurred - A group of countries could pressure transgressors more effectively than individual countries

Diplomacy

A process of negotiation and communication between states that seeks to resolve conflict, an instrument of foreign policy.

issues the UN addresses today

Most well known for: peacekeeping, peace-building, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance

policy

a course or principle of action proposed and adopted by a government

treaty

agreements between countries that are formally ratified

embargo

an order forbidding the trade in or movement of commercial goods; any restraint or hindrance on a country

international community

the countries of the world considered collectively, the global community

decolonization

the process of transitioning from being a colony to being an independent country

self-determination

the right of a people to determine their own destiny (In particular, the principle allows a people to choose its own political status and to determine its own form of economic, cultural and social development)

security

the state of being free from danger or threat; measures taken by countries/international organizations to ensure mutual survival and safety

international relations

the study of relationships between countries, the roles of sovereign states, inter-governmental organizations and multinational corporation. Analysis of foreign policy.