United Nations

Security Council

One of the major organs of the United Nations charged with the responsibility for peace and security issues; includes five permanent members with veto power and ten nonpermanent members chosen from the General Assembly

General assembly

One of the major organs of the United Nations; generally addresses issues other than those of peace and security; each member state has one vote; operates with six functional committees composed of all member states

International atomic energy agency,

). A UN agency created in 1946 to limit the use of nuclear technology to peaceful purposes. The purpose of the IAEA today is to ensure compliance with the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) to ensure that signatories are not using nuclear technology to develop nuclear weapons. The IAEA does this through regular on-site inspections of nuclear facilities inside all countries that have joined the NPT.

ECOSOC UN

- Economic and social council - Established because many believed that the general assembly was too widely to help smaller nations - All members are elected 2/3 vote for 3 year terms - Coordinates 13 agencies - Consultative role in a number of other UN bodies

UN structure

1) general assembly: main deliberative body with a one-state/one-vote system 2)security council: 5 permanent members plus 10 nonpermanent members elected by general assembly for two-year terms 3) economic and social council: 54 members elected by general assembly for 3-year terms to address economic development and human rights issues 4) trusteeship council: supervises administration of territories that haven't achieved self-rule and suspended in 1994 5) international court of justice: 15 independent judges elected for 9-year terms by general assembly and security council with jurisdiction based on consent of disputants 6) secretariat: led by secretary-general that performs administrative and secretarial functions

UN secretary general

1. (Bang Ki-Moon) identifies key challenges and provides leadership for solving world problems 2- calls for cooperation between countries against global terrorism - priorities: mobilize world leaders around a set of new global challenges, from climate change and economic upheaval to pandemics and increasing pressures involving food, energy and water - disarmament, women power

Millennium Development Goals

Eight international development goals that 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. They include reducing extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS, and developing a global partnership for development.

International court of justice

Headquartered at the Hague, the Court started work in April of 1946. The Court usually hears only cases brought before it by any of the 189 U.N. Member States, but has made several concessions over the years.

United Nations

International organization founded in 1945 to promote world peace and cooperation. It replaced the League of Nations.

UN charter

The founding document of the United Nations; it is based on the principles that states are equal, have sovereignty over their own affairs, enjoy independence and territorial integrity, and must fulfill international obligations. The Charter also lays out the structure and methods of the UN.

Veto power UN

The right of the five permanent members of the Security Council (United States, Russia, China, France, and Great Britain) to forbid any action by the United Nations

World health organization,

a United Nations agency to coordinate international health activities and to help governments improve health services

International labour organization

a tripartite (government, management, and labour) agency of the United Nations with the mandate to establish and enforce global labour standards

UN NGOs

independent voluntary association of people acting together on a continuous basis for some common purpose other than achieving govt office, making money, or illegal activity

UN peacekeeping operations

• A way to limit the scope of conflict and prevent it from escalating • Traditional: • Multilateral institutions such as the UN seek to contain conflicts between 2 states through third-party military force • Complex: • Response by a third party to civil wars and ethno nationalist conflicts within a state, there may not have been a request for help, PKO takes place with military and nonmilitary functions