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OOffffiicciiaall NNaammee::
United Nations
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178.
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Arabic, Chinese, English, French,
Russian, Spanish.
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SSEECCUURRIITTYY CCOOUUNNCCIILL
Under Chapter Seven, the Council has broader power to decide what
measures to be taken in situations involving "threats to the peace,
breaches of the peace, or acts of aggression." In such situations, the
Council is not limited to recommendations but may take action,
including the use of armed force, "to maintain or restore
international peace and security." This was the basis for UN armed
action in Korea in 1950 and the use of coalition forces in Iraq and
Kuwait in 1991.
GGEENNEERRAALL AASSSSEEMMBBLLYY
There are many differences in wealth, size, and outlook among the
developing countries. Nevertheless, this large group (some 120
countries in the General Assembly), known as "the Third World," the
"non-aligned," and the "Group of 77," has generally voted and acted in
concert. Because of their numbers, they tend to determine the
agenda of the Assembly, the character of its debates, and the nature
of its decisions. For many developing countries, the United Nations
is particularly important. It is the collective source of much of
their diplomatic influence and the basic outlet for their foreign
relations initiatives. Increasingly, they seek inclusion in the
councils of power, and the UN provides such a policy forum.
The only one remaining is the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
(TTPI), designated as a strategic area and administered by the
United States under a 1947 agreement with the Security Council. On
May 28, 1986, the Trusteeship Council determined that the United
States had fulfilled its obligations as trustee and asked it to make
arrangements for trusteeship termination by September 30, 1986,
according to the new status arrangements negotiated with TTPI
governments and ratified by their peoples in UN-observed acts of
self-determination.
SSeeccrreettaarriiaatt..
The Charter also provides that the Secretary General and staff shall
not seek or receive instructions from any government or authority
other than the United Nations. Each UN member is enjoined to
respect the international character of the Secretariat and not seek
to influence its staff. The Secretary General alone is responsible
for the staff selection.
Headquartered
in Vienna, Austria, the IAEA seeks both to promote the peaceful
application of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for military
purposes. The IAEA's programs encourage the development and
transfer of the peaceful application of nuclear technology, provide
international safeguards against its misuse, facilitate the
application of safety measures in its use, and help to ensure the
environmentally safe disposal of nuclear waste.
Headquartered in
Geneva, Switzerland, ILO is unique among international
organizations because of its tripartite character: National
delegations consist of representatives from government,
management, and labor. US delegations are comprised of
representatives from the federal government, the AFL-CIO, and the
US Council for International Business. ILO seeks to strengthen
worker rights, improve working and living conditions, create
employment, and provide information and training opportunities. ILO
programs of direct benefit to the United States include the
occupational safety and health-hazard-alert system and the labor
standards and human rights programs.
Headquartered
in London, England, IMO promotes cooperation among governments
and the shipping industry to improve maritime safety and to prevent
marine pollution. A significant IMO accomplishment was the
adoption in 1986 of a set of measures, drafted by the United States
following the 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro, to protect
passengers and crews on board ships. IMO has also played a major
role in coordinating global response to major oil spills. In November
1990, in reaction to the Exxon Valdez oil spill and in response to the
1989 Group of Seven economic summit in Paris, a new international
convention on oil pollution preparedness and response was
completed and opened for signature.
Headquartered in New
York City, UNDP has a US administrator and is the largest
multilateral source of grant technical assistance in the world.
Voluntarily funded, it provides expert advice, training, and limited
equipment to developing countries, with increasing emphasis on
assistance to the poorest countries.
Headquartered in
Nairobi, Kenya, UNEP leads and coordinates UN environmental
activities, calling attention to global and regional environmental
problems and stimulating programs to address the problems. UNEP
assists developing countries in implementing environmentally sound
development policies and has produced a worldwide environmental
monitoring system to standardize international data. UNEP also has
developed guidelines and treaties on issues such as the international
transport of potentially harmful chemicals, trans-boundary air
pollution, and contamination of international waterways.
Headquartered in Geneva,
Switzerland, WHO acts as a coordinating authority on international
public health. After years of fighting smallpox, WHO declared in
1979 that the disease had been eradicated. It is nearing success in
developing vaccines against malaria and schistosomiasis and aims
to eradicate polio by the year 2000. WHO also is coordinating global
research into the causes, cures, and potential vaccines against
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Overall, the agency is
working toward the goal of "health for all by the year 2000" by
seeking a level of health for all the world's people that will enable
them to lead productive lives.
FFIINNAANNCCIINNGG
The regular 2-year budgets of the United Nations and its specialized
agencies are funded by assessments. In the case of the UN, the
General Assembly approves the regular budget and determines the
assessment for each member. This is broadly based on the relative
capacity of each country to pay, as measured by national income
statistics, although there are some variations.
