• Why was the UN launched, what are the key principles informing the UN?

• How does it work?

• The situation confronting the UN at the end of the Cold War; The reasons for its re-emergence as a central actor and the high expectations

• Why was the UN launched, what are the key principles informing the UN?

• How does it work?

• The situation confronting the UN at the end of the Cold War; The reasons for its re-emergence as a central actor and the high expectations

The United NationsThe United NationsThe United NationsThe United Nations

• The League of Nations as a forerunner to the UN

• A reaction to power politics (national interests narrowly defined and callous foreign policies), which would prevent another world war

• The world was under-institutionalised

• International politics was immoral in many respects (Totalitarian regimes, colonialism, one party states)

• The League of Nations as a forerunner to the UN

• A reaction to power politics (national interests narrowly defined and callous foreign policies), which would prevent another world war

• The world was under-institutionalised

• International politics was immoral in many respects (Totalitarian regimes, colonialism, one party states)

The inspiration for the UNThe inspiration for the UN

• Security and Peace the most important objectives- inspired by fresh memories of the Second World War ,

• conflict resolution across the globe.

• The UN Charter was negotiated and signed in San Francisco in 1945, 850 delegates from 50 different countries were present. (today: 192)

• The US was interested in social and economic issues

• The USSR focused on security related issues

• Australia wanted to cap the veto right of the security council

• Security and Peace the most important objectives- inspired by fresh memories of the Second World War ,

• conflict resolution across the globe.

• The UN Charter was negotiated and signed in San Francisco in 1945, 850 delegates from 50 different countries were present. (today: 192)

• The US was interested in social and economic issues

• The USSR focused on security related issues

• Australia wanted to cap the veto right of the security council

The early daysThe early days

• WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS ARE DETERMINED

• to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind,

• to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small,

• to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained,

• to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom

• WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS ARE DETERMINED

• to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind,

• to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small,

• to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained,

• to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom

The UN Charter - PREAMBLE(opening)

The UN Charter - PREAMBLE(opening)

• Summary of purposes: peace and security, removal of common threats, friendly relations between states

• Through a set of key principles;

1.Sovereign equality of all members

2.Fulfilment of all obligations emerging from the charter

3.Settlement of international disputes through peaceful means

4.Prohibition of the threat or use of force

5.Duty to assist the UN in its actions

6.Non-intervention in the domestic affairs/jurisdiction of member states

• Summary of purposes: peace and security, removal of common threats, friendly relations between states

• Through a set of key principles;

1.Sovereign equality of all members

2.Fulfilment of all obligations emerging from the charter

3.Settlement of international disputes through peaceful means

4.Prohibition of the threat or use of force

5.Duty to assist the UN in its actions

6.Non-intervention in the domestic affairs/jurisdiction of member states

Purposes and principles Purposes and principles

• All 192 countries represented

• All have a vote in the assembly regardless of their size, strength or population (note that the EU is different)

• Can agree on recommendations in the shape of resolutions that are then put forward to the Security Council

• Is the Assembly a discussion forum with some ideational influence or a real assembly of sovereign states, where lies the power?

• All 192 countries represented

• All have a vote in the assembly regardless of their size, strength or population (note that the EU is different)

• Can agree on recommendations in the shape of resolutions that are then put forward to the Security Council

• Is the Assembly a discussion forum with some ideational influence or a real assembly of sovereign states, where lies the power?

The system of the UN – the The system of the UN – the AssemblyAssembly

The system of the UN – the The system of the UN – the AssemblyAssembly

• Weapons, control and security

• Economic and social affairs; development assistance

• Human rights, humanitarian and cultural issues

• Peacekeeping, enforcement, international conflicts

• Budget and administration

• Legal issues and international law

• Weapons, control and security

• Economic and social affairs; development assistance

• Human rights, humanitarian and cultural issues

• Peacekeeping, enforcement, international conflicts

• Budget and administration

• Legal issues and international law

5 UN Committees, the 5 UN Committees, the General AssemblyGeneral Assembly

5 UN Committees, the 5 UN Committees, the General AssemblyGeneral Assembly

• At the centre of debates on the UN

• criticised for not being able to implement the goals laid down in the UN charter,

