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Formation of the United Nations

Formation of the United Nations. Formation. The United Nations was created at the end of the Second World War, replacing the League of Nations US President Franklin D Roosevelt was a driving force behind the creation of the United Nations

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Formation of the United Nations

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  1. Formation of the United Nations

  2. Formation • The United Nations was created at the end of the Second World War, replacing the League of Nations • US President Franklin D Roosevelt was a driving force behind the creation of the United Nations • The name “United Nations” was used by Roosevelt to describe the alliance fighting the Axis powers in World War 2

  3. The four policemen • World peace was to be maintained by what Roosevelt described as the “four policemen”including the US, UK, USSR and China, acting together to prevent conflict • These four policemen, along with France, became the five permanent members of the UN Security Council • The USSR initially opposed China’s inclusion as one of the “policemen”, but Roosevelt insisted. Churchill was not happy about it either.

  4. The birth of the United Nations • June 26, 1945: representatives of 50 countries sign the charter of the United Nations at a conference in San Francisco • UN officially comes into existence on October 24, 1945

  5. https://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/preamble.shtml

  6. The structure of the UN • Security Council: responsible for peace, has 15 members • General Assembly: main deliberative forum of the UN has 191 members • The UN Secretariat headed by the Secretary General • International Court of Justice based in The Hague, Holland • Economic and Social Council- deals with issues of economic development • Specialized agencies such as the World Health Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, International LaborOrganization, the World Bank, the IMF, the ICC

  7. The Security Council • The Security Council has five permanent members: US, UK, France, Russia and China. • 10 other countries elected for two year terms • Not all members are equal: permanent members have the power of veto • Charter gives the Security Council “primary responsibility for international peace and security”

  8. The UN Charter outlawed war except in self-defense • All members were to settle their disputes peacefully • Members were to refrain from the threat of force, or the use of force against other member states • The Security Council, not individual countries, was to decide whether military force is to be used. • Countries were supposed to keep a certain proportion of their armed forces for use by the United Nations

  9. What does the Security Council do to maintain peace? • If the Security Council decides there is a threat to international peace it normally begins by calling for negotiations to resolve the problem • The UN Secretary General or his representative talks to the countries involved and urges them to settle the problem How is this structure similar and different from the LoN?

  10. If that does not work… • Can impose diplomatic and economic sanctions • Air and sea blockades • If there is still no progress the Security Council can authorize military action

  11. In more than 50 years, the UN Security Council has only authorized military action in the following cases • Korea • Somalia • Bosnia • Gulf War • In all these cases different countries have undertaken military action with the permission of the UN. The UN itself has not gone to war

  12. The United Nations system was based on the belief that the great powers who won the Second World War would continue their war time alliance, and continue to work together to maintain world peace. That never happened.

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