The United Nations (UN) and International Law

1. The United Nations (UN) and International Law Major Global Issues and Challenges STUDENT NAME

2. Index • About the United Nations • What is International Law • UN Security Council • International Court of Justice • International Criminal Court • Successes and Failures of the UN • UN Failure Case Study: Rwandan Genocide • Challenges of International Law • Questions

3. About the United Nations The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945, in the aftermath of WWII. The UN had 51 original member states, and has grown to193 current member states Purpose of the UN: • Maintain International Peace and Security • Protect Human Rights • Deliver Humanitarian Aid • Promote Sustainable Development • Uphold International Law

4. United Nations Security Council 5 permanent members China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States 10 non-permanent members (two-year terms, end of term date shown) • Has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.   • 5 permanent members, 10 non-permanent members. Each Member has one vote. Has a Presidency which rotates, and changes, every month. • All Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions. • Takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression, and helps orchestrates a peaceful solution. • Can resort to imposing sanctions or authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.  • Permanent member states have a "right to veto," which automatically rejects the resolution or decision. • Bolivia (2018) • Côte d’Ivoire (2019) • Equatorial Guinea (2019) • Ethiopia (2018) • Kazakhstan (2018) • Kuwait (2019) • Netherlands (2018) • Peru (2019) • Poland (2019) • Sweden (2018)

5. What is International law? • The legal responsibilities of States in their conduct with each other, and their treatment of individuals within State boundaries • Examples of issues falling under International Law: • human rights, disarmament, international crime, refugees, migration, the treatment of prisoners, the use of force, the conduct of war, …

6. International Court of Justice (ICJ) • The principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Its seat is at the Peace Palace in the Hague (Netherlands). • ICJ has a dual role: in accordance with international law, settling legal disputes between States submitted to it by them and giving advisory opinions on legal matters referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.

7. International Criminal Court (ICC) • The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression

8. Successes and Failures of the UN Successes • 170+ peace settlements • The Cold War never turned hot • The number of people killed in conflicts has declined since 1945 • Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) • Major international treaties, and historic elections • UN agencies include: the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, Unesco, and Unicef Failures • Genocide - Rwanda + Srebrenica • Corruption amongst peacekeepers • Slow to respond or sidelined in times of conflict • Problems with the Security Council • Who has permanent seats: exclusion of Germany, Japan, India, Brazil • Almost 75% of the world's population is effectively disenfranchised in the Security Council. • Veto Power and illegitimacy*

9. Africa UN Failure Case Study: Rwandan Genocide • The Rwandan genocide took place over a period of 100 days, from April 6th, 1994 to July 16th, 1994. • The two ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis were involved in the mass genocide. • Approximately 20% of Rwanda's people were killed during the Rwandan genocide. • Approximately 70% of the Tutsi people living in Rwanda were killed during the genocide. Rwanda Most of the world stood on the sidelines during the Rwandan genocide, hoping to avoid the loss of life and political entanglement

10. Challenges of international law • The International System = Anarchy • Western dominance • Security Council + rich countries have greater influence • Lack of enforcement mechanism • Can inspire further conflict

11. Summary and Conclusion • The United Nations is the first international organization of its kind to meet success. While it has its flaws and its challenges, the United Nations and its adjacent organizations have made significant headway in promoting peace and addressing many global issues and challenges.

12. Questions • In your country, what is the general perception of the influence of the United Nations? • Should there be permanent members on the Security Council? Should there be a right to veto for any members? • Should we have International Law? Is global cooperation necessary? • What determines the legitimacy of an international organization like the UN?

13. Bibliography • http://romanialawblog.com/tag/law-infographic/ • https://www.statista.com/chart/10758/un-security-council-resolutions-vetoed/ • https://www.icc-cpi.int/about • https://www.icj-cij.org/en/frequently-asked-questions • http://www.un.org/en/sections/what-we-do/uphold-international-law/ • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34310354 • https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/international-law • http://www.un.org/en/about-un/index.html