-- A budget ceiling;
Since the United Nations was created, there have been many
outbreaks of international violence in which the United Nations has
helped to reduce the danger of wider conflict. It has opened the way
to negotiated settlements through its service as a center of debate
and negotiation, as well as through fact-finding missions,
mediators, and truce observers. The United States and other like-
minded nations seek to enhance the effectiveness of the Security
Council in dealing with international conflicts. Comprised of troops
and equipment supplied by a broad range of nations, UN peace-
keeping forces sometimes have been able to limit or prevent
conflict. With experience in the operation of such forces over many
years, this UN activity has become increasingly prominent as
cooperation has increased in recent years among permanent members
of the Security Council. The UN cannot impose peace, however.
Some conflicts never have been discussed by the Security Council,
and others have proved to be beyond the capacity of the UN to
influence. Linkage of UN peace-keeping efforts to a viable political
process has been key to their success.
In the search for a peaceful solution in the Middle East, the United
Nations has been involved in various ways over the past 43 years.
Its efforts have ranged from UN-sponsored negotiations to the
actual deployment of UN troops. For example, the fighting that broke
out when the State of Israel was established in 1948 was halted by
a UN cease-fire. UN mediators helped bring about armistice
agreements between Israel and Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
Those agreements provided for implementation by mixed armistice
commissions and the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO).
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) was established to assist
Arab refugees from the conflict.
Efforts by the United States and other countries over the years to
enhance the effectiveness of the Security Council in dealing with
international conflicts led to an effective worldwide coalition in
1990. For only the second time in UN history, and for the first time
with the USSR's support, the UN formally authorized the use of force
against an aggressor country. Twelve UN Security Council
resolutions demanded that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait. When Iraq
did not do so by the January 15, 1991, deadline, the US-led forces
expelled Iraq from Kuwait.
With its new, higher profile, however, the UN has had to make
difficult choices. Limited funds and the UN's own limited capacity
to plan and implement peace-keeping operations required that
priorities be established. At the recent UN Security Council summit,
12 other heads of government joined President Bush in reiterating
their support for collective security. They encouraged the Secretary
General to increase his efforts not only to resolve conflicts but to
head them off. It was recognized, however, that fundamental to the
success of any UN peace-keeping operation is the full cooperation of
the parties. It was further acknowledged that regional
organizations could play a constructive peace-keeping role and
might be better situated, on a case-by-case basis, to intercede and
mediate the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
HHUUMMAANN RRIIGGHHTTSS
The pursuit of human rights was one of the central reasons for
creation of the United Nations. World War II atrocities, including
the execution of millions of Jews, led to a ready consensus that the
new organization must work to prevent any similar tragedies in the
future.
Other UN agencies also act on human rights concerns. The ILO was
one of the first agencies to set high standards and reporting
requirements on human rights situations in the labor field. A
special committee of UNESCO, of which the United States is not a
member, examines human rights complaints from individuals,
groups, and non-governmental organizations within the fields of
education, science, culture, and communication.
The 1982 and 1983 sessions of the UNHRC marked a departure in this
regard, by taking public action on an East European country, Poland,
for the first time in the commission's history. At its 1988 session,
the commission took a major step toward investigating the human
rights situation in Cuba, primarily as a result of efforts on the part
of the United States. At that session, the United States proposed a
resolution which would inscribe Cuba on the commission's 1989
agenda. This US initiative prompted negotiations that resulted in an
agreement to send an investigatory team to Cuba under UNHRC
auspices and according to UN rules and regulations regarding special
rapporteurs. As a result of that investigation, conducted in Cuba in
September 1988, the 1989 session of the UNHRC was presented with
a 400-page report on the human rights situation in Cuba. At the
1992 session, the commission, noting no improvement in the human
rights situation there, decided to appoint an individual as special
rapporteur to keep Cuban human rights under scrutiny.
GGeenneerraall BBeenneeffiittss..
Participation in the United Nations and
its affiliated programs and agencies helps the United States in many
ways: It provides important mechanisms for the advancement of US
foreign policy objectives; it can serve as a powerful platform for
the advancement of Western values and ideals; it facilitates large-
scale humanitarian operations and multilateral efforts to deal with
global problems, such as famine and pestilence; and it can serve the
cause of peace.
The United States and other major Western donors encourage the UN
system to promote private-sector approaches to development in the
Third World and to loosen the bonds of government-controlled
markets and commodity-pricing arrangements. Today, UN technical
assistance and financing systems are supplying needed experience,
skills, equipment, resources, and support programs that encourage
self-reliance in developing-country societies, that encourage change
in government policies that are not conducive to development, and
that allow Third World populations to better cope with difficult
circumstances.
DDiirreecctt BBeenneeffiittss..
The United States was a major force in the creation of the United
Nations in 1945. The Senate, by a vote of 89 to 2, gave its consent
to the ratification of the UN Charter on July 28, 1945. In December
1945, the Senate and the House of Representatives, by unanimous
votes, requested that the United Nations make its headquarters in
the United States. Since then, the United States has been a major
participant; however, the changing political makeup of the world
following World War II, particularly with the dismantling of the
major European empires, produced changes in the United Nations and
in US approaches to UN issues.
The United States also has pursued the universality principle with
respect to UN membership, stating that the United States would
cease participation in, and support for, any UN body that excluded
Israel or denied Israel the full privileges of membership. This
affirmation is supported by congressional legislation that outlines
the same principle and calls for the same action by the United
States if Israel is denied full membership privileges in any of the UN
bodies, agencies, or their subsidiary components.
