United Nations Essay, Research Paper

UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations was founded in 1945 to try to prevent wars, and to help all nations co-operate and work together to fight the biggest problems in the world. It was also started to help work together to repair the vast damages caused by World War II. The United Nations is working for the common good of people all over the world.

The United Nations has been an organization for fifty one years this year, and have been continually doing all they can to try to fight problems like malnutrition, disease and poverty. Many of these problems only occur in certain parts of the world, but it is up to everyone to try to solve them.

The United Nations has had many very successful missions over the years. The first occurred on January 1942, when 26 countries of the world signed the United Nations Declaration, saying they would support the ideas of the Atlantic Charter, and would co-operate after the war. The Atlantic Charter was thought of during the Second World War. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and the American President, Franklin Roosevelt, met on a warship in the Atlantic Ocean to share their ideas. They ended up with the Atlantic Charter, which later became the basis for what the United Nations stands for. It included the “8 Hopes For A Better Future”- the hopes of democratic governments, free trade and general security.

UNITED NATIONS

By April, 1945, there were forty-nine different countries who were members of the United Nations. They were then given the support of Argentina and Poland, making it fifty-one countries.

In June, 10, 1945, the Official Charter signing ceremony took place. Its opening statement declared:

“We, the people of the United Nations are determined to save succeeding generations from the scorge of war, which twice in our lifetime had brought untold sorrow to man kind, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all people….”

There are many countries who are members of the United Nations, but some are more pronounced and powerful than others. They include the Big Five, who were previously known as the Big Four. The Big Five consists of Russia (USSR), China, Britain, The United States if America, and France. Among these, the two “Superpowers” are the United States and Russia. The one problem about having these superpowers, is that there is constant rivalry for the powers and decision making. This was worked out as much as possible, as the United Nations developed a system in which they would operate. It was a very good group of different councils and assemblies that make certain decisions for everyone.

UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations has designed a system in which they would operate on .It consists of six different assemblies and councils designated to different areas.

The Trusteeship Council:

This council is set up to supervise certain colonies which a re striving for independence. These colonies are called trust territories. All members of this council can vote, majority rules.

The General Assembly:

This is each country who is a member of the United Nations. Each country has its own vote, regardless of size population, or economy. The decisions are made when there are two thirds of the votes on one side. However, their decisions are used only as recommendations, and it is still up to the state to make the final ruling on the issue. This Assembly meets once a year, unless otherwise needed.

The International Court of Justice:

This includes all members of the United Nations. Non-members are also able to use the court. The World Court is located in the Hague, Netherlands. There are fifteen judges, each from a different country. They are elected by the Security Council, and the General Assembly. They are only able to settle cases where the state previously agree to accept the judgments made by the court.

Security Council:

This group is responsible for international peace and security. It has fifteen members of different countries, and five are permanent members. This is where the expression the “Big Five” comes from. Everyone has a vote, and all of the Big Five, and seven from the rest of the group are needed for a decision to be made final by them.

The Secretariat:

This is staff of the United Nations, lead by the Secretary-General. All of this staff have to promise they will not take orders from anywhere outside the United Nations. This is a very elite part of the United Nations.

The Economic and Social Council:

This council has twenty-seven members who are elected by the General Assembly. They co-ordinate the social and economic work of the United Nations through their agencies.