United Nation- Important Concept for UPPCS J
- shrey singh
- Jan 15, 2020
- 7 min read
IMPORTANT PROVISIONS OF THE UN CHARTER AT A GLANCE
Preamble
Purposes and Principles
Membership
Organs
The General Assembly
The Security Council
United Nation and its organ
United Nation
a.
Headquarter
Facts:
24th October is celebrated as UN Day.
League of Nation is also known as ‘Child of War’.
New York, USA
b.
Secretary
Present: Antonio Guterres(2017-till date)(Portugal)
Preceded by: Ban Ki Moon (2012-2016)
1st head: Gladwyn Jebb as acting Secretary-General (24 October 1945) Trygve Lie as first Secretary-General (2 February 1946)
c.
Member Countries
193 countries
Latest Member: South Sudan(2011)
Non-member permanent observer states: Holy See and the State of Palestine
d.
History
It is founded in 1945 after the World War II.
UN Charter was signed in San Francisco on June 26, 1945 and came into existence on October 24, 1945 after 51 countries has signed the charter.
Its predecessor was the League of Nations created by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 and disbanded in the year 1946.
Official Languages – 6 languages: Arabic, English, French, Chinese, Spanish, Russian.
e.
Organs
There are six main organs of the United Nations—
The General Assembly,
The Security Council,
The Trusteeship Council,
The Economic And Social Council,
The International Court Of Justice, and
The Secretariat.
f.
India and UN
India was among the original members of the United Nations that signed the Declaration by United Nations at Washington, D.C. on 1944 October and also participated in the United Nations Conference on International Organisation at San Francisco from 25 April to 26 June 1945.
As a founding member of the United Nations, India supports the purposes and principles of the UN and has made significant contributions in implementing the those principles of the Charter, and the evolution of the UN’s specialised programmes by its agencies.
UN General Assembly
a.
Member Countries
All member countries of UN
b.
Headquarter
New York City
c.
Function
According to the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly may:
Consider and approve the United Nations budget and establish the financial assessments of Member States;
Elect the non-permanent members of the Security Council and the members of other United Nations councils and organs and, on the recommendation of the Security Council, appoint the Secretary-General;
Consider and make recommendations on the general principles of cooperation for maintaining international peace and security, including disarmament;
Discuss any question relating to international peace and security and, except where a dispute or situation is currently being discussed by the Security Council, make recommendations on it;
Discuss, with the same exception, and make recommendations on any questions within the scope of the Charter or affecting the powers and functions of any organ of the United Nations;
Initiate studies and make recommendations to promote international political cooperation, the development and codification of international law, the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and international collaboration in the economic, social, humanitarian, cultural, educational and health fields;
Make recommendations for the peaceful settlement of any situation that might impair friendly relations among countries;
Consider reports from the Security Council and other United Nations organs.
The Assembly may also take action in cases of a threat to the peace, breach of peace or act of aggression, when the Security Council has failed to act owing to the negative vote of a permanent member. In such instances, according to its “Uniting for peace” resolution of 3 November 1950, the Assembly may consider the matter immediately and recommend to its Members collective measures to maintain or restore international peace and security[i].
d.
India and General Assembly
In 1953, the chief delegate of India at the time, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was elected the first woman President of the UN General Assembly.
e.
Current Information
72nd Regular Session of General Assembly:
· 12 September 2017 at UN Headquarter.
· Theme:‘Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet’.
· President: Miroslav Lajčák (Slovak diplomat and the Minister of Foreign Affairs)
UN Security Council
a.
Member Countries
15 members:
5 Permanent members– US, UK, Russia, France and China
10 non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for 2-year terms (with end of term date):
Bolivia (2018)
Côte d’Ivoire (2019)
Equatorial Guinea (2019)
Ethiopia (2018)
Kazakhstan (2018)
Kuwait (2019)
Netherlands (2018)*
Peru (2019)
Poland (2019)
Sweden (2018)
*During the 2016 Security Council elections, Italy and the Netherlands agreed to split a two-year term, in which Italy would serve from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017 and the Netherlands would subsequently serve from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018
Currently, India is neither permanent nor non-permanent member of UNSC
b.
Election of Non- Permanent Member
In accordance with Article 23 of the UN Charter, the Assembly decided that the non-permanent members of the Council should be elected according to the following pattern:
Five from African and Asian State
One from Eastern European States;
Two from Latin American States;
Two from Western European and other States.
c.
Headquarter
New York City.
d.
Function
The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security according to the UN Charter.
It is for the Security Council to determine when and where a UN Peacekeeping operation should be deployed.
The Security Council responds to crises around the world on a case-by-case basis and it has a range of options at its disposal. It takes many different factors into account when considering the establishment of new peacekeeping operation, including:
Whether there is a ceasefire in place and the parties have committed themselves to a peace process intended to reach a political settlement;
Whether a clear political goal exists and whether it can be reflected in the mandate;
Whether a precise mandate for a UN operation can be formulated;
Whether the safety and security of UN personnel can be reasonably ensured, including in particular whether reasonable guarantees can be obtained from the main parties or factions regarding the safety and security of UN personnel[ii].
The Security Council establishes a peacekeeping operation by adopting a Security Council resolution. The resolution sets out that mission’s mandate and size[iii].
The Security Council monitors the work of UN Peacekeeping operations on an regular basis by periodic reports from the Secretary-General and by holding dedicated sessions to discuss the work of specific operations.
