The transition in international relations is followed by changes in international system. They have been in practice since ancient times in Greece, Egypt, China, and India. These societies developed a set of behavioural code for their relations which was based on morality.
However, these codes were never strictly followed by states and begin the era of 17th century from the beginning of international relations. Advancement in transport and communication systems and the onset of the Industrial Revolution brought states closer and helped the development of international relations.
WHY INTERNATIONAL ORAGANISATION
International organisations help with matters of war and peace. They also help countries cooperate to make better living conditions for us all. Countries have conflicts and differences with each other.
It can provide mechanisms, rules and a bureaucracy, to help members have more confidence that costs will be shared properly.
EVOLUTION OF THE UN
As a result, the League of Nations was born, However, despite its initial success, it could not prevent the Second World War (1939–45), Many more people died and were wounded in this war than ever before.
The UN was founded as a successor to the League of Nations, It was established in 1945 immediately after the Second World War, They will be fairly divided, and that once a member joins an agreement it will honour the terms and conditions of the agreement With the end of the Cold War, we can see that the UN may have a slightly different role.
UN serve to promote dialogue and discussion with the US in particular, and could it limit the power of the American organisation was set up through the signing of the United Nations Charter by 51 states.
It aimed to do what the League failed to accomplish between the two world wars. It was created with the expectation that it would intervene to stop disputes between nations from turning into war and, if war did happen, to contain the level of violence and Additionally, since conflicts often stemmed from a lack of social and economic growth, the UN was meant to unite countries to enhance social and economic development worldwide.
By 2011, the UN had 193 member states included almost all independent states and General Assembly, all members have one vote each.
In the UN Security Council, there are five permanent members are: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China These states were selected as permanent members as they were the most powerful immediately after the Second World War and because they constituted the victors in the War.
The UN’s most visible public figure, and the representative head, is the Secretary-General and present Secretary-General is António Guterres He is the ninth Secretary-General of the UN and He took over as the Secretary-general on 1 January 2017 and He was the Prime Minister of Portugal (1995-2002) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2005-2015).
REFORM OF THE UN AFTER THE COLD WAR
Reform and improvement are essential for any organization to meet the demands of a changing world, and the United Nations is no different. In recent years, there have been calls for reform within the UN, but there is not much agreement on what exactly needs to be done. There are two main types of reform that the UN is facing: changes to its internal structures and processes, and a reassessment of the issues that fall under its responsibilities.
The most significant disagreement is over the specific actions, methods, and timelines for these reforms.
When it comes to restructuring the organization, the most debated topic has been the functioning of the Security Council. One of the key demands related to this is an increase in the number of permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council to better reflect the current global political landscape. There are proposals to expand membership from regions like Asia, Africa, and South America. On the other hand, the United States and other Western countries have emphasized the need for improvements in the UN’s budget processes and administrative functions.
In terms of the issues that the UN should focus on, some countries and experts believe the organization should play a larger and more active role in peace and security missions, while others argue it should concentrate on development and humanitarian work, such as health, education, the environment, population control, human rights, gender equality, and social justice.
The United Nations was established in 1945, right after the end of the Second World War and its structure and operations were shaped by the political realities of that time. However, after the Cold War, the world has changed significantly.
Some of the major changes include the collapse of the Soviet Union, the emergence of the United States as the dominant global power, a more cooperative relationship between the United States and Russia, the rapid rise of China and India, the rapid economic growth of Asian countries, and the addition of many new member states as former Soviet and Eastern European countries gained independence.
These changes have introduced a range of new challenges, such as genocide, civil wars, ethnic conflicts, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, climate change, environmental degradation, and epidemics.
In 1989, as the Cold War was ending, the question was being asked: is the UN doing enough? Is it equipped to handle the challenges it faces? What should it be doing? And how? What reforms are necessary to make the UN more effective? Over the past fifteen years, member states have been working to find practical and satisfactory answers to these questions, which will shape the structure of the United Nations.
BIPOLAR, UNI-POLAR AND MULTI-POLAR WORLD:
Polarity refers to how power is distributed in the international system and describes the nature of power at any given time.
