The United Nations

The United Nations, whose membership

comprises almost all the states in the
world, is founded on the principle of the
equal worth of every human being.

Trivia: What are the

5 permanent members of the UN
security council?
Hint:
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How well do you know the world and its

countries?
Try this:
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just
_fun/games/mapgame.html
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There are 192 countries in the UN

currently.
Which countries are NOT members of
the UN?

Founding of the UN
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1)

2)

Charter of the UN signed in 1945

in San Francisco.
Aimed at setting up an
organisation which could:
Keep the peace in the aftermath of
WW2
Remove the factors which led to
war in the first place (e.g. poverty)

Structure of the UN
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General Assembly
Security Council
Trusteeship
Council
International Court
of Justice
Secretariat and
Secretary-General

Do you know what these acronyms of

subsidiary UN bodies stand for?
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UNDP
UNEP
UNHCR
FAO
ICJ
UNICEF
UNESCO

Answers:
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UNDP: United Nations Development

Programme
UNEP: United Nations Environment
Programme
UNHCR: United Nations High Commission
for Refugees
FAO: Food and Agricultural Organisation of
the United Nations
ICJ: International Court of Justice
UNICEF: United Nations Children Fund
UNESCO: United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation

Main aims of the United Nations

1) To maintain international
peace and security through:
{ Peacekeeping
{ Settlement of border disputes
{ International cooperation on vital
transborder issues (e.g. terrorism)
{ ICJ
{ Addressing human rights violations

Peacekeeping

The International Court of Justice

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Located in The Hague,

the Netherlands
Is the principal judicial
organ of the UN
main functions are to
settle legal disputes
submitted to it by
member states
E.g. Singapore &
Malaysia, Pedra Blanca
Issue

Main Aims of the United Nations

2) Humanitarian and development
work
{ assist refugees
{ fight disease and improve medical
care and knowledge
{ gender equality
{ to provide loans, mainly to
developing countries

UN
Humanitarian
Appeals 2008

Required funding
Funding obtained

Main aims of the United Nations

3) To foster international cooperation
in environmental issues
{ working to fight global warming
e.g. UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change, Kyoto Protocol

Activity:
SWOT Analysis of the UN
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Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

Looking at the images/cartoons, jot

down 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses
of the UN.

Strengths of the UN
Every member state of the UN, whether
large or small, has a right to vote in
the General Assembly.

Strengths of the UN

Maintains peace and security among

member states, e.g. ICJ facilitates
peaceful resolution of disputes
General Assembly is like a world
parliament where small nations can have
a voice
Helps countries with immediate problems
e.g. peace-keeping, food aid

Weaknesses of the UN

Weaknesses of the UN

Weaknesses of the UN

Weaknesses of the UN

Weaknesses of the UN
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The state-centric nature of the UN system: national

interests vs. collective interests; human rights vs.
sovereign rights of member states. While the UN
Charter insists on concern for human rights, it also
enshrines the principle of the sovereign equality of
states, Article 7 (2) exclaims:

Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize

the United Nations to intervene in matters which are
essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any
state or shall require the Members to submit such
matters to settlement under the present Charter.
As a result, there are tensions between the concept of
sovereignty and the need for humanitarian
intervention. In short, the UN does not have sufficient
authority.

Weaknesses of the UN
Unfair allocation of power
The Security Council consists of 5 permanent members
or big brothers China, Russia, the U.S., U.K and
France. Any one of the great powers can use its right
of VETO to block the call for action by the UN. The real
power of decision-making falls upon its permanent five
members.

Weaknesses of the UN
The UN has insufficient resources due
to member countries unpaid dues.

Opportunities for the UN

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Emergence of new forms of conflict

and trends that transcend political
and territorial boundaries and
require concerted global action, e.g.
terrorism, drug trafficking, global
epidemics, global warming,
intellectual property rights

Threats to the UN
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Intra-state conflicts in the

aftermath of the Cold War
Authority of the UN has been
undermined by the USs invasion of
Iraq
Lack of funds
The problem of rogue states in the
general assembly

Assignment: An Evaluation Report of

the United Nations
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Work individually.
You must submit a yearly report for the
United Nations achievements (2007-08) in
each of the areas listed in the document to
its Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
Make a list of the successes and failures of
the United Nations for each.
For each one you should be able to provide
examples to show what the UN has achieved
in 2007-08.
Give a final grade to the UN: A, B, C, D or E,
and justify your assessment.

Assignment: An Evaluation Report of

the United Nations
Use the Student Handout:
Background on the United Nations
to help you.
{ You may want to do additional
research to come up with examples
under each assessment category.
{ Deadline:
Term 3 Week 1 (23rd June 2008)
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