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United Nations: Peacekeeping, Arms Control, Human Rights And International Law
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Published: March 12, 2007
Formed in 1945 from the remnants of the League of Nations and in the wake of World War II, the United Nations offers a forum for international diplomacy and cross-border cooperation. Although the United Nations seems a diverse body addressing a broad spectrum of international concerns, most of its efforts fall within the parameters of either peace and security, economic and social development, human rights, humanitarian affairs or international law.
Although an international organization, the United Nations is headquartered in New York, New York with agencies in Geneva, Switzerland; The Hague, Netherlands; Vienna, Austria; Bonn, Germany; Montreal, Canada and Copenhagen, Denmark.
Compared to the League of Nations, the United Nations member roster is very long, featuring 192 member states. Although membership accords all states equal voting participation, members of the UN Security Council (which features five permanent members, ten rotating members) hold power over parliamentary procedures and maintain exclusive powers such as veto power.
Although the UN is perhaps best known for their vitally important blue helmed peacekeepers, other agencies work under the UN banner. Within the United Nations are agencies such as the World Health Organization, United Nations Childrens' Fund, and host of committees and subcommittees.
Historically, UN peacekeeping forces have participated in domestic and international conflicts in most corners of the world, working in a range of capacities including emergency forces, observational roles, verification roles, and transitional administrations. In the Middle East, the UN intervened in wars between Iraq and Iran, and Kuwait and Iraq as well as internal conflicts in Lebanon and Yemen. The UN also participated in conflicts in Europe, notably in the former Yugoslavia, Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia, the Privlaka Peninsula and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The UN also made attempts at brokering peace accords and settling internal conflicts in East Timor, between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Cambodia, India, Tajikistan and West New Guinea. In the Americas, the UN was called in to stem internal conflicts in Guatemala, El Salvador, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Perhaps the UN's largest tasks have occurred in Africa specifically in stifling domestic and cross-border conflicts in Burundi, Sierra Leone, Angola, the Central African Republic, Chad, Libya, Congo, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda and Somalia.
Currently the UN is active in many hot-spots and potential powder kegs in places where it has staged interventions. In the Middle East, UN peacekeeping forces have taken broad regional roles, but also have concentrated on troubled areas like the Golan Heights and Lebanon. In Africa, the UN is currently working in the Sudan, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as widely across the Western Sahara. The UN is also working in troubled regions in Europe. Chief among them are Cyprus, Georgia, and Kosovo.
Although the historical and contemporary entanglements that have sought UN intervention are vastly different, the United Nations sees arms control as one of a number of common denominators between yesterday's and today's conflicts and a major factor in preventing tomorrow's conflicts. Specifically, the UN is seeking arms control through disarmament. The UN has undertaken a multifaceted approach to curb violence by supporting treaties aimed at the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, supporting talks and transparency regarding the trade of small arms and light weapons, as well as major conventional arms such as "battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopter, warships, missiles and missile launchers."
The United Nations has further broadened its scope by refocusing its efforts on human rights, specifically the resolution known as the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The United Nations Millennium Declaration is founded on the "fundamental values" deemed "essential to international relations in the twenty-first century" that include freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, and shared responsibility. In that vain, the resolution seeks to meet eight goals by 2015. Included are efforts to "eradicate extreme poverty and hunger,” to "achieve universal primary education,” to "promote gender equality and empower women,” to "reduce child mortality,” to "improve maternal health,” to "combat HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other diseases,” to "ensure environmental sustainability,” and to "develop a global partnership for development.”
Although the outline of the United Nations Millennium development project may seem lofty, the United Nation sees the project as not only a way to "meet the needs of the world's poorest,” but as the means to "reaffirm our faith" in the United Nations as an "indispensable [foundation]" for a "more peaceful, prosperous and just world.”
Sources:
Conventional Arms Branch of the UN Department for Disarmament Affairs. United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://disarmament.un.org/cab/>.
United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs.United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://disarmament.un.org/wmd/>.
United Nations Peacekeeping. United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/>.