• and not being representative of the diversity of the member states (issues of legitimacy)

• The Security Council is composed by 15 member states , the five permanent ones are France, US, China, Russia and the UK. Each member in the security council has one vote

• At the centre of debates on the UN

• criticised for not being able to implement the goals laid down in the UN charter,

• and not being representative of the diversity of the member states (issues of legitimacy)

• The Security Council is composed by 15 member states , the five permanent ones are France, US, China, Russia and the UK. Each member in the security council has one vote

The Security Council The Security Council

• About 8900 employed in the secretariat , led by the general secretary , New York, Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna

• The general secretary heads the secretariat but also has an important political role

• Franklin Roosevelt imagined the post of general secretary as a ‘world moderator’

• About 8900 employed in the secretariat , led by the general secretary , New York, Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna

• The general secretary heads the secretariat but also has an important political role

• Franklin Roosevelt imagined the post of general secretary as a ‘world moderator’

The Secretariat The Secretariat

• Trygve Lie  Norway 2 February 1946 10 November 1952

• Dag Hammarskjöld  Sweden 10 April 1953 18 September 1961

• U Thant  Burma 30 November 1961 1 January 1972 Asia

• 4 Kurt Waldheim  Austria 1 January 1972 1 January 1982

• 5 Javier Pérez de Cuéllar  Peru 1 January 1982 1 January 1992 South America

• 6 Boutros Boutros-Ghali  Egypt 1 January 1992 1 January 1997 Africa

• 7 Kofi Annan  Ghana 1 January 1997 1 January 2007

• 8 Ban Ki-moon  South Korea 1 January 2007 Incumbent

• Trygve Lie  Norway 2 February 1946 10 November 1952

• Dag Hammarskjöld  Sweden 10 April 1953 18 September 1961

• U Thant  Burma 30 November 1961 1 January 1972 Asia

• 4 Kurt Waldheim  Austria 1 January 1972 1 January 1982

• 5 Javier Pérez de Cuéllar  Peru 1 January 1982 1 January 1992 South America

• 6 Boutros Boutros-Ghali  Egypt 1 January 1992 1 January 1997 Africa

• 7 Kofi Annan  Ghana 1 January 1997 1 January 2007

• 8 Ban Ki-moon  South Korea 1 January 2007 Incumbent

General Secretaries General Secretaries

• Prince Zied Hussein of Jordan

• South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon , got the top job

• UN Undersecretary General for Public Affairs Shashi Tharoor (India)

• Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister (prior to military coup) Surakiart Sahirathai,

• Sirilankan Jayantha Dhanapala, a former UN disarmament chief

• Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga (would have been the first woman Secretary General)

• Prince Zied Hussein of Jordan

• South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon , got the top job

• UN Undersecretary General for Public Affairs Shashi Tharoor (India)

• Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister (prior to military coup) Surakiart Sahirathai,

• Sirilankan Jayantha Dhanapala, a former UN disarmament chief

• Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga (would have been the first woman Secretary General)

Candidates for the US General Secretary Job in 2007

Candidates for the US General Secretary Job in 2007

• As Secretary-General, I resolve to:

• Lead by example;

• Seek excellence with humility;

• Set the highest ethical standard;

• Pursue dialogue and engagement;

• Play the role of harmonizer and bridge-builder;

• Make transparency and accountability the cornerstone of my tenure;

• Be animated by both passion and compassion in achieving our goals;

• Be sensitive to the concerns of all Member States, big and small.

• As Secretary-General, I resolve to:

• Lead by example;

• Seek excellence with humility;

• Set the highest ethical standard;

• Pursue dialogue and engagement;

• Play the role of harmonizer and bridge-builder;

• Make transparency and accountability the cornerstone of my tenure;

• Be animated by both passion and compassion in achieving our goals;

• Be sensitive to the concerns of all Member States, big and small.

General Secretary Ban Ki-moonGeneral Secretary Ban Ki-moon

• In the last 60 years, the UN has shown it can:

• Serve as a forum to set a global agenda;

• Build consensus on contentious issues;

• Set standards for nations to live by;

• Play the role of honest broker;

• Keep fighting parties apart;

• Help bring justice to those discriminated against;

• Deliver humanitarian assistance and ensure access to food, medicine, education and health care;

• Improve living conditions and alleviate poverty;

• Pursue a vigorous development agenda.

