UN

What is the UN? The UN is an organization that promotes peace between countries.

The History of the UN The United Nations began as the League of Nations. It was started by US President Woodrow Wilson at the end of WWI in order to prevent another World War.

Wilson’s Plan President Wilson thought that if nations worked together they could maintain peace. League of Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Problems with the League of Nations… 1. The League required a unanimous vote for decisions to be made. Have you ever tried to get more than two people to agree on where to go for dinner, let alone really important stuff!!!!!

Problems with the League of Nations… 2. Not every country was a member of the League of Nations

Problems with the League of Nations… Woodrow Wilson could not get the congress to agree to join the League of Nations, so the US was not a part of the League even though it was President Wilson’s idea.

Problems with the League of Nations… There was no army to enforce decisions.

What Happened?

WWII

The Birth of the UN The UN started after WWII. It wanted to fix the problems with the League of Nations to prevent a 3rd World War.

UN Structure

General Assembly

The General Assembly The General Assembly makes laws. Every member has a vote in the General Assembly. Every country has a representative. They sit in alphabetical order.

The General Assembly 2 The General Assembly approves a budget for the UN. They elect 10 non-permanent members to the Security Council. They elect members to the Economic and Social Council. They elect the judges on the International Court of Justice. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Committees and Commissions There are six main committees and seven commissions that work on a variety of issues. For example these groups discuss international trade, economics, and peace.

Security Council The Security Council tries to maintain peace. There are 5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent members. The 5 permanent members are China, France, Russia, UK, and the US (victors of WWII/ nuclear weapons holders) The five permanent members have veto power.

Security Council 2 The Security Council can do several things to prevent war. Provide a place for the countries to discuss their problems. Place economic sanctions on countries. Send the country to the International Court of Justice. Military force can be used to keep or restore peace.

Criticisms of the Security Council It is difficult to get the 5 permanent members to agree on anything. Not all countries are members.

Secretariat The Secretariat is headed by the UN Secretary General. The UN Secretary General appoints a staff. That staff researches and provides information to the Security Council, Economic and Social Council, and other UN bodies.

Economic and Social Councils 54 members 3 year terms President serves 1 year term Members meet with UN Agencies like the IMF and World Bank

International Court of Justice The ICJ is located in the Hague (a city in the Netherlands). The building where the ICJ meets is the Peace Palace. The ICJ settles disputes within countries. They often hear cases involving war crimes. 15 judges- 9 year terms- up to 3 terms