There are three main types of political polarity:
1.UNI-POLARITY: This is a situation where one state holds the majority of cultural, economic, and military influence. This was the case after the Cold War, when the United States emerged as the sole superpower. In the early 21st century, the United States was the only country capable of projecting military power globally, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
2.BIPOLARITY: This refers to a world where two major powers hold the majority of global economic, military, and cultural influence. During the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were the two dominant powers. The bipolar system can extend to a larger system through alliances or organizations. For example, during both World Wars, many countries were divided into two opposing spheres, such as the Axis and Allied powers.
3.MULTI-POLARITY: Multi-polarity is a distribution of power in which more than two nation-states are in the fray almost equal in military, cultural, and economic spheres. Multi-polar systems are more stable than bipolar systems, as great powers can gain power through alliances. This tends to have many shifting alliances until one of two things happen. One of the major implications of international system with any number of poles, including a multi-polar system, is that, international decisions will often be made for strategic reasons to maintain balance of power rather than out of ideological or historical reasons
OBJECTIVE OF THE UN:
The objectives of United Nations are incorporated in Art.1 of the UN Charter. They are –
• To maintain international peace and security
• To Develop friendly relations among the nation’s
• To seek cooperation in solving international economic, social cultural and humanitarian problems.
• To maintain freedom for all without discrimination on the basis of race, sex, languages or religion.
Basic principles mentioned in Art. 2 of the Charter are
• The UN is based on the sovereign equality of all its members.
• All members shall fulfil in good faith the UN Charter obligations.
• No member country act against the UN Charter or use of force against other states.
PURPOSE
• The main goal is to work to stop things that can cause trouble and find peace
• We want countries to be friends and respect each other because we are all equal and should be able to make our decisions
• We need to work to solve big problems that affect everyone like money issues, social problems, cultural differences and helping people in need and make sure everyone is treated fairly and has the freedom to do what they want no matter what they look like who they are, what language they speak or what they believe in
• We have to make sure that human rights are respected and that everyone is free to do what they want and this applies to all people regardless of their background. This is what the United Nations is all about to make sure that countries work together to achieve these goals and that we all work together to make the world a better place for the United Nations and, for everyone.
AIMS OF UNO
The UN charter is the main document of this global organisation and it has 19 chapters and 111 articles and begins with the sentence “We, people of the world community”.
The following are the aims of the UNO:
• Safeguarding international peace and security.
• Fostering cooperation among nations.
• Improving faith in human rights.
• Exploring solutions to various economic, sociological, cultural, and other humanity-based problems through international cooperation.
• Providing recognition to international agreements and conditions.
• Striving to build mutual trust and cooperation among countries.
• Ensuring that states which are not members act in accordance with the principles of the UN.
• Not intervening in matters that fall within the domestic jurisdiction of any state.
UN AFFILIATED BODIES
UNO has six major affiliated bodies as per the Charter of the UNO. They are:
1. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
It is a body whose membership comprises representatives from all the member countries and
Each member nation has to send five representatives to this body but has just one vote afterwards The President of this body is elected by the General Assembly from among its own members for a term to one year totally are 17 Vice-Presidents and seven Chairpersons of the seven standing committees.
The General Assembly meetings begin around September and continue until mid-December every year. For all important matters, a two-thirds majority is mandatory for approval.
Dr. Manmohan Singh and Sri S. M. Krishna in the UN General Assembly on September 24, 2011.
2. UNO SECURITY COUNCIL
This institution is like the cabinet of the UNO and is the most influential body of the organization. It has fifteen member nations. Among them, the USA, the UK, France, Russia, and China are the five permanent members. The remaining ten members are elected by the General Assembly for a period of two years. These ten members represent the various geographical regions of the world.
Every member has one vote to exercise. However, the approval of all the permanent members is required for any decision to become operational. India is also striving to achieve permanent membership.
The Security Council works to solve global problems peacefully. If necessary, it deploys UN peacekeeping forces to maintain peace and order. It also participates in the selection of judges of the International Court of Justice and recommends the nomination of the Secretary-General of the UN.
3. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE
This committee consist of 54 members and from 54 members the 18 members are elected every three years. They elect one among themselves as the Chairperson of the committee.
The main functions of the committee are as follows:
• Conducting studies on economic, social, cultural, educational, health, and other international issues, and sharing the reports.
• Addressing issues such as refugee problems, the status of women, housing, and many other social concerns.
• Recommending measures related to human rights and fundamental freedoms.
