4. the united nations general assembley

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The United Nations General Assembly

Since WW II, the4 UN has been the centre-piece of global governance

The UN is a complex system with many organs and IGOs within the UNsystem such as the UN Conference on Trade and Development

(UNCTAD), and the UN Drug Control Programme (UNDCP)

UN General Assembly is at the centre stage

Its three weeks of General debate allows small and large states to

address all the nations of the world

The UN Security Council is the core of the global security system

The 2002-2003 debate over with Iraq to endorse a US-led war or

not?

The 1999 debate over NATO intervention in Kosovo triggered

debate over a possible new norm of humanitarian intervention

The unprecedented Millennium Summit and declaration

Awarding of 2001 Nobel Peace Prize to UN and Secretary General

Kofi Annan

The founding spirit

An organization that could help avoid future conflicts and

promote international economic and social cooperation

Foundations of United Nations From League to United Nations

The Atlantic Charter of August 1941 a joint declaration by US

President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston


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Churchill calling for collaboration on economic issues and a

permanent system of security

The UN Charter was then drafted in October 1944 based on the

principle of sovereign equality of members.

Decisions on security issues would require unanimity of the

permanent members of the Security Council.

The UN Charters Key Principles

The most fundamental principle is the sovereign equality of

the member states.

All member states shall:

(1)Refrain from the threat or use of force against theterritorial integrity or political independence of any state,

or in any manner inconsistent with UN purposes,

(2)Settle their international disputes by peaceful means(3)Article 2 asserts that Nothing in the present Charter

shall authorize the UN to intervene in matters which are

essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state.

Since the end of Cold War, many of the UN Peacekeeping Operations

have involved intrastate rather than interstate conflicts, in other words,

conflicts within rather than between states.

In Article 51, the Charter affirms states Right of individual or collectiveself-defence against armed attack. This self-defence principle, has led

to many debates:


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In the Middle East conflicts, was it Israel or the Arab states that

first used force?

In the debate over Iraq, did Iraq possess weapons of mass-

destruction and did these pose a threat to the United States and

other states?

The Major Organs of the UN

The Security Council, the General assembly, the Economic and

Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the international Court of

Justice, and the Secretariat

The affiliated Organizations

There are 16 of these independently established, specialized

agencies like WHO, FAO, UNESCO, IMF, World Bank (but not

the World Trade Organization)

General Assembly

One state, one vote formula

Power only to make recommendations to members

Surveillance and control over all UN programmes and subsidiary

bodies

Elect Non-permanent members of the Security Council

ECOSOC, and the Trusteeship Council,

Appointing judges to the ICJ

Global resource management


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Human rights

Legal issues

Make inquiries and studies with respect to conflict

Discuss a situation and make recommendations when Security

Council is deadlocked by a veto situation (Suez and Hungary

1956; The Middle East 1958; the Congo 1960; Palestine - 1997)

Development of International Law

The Common Heritage principle was incorporated into the

1967 treaty on Outer Space and 1982 Convention on Law of

the Sea.

Multilateral law-making treaties, including the 1961 Vienna

Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the 1969 Vienna Convention

on the Law of Treaties, the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation

of Nuclear weapons, the 1971 Seabed Arms Control Treaty

All the major international conventions on Human Rights

Decision-making in the general Assembly

The Cold War led to the formation of two competing coalitions of

states aligned with either the United States or the Soviet Union.

Since the Cold Wars end, Russia and other East European States

have tended to vote with the West Europeans or largerNorthern Group.

North-South issues centered on economic inequalities and

development follow colonialism and decolonization, and Great

Power military capabilities.


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The concept of human Security encompasses a set of agenda

items that incorporate human rights, development, international

security, and the environment.

Criticism of the UN General Assembly

The number of resolutions passed: 343 per year during 1981-1985

Since the Cold Wars end, the General Assembly has been

marginalized as the epicenter of UN activity shifted back to the

Security Council

The General Assembly needs reform and revitalization.

Nothing can be done, without the political will of the majority of

states to reform

4. the united nations general assembley

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