The United Nations

1. The United Nations WWII to the present

2. The founding of the UN • World War II would see nearly 100 million people killed or injured on multiple continents between 1939-1945. • The Allies began discussing a post war organization to prevent future world wars at various conferences held throughout WWII: Teheran (1943), Dumbarton Oaks (1944), and Yalta (February 1945) • Following the surrender of Germany, 51 countriesmet in San Francisco in June 1945 to approve the UN charter. Truman looks on as Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., signs the United Nations Charter at San Francisco in 1945.

3. The UN Charter • Maintain international peace & security • Promote human rights • Establish conditions under which justice and respect for treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained • Promote social progress and better standards of living • Encourage tolerance among nations so they may live together in peace with one another as good neighbors

4. The UN building in NYC

6. The General Assembly • The General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the UN and is composed of representatives of all 193 Member States. The work of the United Nations year-round derives largely from the mandates given by the General Assembly. • Kosovo, Taiwan, and the Vatican City are the only non-member nations in the world

7. Example: Korean War The Security Council • Under the Charter, the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members, and each Member has one vote. Under the Charter, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions. • The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peaceand security.

8. The Security Council • The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security. • The Security Council on 5/24 condemned “in the strongest terms” the two terrorist attacks that occurred on Thursday in Niger, and underlined the need to bring the perpetrators to justice.

9. 5 Permanent members on the UN Security Council • Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States, China, and France • Each of these nations has a “superpower veto”

10. Non-permanent members • Ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly (with end of term date): • Argentina (2014) • Azerbaijan (2013) • Australia (2014) • Guatemala (2013) • Luxemburg (2014) • Morocco (2013) • Pakistan (2013) • Republic of Korea (2014) • Rwanda (2014) • Togo (2013)

11. The General Assembly elects the non-permanent members with a 2/3 majority vote

12. The Secretariat • The Secretariat is the administrative center of UN operations, and is headed by the Secretary-General, who is the director of the United Nations. • Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations. Before becoming Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations.

13. Secretary General • “There are less than 1,000 days to go before the end of 2015. Less than 1,000 days of action. We must focus on where we are falling short and accelerate momentum.”—Ban Ki-Moon

14. Ban Ki-Moon and Peace • May 23, 2013 • UN chief Ban Ki-moon has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo accompanied by World Bank head Jim Yong Kim. • Mr. Ban told the BBC that the introduction of a 3,000-strong intervention brigade to support the UN peacekeeping mission will help to protect the civilian population. • When asked if the new force would fight, he replied they were "mandated to enforce peace".

15. Declaration of Human Rights • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never again to allow atrocities like those of that conflict happen again. World leaders decided to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere.

16. Declaration of Human Rights Article 1. • All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Article 2. • Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind Article 3. • Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Article 4. • No one shall be held in slavery or servitude Article 5. • No one shall be subjected to torture Eleanor Roosevelt Played a key role in developing the universal declaration of human rights