• Organizing conferences on human resources, culture, education, and other important issues.
• Coordinating the functions of specialized agencies such as the International Labor Organization (ILO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), and other institutions.
• These are the major functions of the Economic and Social Committee.
4. TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL
This is basically a subsidiary organization of the General Assembly. As the number of Trust Territories has reduced over time, its importance has also declined. It primarily looked after territories that had not yet achieved the status of independent states. Since there are no remaining Trust Territories, the Trusteeship Council has become inactive.
5. International Court of Justice
The Court consists of fifteen judges, each serving a term of nine years, and they are eligible for re-election and The Court is located in The Hague, Netherlands a judges elect one President and one Vice-President from among themselves for a period of three years. Decisions are taken by majority vote.
Apart from delivering judgments, the Court also provides legal advisory opinions. The judgments of the Court carry great ethical and legal significance. However, countries are not always compulsorily bound by its judgments unless they have accepted the Court’s jurisdiction in the particular case. Despite this limitation, the International Court of Justice has made significant contributions to international peace and security.
6. SECRETARIAT
The Secretary-General and the staff of the UNO form the Secretariat. The Secretary-General is the head of the executive body of the UNO.
The Secretary-General is elected by the General Assembly for a period of five years, based on the recommendation of the Security Council. The headquarters of the Secretariat is located in New York, while branch offices are situated in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi.
The Secretariat is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the UNO and the execution of its institutional functions.
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE UNO
1. PEACEKEEPING FUNCTIONS
The UNO has successfully helped resolve many international conflicts. Owing to differences among the permanent members of the Security Council and the complexity of global issues, the achievements of the UN can be described as mixed. Most of its work involves peacekeeping operations and monitoring international situations.
India has consistently worked with the UNO toward the protection of human rights and the promotion of world peace. The UNO has contributed to resolving crises related to the Suez Canal, Iran, Indonesia, Kashmir, Palestine, Korea, Hungary, Congo, Cyprus, the Arab-Israel conflict, Namibia, Afghanistan, and many other regions with the end of the Cold War, greater opportunities have emerged for the UNO to play a more effective role in maintaining international peace and security.
2 ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS: This work needs to be achieved through the supervision of ‘Economic and Social Committee’ ‘General Agreement on Tariff and Trade’ (GATT)
3 SOCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS: World Health Organization, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Refugee Council are few organizations that are interested in the social wellbeing of the world The universal declaration of Human Rights in 1948 is considered as an important international achievement of UNO The UNO has played decisive role in the removal of Apartheid, colonialism and imperialism
INDIA AND THE UNITED NATIONS:
ESTABLISHMENT: The most representative inter-governmental organization of the world is the United Nations It has made enormous contributions in maintaining international peace and security, promoting cooperation among states and international development India was among the original 51 members of the United Nations that signed the Declaration by United Nations
India’s role in the United Nations: Independent India viewed its membership of the United Nations a guarantee for maintaining international peace and security The UN membership has also served as an opportunity for leadership in world affairs India stood at the forefront during the UN is tumultuous years of struggle against colonialism, apartheid, global disarmament and creation of more equitable international economic order India is undertaking sincere steps to find ways to adopt these challenges An integral part of such efforts is collective action.