Main Bodies. United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.un.org/aboutun/mainbodies.htm>.< br />UN Millennium Development Goals.United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/>.
Back Ground.United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration/ares5 52e.pdf>.
Although an international organization, the United Nations is headquartered in New York, New York with agencies in Geneva, Switzerland; The Hague, Netherlands; Vienna, Austria; Bonn, Germany; Montreal, Canada and Copenhagen, Denmark.
Compared to the League of Nations, the United Nations member roster is very long, featuring 192 member states. Although membership accords all states equal voting participation, members of the UN Security Council (which features five permanent members, ten rotating members) hold power over parliamentary procedures and maintain exclusive powers such as veto power.
Although the UN is perhaps best known for their vitally important blue helmed peacekeepers, other agencies work under the UN banner. Within the United Nations are agencies such as the World Health Organization, United Nations Childrens' Fund, and host of committees and subcommittees.
Historically, UN peacekeeping forces have participated in domestic and international conflicts in most corners of the world, working in a range of capacities including emergency forces, observational roles, verification roles, and transitional administrations. In the Middle East, the UN intervened in wars between Iraq and Iran, and Kuwait and Iraq as well as internal conflicts in Lebanon and Yemen. The UN also participated in conflicts in Europe, notably in the former Yugoslavia, Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia, the Privlaka Peninsula and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The UN also made attempts at brokering peace accords and settling internal conflicts in East Timor, between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Cambodia, India, Tajikistan and West New Guinea. In the Americas, the UN was called in to stem internal conflicts in Guatemala, El Salvador, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Perhaps the UN's largest tasks have occurred in Africa specifically in stifling domestic and cross-border conflicts in Burundi, Sierra Leone, Angola, the Central African Republic, Chad, Libya, Congo, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda and Somalia.
Currently the UN is active in many hot-spots and potential powder kegs in places where it has staged interventions. In the Middle East, UN peacekeeping forces have taken broad regional roles, but also have concentrated on troubled areas like the Golan Heights and Lebanon. In Africa, the UN is currently working in the Sudan, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as widely across the Western Sahara. The UN is also working in troubled regions in Europe. Chief among them are Cyprus, Georgia, and Kosovo.
Although the historical and contemporary entanglements that have sought UN intervention are vastly different, the United Nations sees arms control as one of a number of common denominators between yesterday's and today's conflicts and a major factor in preventing tomorrow's conflicts. Specifically, the UN is seeking arms control through disarmament. The UN has undertaken a multifaceted approach to curb violence by supporting treaties aimed at the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, supporting talks and transparency regarding the trade of small arms and light weapons, as well as major conventional arms such as "battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopter, warships, missiles and missile launchers."
The United Nations has further broadened its scope by refocusing its efforts on human rights, specifically the resolution known as the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The United Nations Millennium Declaration is founded on the "fundamental values" deemed "essential to international relations in the twenty-first century" that include freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, and shared responsibility. In that vain, the resolution seeks to meet eight goals by 2015. Included are efforts to "eradicate extreme poverty and hunger,” to "achieve universal primary education,” to "promote gender equality and empower women,” to "reduce child mortality,” to "improve maternal health,” to "combat HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other diseases,” to "ensure environmental sustainability,” and to "develop a global partnership for development.”
Although the outline of the United Nations Millennium development project may seem lofty, the United Nation sees the project as not only a way to "meet the needs of the world's poorest,” but as the means to "reaffirm our faith" in the United Nations as an "indispensable [foundation]" for a "more peaceful, prosperous and just world.”
Sources:
Conventional Arms Branch of the UN Department for Disarmament Affairs. United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://disarmament.un.org/cab/>.
United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs.United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://disarmament.un.org/wmd/>.
United Nations Peacekeeping. United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/>.
Main Bodies. United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.un.org/aboutun/mainbodies.htm>.< br />UN Millennium Development Goals.United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/>.
Back Ground.United Nations. 2007. 28 Feb. 2007 <http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration/ares5 52e.pdf>.
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