• In the last 60 years, the UN has shown it can:

• Serve as a forum to set a global agenda;

• Build consensus on contentious issues;

• Set standards for nations to live by;

• Play the role of honest broker;

• Keep fighting parties apart;

• Help bring justice to those discriminated against;

• Deliver humanitarian assistance and ensure access to food, medicine, education and health care;

• Improve living conditions and alleviate poverty;

• Pursue a vigorous development agenda.

General Secretary Ban Ki-moon on the Achievements of the UN: General Secretary Ban Ki-moon on the Achievements of the UN:

• The Cold War and the conflict between the USSR and the US prevented real success

• The veto was used frequently (the national interests of the US and USSR significant here)

• 1945-1990 the veto right was used 193 times, compare this with 10-15 vetoes between 1990-2003.

• Although liberalism was the inspirational source of the UN Charter there was always a fair measure of Realism (security self help and survival) embedded in the structure of the UN

• The Cold War and the conflict between the USSR and the US prevented real success

• The veto was used frequently (the national interests of the US and USSR significant here)

• 1945-1990 the veto right was used 193 times, compare this with 10-15 vetoes between 1990-2003.

• Although liberalism was the inspirational source of the UN Charter there was always a fair measure of Realism (security self help and survival) embedded in the structure of the UN

During the Cold War – a troubled organisation

During the Cold War – a troubled organisation

• The Post-Cold War Era – change in the global external environment (The UN was no longer locked into the bipolar power structure of the Cold War era. Had more freedom to act).

• General optimism at the end of the Cold War, sense of international relations being stabilised.

• A great deal of support for the UN as the main provider of global governance (albeit not a global government)

• Active membership of the UN was key

• A whole set of reports were launched to this effect (An agenda for peace, Boutros Boutros-Ghali 1992, Human Development Reports, UN Millennium Project )

• The Post-Cold War Era – change in the global external environment (The UN was no longer locked into the bipolar power structure of the Cold War era. Had more freedom to act).

• General optimism at the end of the Cold War, sense of international relations being stabilised.

• A great deal of support for the UN as the main provider of global governance (albeit not a global government)

• Active membership of the UN was key

• A whole set of reports were launched to this effect (An agenda for peace, Boutros Boutros-Ghali 1992, Human Development Reports, UN Millennium Project )

The re-emergence of the UN

The re-emergence of the UN

• It was no longer forbidden to question the behaviour of the member states

• New ways of thinking of Sovereignty

• In the post-Cold War era perceptions of international security threats changed - threats were civil conflict, intra-war, ethnic and religious conflict.

• emphasis upon new kinds of peacekeeping, peace enforcement and intervention.

• Emphasis on human security, an expectation that the UN should not only concern itself with the national security of states but also individuals’ security

• Humanitarian emergencies

• Military intervention a test , Kosovo and Iraq did not receive the support of the Security Council

• It was no longer forbidden to question the behaviour of the member states

• New ways of thinking of Sovereignty

• In the post-Cold War era perceptions of international security threats changed - threats were civil conflict, intra-war, ethnic and religious conflict.

• emphasis upon new kinds of peacekeeping, peace enforcement and intervention.

• Emphasis on human security, an expectation that the UN should not only concern itself with the national security of states but also individuals’ security

• Humanitarian emergencies

• Military intervention a test , Kosovo and Iraq did not receive the support of the Security Council

The re-emergence of the UN The re-emergence of the UN

• How important is the United Nations in global politics, has it lost its momentum?

• Are regional organisations more important?

• Is the UN living up to its goal of international peace and security?

• To what extent is the UN in need of reform?

• Is the UN a talking club for dominant powers?

• How important is the United Nations in global politics, has it lost its momentum?

• Are regional organisations more important?

• Is the UN living up to its goal of international peace and security?

• To what extent is the UN in need of reform?

• Is the UN a talking club for dominant powers?

Concluding Remarks Concluding Remarks