Essential+Questions!

==International Law and Organizations: The United Nations in the 21st century?==
 * **What is the role of the UN?** - maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. []
 * best known for peacekeeping, peacebuilding, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance, sustainable development, environment and refugees protection, disaster relief, counter terrorism, disarmament and non-proliferation, to promoting democracy, human rights, governance, economic and social development and international health, clearing landmines, expanding food production []

> This work continues today, as international law assumes a more central role across a wider spectrum of issues, including human rights law and international humanitarian law. []
 * **What impact has the UN had globally?** the development of [|international law] - conventions, treaties and standards - that play a central role in promoting economic and social development, as well as international peace and security. Many of the treaties brought about by the United Nations form the basis of the law that governs relations among nations.In many areas, the United Nations legal work has been pioneering, addressing problems as they take on an international dimension. It has been in the forefront of efforts to provide a legal framework in such areas as [|protecting the environment], [|regulating migrant labour], [|curbing drug trafficking] and [|combating terrorism].


 * **What nations make up the membership of the UN, and __why are certain nations NOT members__?** founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights (& now has grown to) 192 Member States []

category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process (many of them for geographical reasons), and facing more than other countries the risk of failing to come out of poverty. As such, the LDCs are considered to be in need of the highest degree of attention on the part of the international community. the UN gives a strong signal to the development partners of these countries, and points to the need for special international support measures and concessions in their favour. adopt a range of special support measures in their favour. These measures are essentially designed to reduce the competitive disadvantages LDCs suffer from in the global economy; support the development of their physical infrastructure and human resources; and enhance their institutional capacities. LDC-specific treatment mainly falls under three areas of international cooperation:
 * ** How are developing nations impacted by the UN? **
 * **low income**, in the light of a three-year average estimate of the gross national income per capita (under $750 for cases of addition to the list, above $900 for cases of graduation);
 * **weak human assets**, as measured through a composite Human Assets Index; and
 * **economic vulnerability**, as measured through a composite Economic Vulnerability Index.
 * 1) **in the multilateral trading system**, special concessions, such as non-reciprocal market access preferences (e.g. the European Union's "Everything But Arms" initiative), are granted to LDCs;
 * 2) **in the field of development financing**, bilateral, regional and multilateral donors and financial institutions are expected to give LDCs specially favourable consideration in their decisions on concessionary financing; and
 * 3) **in the area of technical assistance**, priority is given to LDCs under all cooperation programmes of the UN, and bilateral and regional development partners are encouraged to follow the same preferential policy. []

are trying to prevent deadly conflicts from proliferating by attacking the roots of these conflicts and not only the acts of violence that are the symptoms. This being true, the UN will have to continue to separate belligerents by intervening through peacekeeping missions. Up until the end of the Cold War, the UN only intervened in the majority of cases if the conflict involved two or more States. This is known as the principle of non-interference. The principle of State sovereignty was "officially" adhered to more than it is today. The first UN mission began in 1948 in Palestine and is still in place. It was baptised UNTSO, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine. UNEF I, the fist United Nations Emergency Force, was set up during the Suez Canal crisis in 1956. It was the start of veritable peacekeeping missions supported by military, police and civilian contingents. Now when images of extraordinary violence reach us, we no longer accept that such barbarous conflicts take place, be they religious or ethnic in origin and whether or not they occur within a single country. **This was the case for Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor and, more recently, Sierra Leone. []**
 * ** When does the UN intervene in international conflicts and what are some examples? **

From 1945 to the 1970’s, the [|United Nations] looked to be a strong successor to the failed League of Nations. Success of sorts in [|Korea] and the [|Congo] had boosted its international image. However, many of the problems from the [|Cold War] it could not stem. The effective occupation of Eastern Europe by [|Russia] made a mockery of the promises made at Yalta and other war meetings. The treatment of [|Hungary] in 1956 could not be stopped by the United Nations. Likewise, [|America’s] involvement in [|Vietnam] could not be stopped. By the end of the 1970’s the United Nations had lost some of its prestige. It was clear that the two superpowers, America and Russia, would follow the foreign policy that they wanted to regardless of what the UN wanted. Due to complexities of [|Cold War], UN did nothing. []
 * ** What controversial global events has the UN elected to stay out of despite global criticism? **

finance the system with assessed contributions to the budgets of the United Nations and its specialized agencies. In addition, voluntary contributions are made both to those agencies and to the special programs and funds they set up and manage. For more than 60 years, the United States has been the single largest financial contributor to the U.N. system, supplying in recent years 22% of most U.N. agency budgets. []
 * **How is the UN funded?** Participating states

