The United Nations

1. The United Nations • Why was the UN launched, what are the key principles informing the UN? • How does it work? • The situation confronting the UN at the end of the Cold War; The reasons for its re-emergence as a central actor and the high expectations

2. The inspiration for the UN • The League of Nations as a forerunner to the UN • A reaction to power politics (national interests narrowly defined and callous foreign policies), which would prevent another world war • The world was under-institutionalised • International politics was immoral in many respects (Totalitarian regimes, colonialism, one party states)

3. The early days • Security and Peace the most important objectives- inspired by fresh memories of the Second World War , • conflict resolution across the globe. • The UN Charter was negotiated and signed in San Francisco in 1945, 850 delegates from 50 different countries were present. (today: 192) • The US was interested in social and economic issues • The USSR focused on security related issues • Australia wanted to cap the veto right of the security council

4. The UN Charter - PREAMBLE(opening) • WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS ARE DETERMINED • to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, • to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of menand women and of nations large and small, • to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, • to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom

5. Purposes and principles • Summary of purposes: peace and security, removal of common threats, friendly relations between states • Through a set of key principles; • Sovereign equality of all members • Fulfilment of all obligations emerging from the charter • Settlement of international disputes through peaceful means • Prohibition of the threat or use of force • Duty to assist the UN in its actions • Non-intervention in the domestic affairs/jurisdiction of member states

6. The system of the UN – the Assembly • All 192 countries represented • All have a vote in the assembly regardless of their size, strength or population (note that the EU is different) • Can agree on recommendations in the shape of resolutions that are then put forward to the Security Council • Is the Assembly a discussion forum with some ideational influence or a real assembly of sovereign states, where lies the power?

7. 5 UN Committees, the General Assembly • Weapons, control and security • Economic and social affairs; development assistance • Human rights, humanitarian and cultural issues • Peacekeeping, enforcement, international conflicts • Budget and administration • Legal issues and international law

8. The Security Council • At the centre of debates on the UN • criticised for not being able to implement the goals laid down in the UN charter, • and not being representative of the diversity of the member states (issues of legitimacy) • The Security Council is composed by 15 member states , the five permanent ones are France, US, China, Russia and the UK. Each member in the security council has one vote

9. The Secretariat • About 8900 employed in the secretariat , led by the general secretary , New York, Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna • The general secretary heads the secretariat but also has an important political role • Franklin Roosevelt imagined the post of general secretary as a ‘world moderator’

10. General Secretaries • Trygve LieNorway 2 February 1946 10 November 1952 • Dag HammarskjöldSweden 10 April 1953 18 September 1961 • U ThantBurma 30 November 1961 1 January 1972 Asia • 4 Kurt WaldheimAustria 1 January 1972 1 January 1982 • 5 Javier Pérez de CuéllarPeru 1 January 1982 1 January 1992 South America • 6 Boutros Boutros-GhaliEgypt 1 January 1992 1 January 1997 Africa • 7 Kofi AnnanGhana 1 January 1997 1 January 2007 • 8 Ban Ki-moonSouth Korea 1 January 2007 Incumbent

11. Candidates for the US General Secretary Job in 2007 • Prince Zied Hussein of Jordan • South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon , got the top job • UN Undersecretary General for Public Affairs Shashi Tharoor (India) • Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister (prior to military coup) Surakiart Sahirathai, • Sirilankan Jayantha Dhanapala, a former UN disarmament chief • Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga (would have been the first woman Secretary General)

12. General SecretaryBan Ki-moon • As Secretary-General, I resolve to: • Lead by example; • Seek excellence with humility; • Set the highest ethical standard; • Pursue dialogue and engagement; • Play the role of harmonizer and bridge-builder; • Make transparency and accountability the cornerstone of my tenure; • Be animated by both passion and compassion in achieving our goals; • Be sensitive to the concerns of all Member States, big and small.

13. General SecretaryBan Ki-moon on the Achievements of the UN: • In the last 60 years, the UN has shown it can: • Serve as a forum to set a global agenda; • Build consensus on contentious issues; • Set standards for nations to live by; • Play the role of honest broker; • Keep fighting parties apart; • Help bring justice to those discriminated against; • Deliver humanitarian assistance and ensure access to food, medicine, education and health care; • Improve living conditions and alleviate poverty; • Pursue a vigorous development agenda.

14. During the Cold War – a troubled organisation • The Cold War and the conflict between the USSR and the US prevented real success • The veto was used frequently (the national interests of the US and USSR significant here) • 1945-1990 the veto right was used 193 times, compare this with 10-15 vetoes between 1990-2003. • Although liberalism was the inspirational source of the UN Charter there was always a fair measure of Realism (security self help and survival) embedded in the structure of the UN

15. The re-emergence of the UN • The Post-Cold War Era – change in the global external environment (The UN was no longer locked into the bipolar power structure of the Cold War era. Had more freedom to act). • General optimism at the end of the Cold War, sense of international relations being stabilised. • A great deal of support for the UN as the main provider of global governance (albeit not a global government) • Active membership of the UN was key • A whole set of reports were launched to this effect (An agenda for peace, Boutros Boutros-Ghali 1992, Human Development Reports, UN Millennium Project )

16. The re-emergence of the UN • It was no longer forbidden to question the behaviour of the member states • New ways of thinking of Sovereignty • In the post-Cold War era perceptions of international security threats changed - threats were civil conflict, intra-war, ethnic and religious conflict. • emphasis upon new kinds of peacekeeping, peace enforcement and intervention. • Emphasis on human security, an expectation that the UN should not only concern itself with the national security of states but also individuals’ security • Humanitarian emergencies • Military intervention a test , Kosovo and Iraq did not receive the support of the Security Council

17. Concluding Remarks • How important is the United Nations in global politics, has it lost its momentum? • Are regional organisations more important? • Is the UN living up to its goal of international peace and security? • To what extent is the UN in need of reform? • Is the UN a talking club for dominant powers?