The Security Council can vote to extend, amend or end mission mandates as it deems appropriate[iv].
Under Article 25 of the Charter, all UN members agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council. While other organs of the UN make recommendations to Member States, the Council alone has the power to take decisions which Member States are obligated to implement[v].
e.
India and Security Council
India has already been elected seven times to the UN Security Council along with Colombia and Pakistan. Only 3 countries have served longer period i.e. Japan, Brazil, and Argentina.
India which has been seeking a permanent seat in the UN Security.
In September 2017, U.S. Representatives Ami Bera and Frank Pallone introduced a resolution (H.Res.535) in the US House of Representatives (115th United States Congress), seeking support for India for a permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council[vi].
Apart from this, India has also demanded transparency in the UNSC.
UN Economic and Social Council
a.
Member Countries
54 members, which are elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term and Seats in the council.
Are allocated based on geographical representation.
b.
Head
Inga Rhonda King (26th July 2018-till date)
c.
Headquarter
New York City
d.
Function
ECOSOC engages a wide variety of stakeholders policymakers, parliamentarians, academics, major groups, foundations, business sector representatives and 3,200+ registered non-governmental organisations – in a productive dialogue on sustainable development through a programmatic cycle of meetings. The work of the Council is guided by an issue-based approach, and there is an annual theme that accompanies each programmatic cycle, ensuring a sustained and focused discussion among multiple stakeholders[vii].
e.
India and ECOSOC
Recently, India was re-elected to ECOSOC for 3 years term. It has also been re-elected to the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) which is a subsidiary body of the ECOSOC and the UN General Assembly for the purpose of planning, programming and coordination.
Secretariat
a.
Secretary General
Present: Antonio Guterres(2017-till date)(Portugal)
Preceded by: Ban Ki Moon (2012-2016)
1st head: Gladwyn Jebb (1945-1946)
b.
Function
The Secretariat which is one of the main organs of the UN is organized along departmental lines and each departments having a distinct area of actions and responsibilities. Departments coordinate with each other to ensure proper day-to-day functioning of Organisation in offices and duty stations across the world. As the head of the United Nations Secretariat is the Secretary-General.
International Court of Justice
UN Charter Enumerates Judicial Settlement As One Of The Means For The Pacific Settlement Of International Disputes (Art. 33). ICJ Is A Principal Judicial Organ Of The UN And Is Based On The Statute Of The Permanent Court Of International Justice. This Clarifies That ICJ Succeeds The PCIJ Which Was Established Under The Covenant Of The League Of Nations. Article 38(1) of the statutes of ICJ provides a reflection of the sources of international law, Article 38(1)(a-c),that is, conventions or treaties ,custom and general principles are formal sources whereas Article 38(1)(d) that is, judicial decisions and juristic teachings are ‘material sources’.
a.
No. of Judges
15 judges appointed by the General assembly with the term of 9 years. No two judges may be nationals of the same state.
b.
President
Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (2018-present)
Preceded by– Ronny Abraham(2015-2018)
c.
Headquarter
The Peace Palace at Hague, in the Netherlands.
d.
Function
The Court has two functions which is to:
settle legal disputes submitted by States in accordance with international law, and
give advisory opinions pertaining to legal questions referred to it by UN organs or it’s specialized agencies.
e.
Indian Judges at ICJ
Sir Benegal Rau,J. (1952-1953)
Nagendra Singh,J. (1973-1988 )
R. S. Pathak,J. (1989-1981)
Dalveer Bhandari,J. (2012-till date)
The Trusteeship Council
a.
Status
The Trusteeship Council has suspended its operations on 1 November 1994 a month after the independence of Palau which was the last remaining trust territory of UN. By a resolution adopted on 25 May 1994, the Council amended its rules of procedure and dropped the obligation to meet annually and agreed to meet on occasion as required by
(a) its decision
(b) the decision of its President, or
(c) at the request of a majority of its members or
(d) at the request of General Assembly or Security Council.
b.
Background
It was established to provide international supervision of 11 Trust Territories so as to ensure that proper steps were taken to prepare those Territories for self governance and independence.
The Trusteeship Council consists of the five permanent members of the Security Council — China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States.
c.
Function
According to the UN Charter, the Trusteeship Council is authorized to examine, discuss and debate on the reports from the Administering Authority on the political, economic, social and educational advancement of the peoples of Trust Territories and as per the consultation with the Administering Authority it will examine petitions from Trust Territories and undertake periodic and other special missions to those territories.
[i] “UN General Assembly – Functions and Powers of the General Assembly.” http://www.un.rg, http://www.un.org/ga/about/background.shtml. Accessed 19 July. 2018.
[ii] infra
[iii] infra
[iv] infra
[v] “Role of the Security Council.” peacekeeping.un.org, 6 Aug. 2010, https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/role-of-security-council. Accessed 19 July. 2018.
[vi] “Resolution to Support Indias UNSC Membership Introduced in US House of Representatives.” http://www.hindustantimes.com, 27 Sept. 2017, https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/resolution-to-support-india-s-unsc-membership-introduced-in-us-house-of-representatives/story-feAl3GD79xtvtO1nvAy6NN.html. Accessed 19 July. 2018.
[vii] “UN Economic and Social Council.” http://www.un.org, http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/about/. Accessed 20 July. 2018.
Comments