In 1991, the UN took a decisive step long sought by the United States
when it repealed the determination appearing in UN resolution 3379
of 1975 that Zionism is a form of racism. The assertion equating
Zionism with racism challenged the right of the State of Israel to
exist and undermined the integrity and even-handedness of the UN as
an international organization. On December 12, 1991, the United
States and 85 co-sponsors tabled a draft resolution which sought to
revoke the determination. On December 16, 1991, this resolution
was adopted by a vote of 111 (US)-25-13 (with 15 absences). This
action by the General Assembly was an extremely important step in
restoring credibility to the UN.
UUSS RReepprreesseennttaattiioonn
Afghanistan (1946)
Albania (1955)
Algeria (1962)
Angola (1976)
Antigua and Barbuda (1981)
Argentina
Armenia (1992)
Australia
Austria (1955)
Azerbaijan (1992)
The Bahamas (1973)
Bahrain (1971)
Bangladesh (1974)
Barbados (1966)
Belarus (formerly Byelorussian SSR)
Belgium
Belize (1981)
Benin (1960)
Bhutan (1971)
Bolivia
Bosnia-Hercegovina (1992)
Botswana (1966)
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam (1984)
Bulgaria (1955)
Burkina Faso (1960)
Burma (1948)
Burundi (1962)
Cambodia (1955)
Cameroon (1960)
Canada
Cape Verde (1975)
Central African Republic (1960)
Chad (1960)
Chile
China2
Colombia
Comoros (1975)
Congo (1960)
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire (1960)
Croatia (1992)
Cuba
Cyprus (1960)
Czechoslovakia
Denmark
Djibouti (1977)
Dominica (1978)
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea (1968)
Estonia (1991)
Ethiopia
Fiji (1970)
Finland (1955)
France
Gabon (1960)
The Gambia (1965)
Georgia (1992)
Germany (1973)
Ghana (1957)
Greece
Grenada (1974)
Guatemala
Guinea (1958)
Guinea-Bissau (1974)
Guyana (1966)
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary (1955)
Iceland (1946)
India
Indonesia (1950)
Iran
Iraq
Ireland (1955)
Israel (1949)
Italy (1955)
Jamaica (1962)
Japan (1956)
Jordan (1955)
Kazakhstan (1992)
Kenya (1963)
Korea, North (1991)
Korea, South (1991)
Kuwait (1963)
Kyrgystan (1992)
Laos (1955)
Latvia (1991)
Lebanon
Lesotho (1966)
Liberia
Libya (1955)
Liechtenstein (1990)
Lithuania (1991)
Luxembourg
Madagascar (1960)
Malawi (1964)
Malaysia (1957)
Maldives (1965)
Mali (1960)
Malta (1964)
Marshall Islands (1991)
Mauritania (1961)
Mauritius (1968)
Mexico
Micronesia (1991)
Moldova (1992)
Mongolia (1961)
Morocco (1956)
Mozambique (1975)
Namibia (1990)
Nepal (1955)
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger (1960)
Nigeria (1960)
Norway
Oman (1971)
Pakistan (1947)
Panama
Papua New Guinea (1975)
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal (1955)
Qatar (1971)
Romania (1955)
Russia3
Rwanda (1962)
St. Kitts and Nevis (1983)
St. Lucia (1979
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (1980)
Samoa (1976)
San Marino (1992)
Sao Tome and Principe (1975)
Saudi Arabia
Senegal (1960)
Seychelles (1976)
Sierra Leone (1961)
Singapore (1965)
Slovenia (1992)
Solomon Islands (1978)
Somalia (1960)
South Africa
Spain (1955)
Sri Lanka (1955)
Sudan (1956)
Suriname (1975)
Swaziland (1968)
Sweden (1946)
Syria
Tanzania (1961)
Tajikistan (1992)
Thailand (1946)
Togo (1960)
Trinidad and Tobago (1962)
Tunisia (1956)
Turkey
Turkmenistan (1992)
Uganda (1962)
Ukraine (formerly Ukrainian SSR)
United Arab Emirates (1971)
United Kingdom
United States of America
Uruguay
Uzbekistan (1992)
Vanuatu (1981)
Venezuela
Vietnam (1977)
Yemen (1947)
Zaire (1960)
Zambia (1964)
Zimbabwe (1980)
2By Resolution 2758 (XXVI) of Oct. 25, 1971, the General Assembly
decided "to restore all its rights to the People's Republic of China
and to recognize the representative of its Government as the only
legitimate representative of China to the United Nations."
Armenia (March)
Azerbaijan (March)
Bosnia-Hercegovina (May)
Croatia (May)
Georgia (July)
Kazakhstan (March)
Kyrgyzstan (March)
Moldova (March)
San Marino (March)
Slovenia (May)
Tajikistan (March)
Turkmenistan (March)
Uzbekistan (March)
HHOOWW TTOO OORRDDEERR BBAACCKKGGRROOUUNNDD NNOOTTEESS IINN PPAAPPEERR