Essay (Rough Draft) The United Nations is an important and prominent organization that is an integral part of life on Earth. The United Nations is an organization founded in 1945 after WWII. After the failure of the League of Nations to adequately punish the Axis Powers, the United Nations was formed by 51 countries. These countries were and still are devoted to instating and maintaining international peace, better social relations around the globe, and a better standard of living for everyone on the planet. Today, there are 192 member states that make up the United Nations. The UN is best known for peacekeeping, peacebuilding, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance, as well as a multitude of other means of assistance around the globe. The United Nations has been a major contributor of international law, treaties and standards as well as being the prime promoter of international peace and security. International laws have been made with the help of the United Nations, and these laws help to govern relations among many countries. Problems are becoming more internationalized, and the spectrum of the duties and responsibilities of the UN is widening and taking on new tasks and challenges. In addition to promoting peace and security around the globe, the United Nations also plays a role in aiding developing nations. These countries are often refered to as LDC's or Least Developed Countries. These countries are economically underprivileged mostly due to their geographical location. These countries are considered to need the highest degree of attention and help in the international community. Because these countries are underprivileged, the United Nations encourages partner countries to make special concessions for the wellbeing of these countries. LDC's have a low income, and often the average person has a yearly income of $750 USD or lower per year. These countries are also considered to have weak human assets as assesed by a special index. in addition, these countries are economically vulnerrable. In order to combat these three major disadvantages, the United Nations makes special concessions for the country in order to level the playing field and make it easy for the country to better participate in the global economy. The United Nations also shows support by building the countries infastructure. In addition, countries around the world are expected to make special exceptions for these countries. These actions do not come without a price however. The United Nations is funded by participating member states of the UN. Contributions are assessed and determined as to how much a country has to pay in order to keep their spot in the United Nations. For instance, the United States is one of the Big Five that have a powerful hold over the United Nations and have the ability to swing decisions in their favor. The Big Five are the five permanent members of the Security Council. In addition to the United States, the other four members are the United Kingdom, France, China, and the Russian Confederation. These five nations are the primary contributors of funding to the United Nations. In fact, for over sixty years, the United States has been the primary contributer to the United Nations funding, providing 22% of the final budget. The United Nations has been playing the role of international peacekeeper for years now, and that's by no means an easy job. Since it's creation in 1945, the United Nations hasn't been able to stop every act of atrocity commited by one group of people to another. An example of this is the period of time follwing the Cold War. Due to complications sprouting from the war, the United Nations was unable to properly handle situations that followed. Up until this time, the UN looked to be a stong force that was capable of handling international affairs, but the complications from the Cold War caused the world to doubt the United Nations. The United Nations were unable to come through on promises made at previous conferences. By 1970, the United Nations didn't seem to be as strong and as in control as they were prior to the Cold War. Although the UN hasn't come through with all of the promises made, they have done their best to made bad situations better. The UN has intervened in countless issues around the globe to help sustain world peace and security. The UN has been behind multiple peacekeeping missions that treat not only the effects of the problem, but also the problem or the cause itself. The UN adopted the Principle of Non-Interference before the Cold War and would only intervene in cases that involved two or more states. The first mission undertaken by the United Nations was in 1948 in Palestine. From this mission, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) was officially created. As a result of the Suez Canal Crisis in 1956, the UN put into effect the first United Nations Emergency Force. This was the start of peacekeeping missions supported by the military, civilians and police. From that point foward, the United Nations and the world itself stopped accepting the fact that civil and human attrocites such as the Rwandan and Kosovo Genocides occur. We started to become more aware of what was happening in our world. Intervening is no longer enough. We have a responsibility to ourselves and to our fellow man to protect them. Human rights must be protected and this is just one of the many goals that the United Nations hopes to bring about. Years ago, world peace sounded like a utopian fantasy, but thanks to the United Nations, world peace is becoming more of a possibility and less of a joke. Peace is becoming more atainable with each good act done around the world. The United Nations is more than just an organization. It has become a global and international beacon of hope. A group of ordinary men striving for an extraordinary cause. The United Nations is much more than what appears on the surface.