THE UNITED NATIONS PEACE KEEPING FORCE (UNPKF): India is committed to assist the UN by providing military troops for the maintenance of international peace and security to the UNPKF India has deputed more than one lakh troops to participate in plenty of Peace Keeping Missions since 1950 Eg Korea (1950-54), Middle East (1956-67), Congo (1960-64), Somalia (1993-94), Afghanistan (1993), Haiti (1993), Angola (1989-1999), Ethiopia-Eritrea (2006-08), Lebanon (1998), Ivory Coastal (UNOCI) (2004), South Sudan (2013-14)
The high standards of performance maintained consistently by the Indian troops and policemen deployed on UN Missions under challenging circumstances have won them high regard worldwide
ENVIRONMENT: India is among the top 12 mega centres of the world in terms of its genetic diversity It has a wide range of geo-climatic conditions and a rich and varied flora and fauna, a long-standing tradition of environment sensibility and concern It is committed to a global partnership that simultaneously seeks to protect the environment while addressing requirements and aspirations of the developing countries India has consistently played an important role in the evolution of an international consensus to tackle major global Rio de Janeiro in 1992 These summits discussed about Global Warming and Green House effect The UN convention on protection of ecology and the Kyoto Protocol came into effect in 2005
HUMAN RIGHTS: The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10th December 1948 It was proclaimed as a common standard of achievement for all people of all nations India is a signatory to the six core human rights covenants and also the two Optional Protocols to the Convention of the Rights of the Child The National Commission for Human Rights (NHRC), established in India in 1993, serves as an autonomous body for the protection of Human Rights in the country It creates awareness of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution
THE UN AGENCIES:
India also played an active role in setting up of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and calling for the creation of a New International Economic Order (NIEO) India is a member of The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), International Labour Organization (ILO), World Health Organisation (WHO), Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), United Nations International Children is Emergency Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP), United Nations International Development Organization (UNIDO) etc
The United Nations Team is committed to working with partners to help achieve the Government of India is inclusive, sustainable and equitable development priorities by introducing innovative ways of tackling problems, proposing evidence-based policy options and promoting adherence to international norms and standards International cricket sensation Sachin Tendulkar has become UNICEF Ambassador for South Asia during a signing ceremony in Mumbai, India on 28th November 2013 In this capacity Mr Tendulkar supports UNICEF is work in promoting hygiene and sanitation in South Asia After sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia is the region with the highest number of under-five deaths: 2 3 million in 2011 In this region, 39 per cent of children under the age of five are stunted South Asia is also the region with the highest number of people without toilets, more than 680 million people are not using toilets
CHALLENGES
Financial Resources: The contributions made by the Member States should rest on the basis of the capacity to pay principle
The Member States need to make their payments without any conditions, in full, and in good time since late payment has brought about an unprecedented financial crisis at the United Nations
Financial reforms are central to the future of the international organization Lack of resources will weaken the performance of the United Nations
One example of such initiative would be the remarkable ability of the World Food Programme (WFP) in dealing with the problem of hunger through the provision of food which is life-saving and helping in the development of economy through its Purchase for Progress program.
BE A UNITED NATION VOLUNTEER BE INSPIRATION IN ACTION (OPPORUNITIES)
What are the minimum qualifications required for volunteering for the United Nations International Assignment?
• Higher technical diploma, university degree, or Master’s degree (credentials would be asked for)
• At least two years of practical experience in the field of your profession 25 years old or above (no upper age restriction)
• A good command of one of the UNV working languages: English, French, and Spanish (Portuguese or Arabic would be an advantage for some countries)
• Dedication to the values and principles of volunteerism; Ability to respect diversity and work in a multi-cultural setting;
• Capacity to adapt to changes and even difficult working environments What sort of support does an international UN Volunteer receive during their deployment?
• Settling-In Grant based on the period of assignment, paid at the beginning of assignment
• Volunteer Living Allowance (non-salary), meant to cover living costs, paid monthly
• Travel to the place of work at the start and end of assignment as appropriate
• Insurance for life, health and permanent disability
• Annual leave
• Resettlement grant calculated according to the duration of the assignment and paid on completion of the assignment
CONCLUSION
After looking at the United Nations, we can say that the United Nations it has done what it was supposed to do since it was formed The United Nations has kept peace and stopped countries from fighting in another world war That is not enough The United Nations needs to change some things to make it better The system that the United Nations uses is old It is controlled by a few powerful countries Now there are 193 countries that’re part of the United Nations
The United Nations has shown us a way to deal with problems that affect the whole world It still has some problems with how it is organized For example, in Africa there is no country that has a seat on the United Nations Security Council This means that Africa does not have a voice in the United Nations The United Nations is facing challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic It is also facing problems with getting money Its troops still rely on other countries The United Nations is also dealing with human rights issues
The United Nations will only be successful when it becomes an organization that includes everyone and is able to make decisions that apply to everyone The world is different now than it was during the world wars Now countries need to work to resolve their problems peacefully The United Nations said that countries need to work to fight the COVID-19 pandemic If countries try to fight it they will not be successful The United Nations has played a role, in keeping international peace and stability The United Nations has done a job of dealing with challenges and creating a peaceful environment The United Nations, the United Nations needs to keep doing this to make sure that all countries can live in peace.
By: Kushal.S
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