Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

Topic: Achievement and failures of UN according to its charter, How to reform the UN

OUTLINE

1. INTRODUCTION
2. What is UNO
3. Formation of UN
4. BACKGROUND OF UNO:

5. BACKGROUND OF UNO:

6. DECLARATION OF UN

By the Allies of World War II-1942

7. The Charter and its objectives:

8. Principal organs of the United Nations
1. UN General Assembly
(Deliberative assembly of all UN member states)
-Functions of General Assembly
2. UN Secretariat
(Administrative organ of the UN)
-Function of Secretariat
3. INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE\
(Universal court for international law )
-Function of ICJ
4. UN Security Council
(For international security issues)
_Function of Security Council
5. UN Economic and Social Council
For global economic and social affairs
-Function of E.S.C
6. UN Trusteeship Council
(For administering trust territories (currently inactive) 
Function of Trusteeship Council
9. ACHIEVMENTS
Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

10. FAILURES
11.Why the UN Fail to achieve the durable peace:
12. NEEDS FOR REFORMS:
13. CONCLUTION

INTRODUCTION:

The Charter of the United Nations was signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, at the conclusion of
the United Nations Conference on International Organization, and came into force on 24 October 1945.
The Statute of the International Court of Justice is an integral part of the Charter.

What is UN?

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization that aims to

maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve
international cooperation, and be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations. It is the largest,
most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental
organization in the world. The UN is headquartered on international territory in New York City;
other main offices are in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna and The Hague.

Formation of UN

The world witnessed two devastating wars in the 20th century. The First World War
broke out in 1914 and continued till 1918. Millions of people were killed, wounded, maimed,
crippled and rendered homeless.

The horror and tragedy of the First World War led to a universal desire for peace.

It was felt that some international organization should be created to prevent future wars. Out of
this desire was born the League of Nations. The primary aim of the League of Nations was to
preserve peace and promote international cooperation.

The League of Nations failed to maintain peace and the Second World War broke out in 1939.
The outbreak of the Second World War revealed to the world the weaknesses of the League of
Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

Nations. It was felt that a much stronger international organization should be created, if the
world was to have peace. The Second World War which broke out in 1939 came to an end in
1945.

BACKGROUND OF UNO:

The UN was established after World War II with the aim of preventing future wars,
succeeding the ineffective League of Nations. On 25 April 1945, 50 governments met in San
Francisco for a conference and started drafting the UN Charter, which was adopted on 25 June
1945 and took effect on 24 October 1945, when the UN began operations. Pursuant to the
Charter, the organization's objectives include maintaining international peace and security,
protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and
upholding international law. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; this number grew to
193 in 2011, representing the vast majority of the world's sovereign states.

The organization's mission to preserve world peace was complicated in its early decades by
the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union and their respective allies. Its missions
have consisted primarily of unarmed military observers and lightly armed troops with primarily
monitoring, reporting and confidence-building roles. UN membership grew significantly
following widespread decolonization beginning in the 1960s. Since then, 80 former colonies
have gained independence, including 11 trust territories that had been monitored by
the Trusteeship Council. By the 1970s, the UN's budget for economic and social development
programmes far outstripped its spending on peacekeeping. After the end of the Cold War, the
UN shifted and expanded its field operations, undertaking a wide variety of complex tasks.

Origans: The UN has six principal organs: the General Assembly; the Security Council;
the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); the Trusteeship Council; the International Court
of Justice; and the UN Secretariat. The UN System includes a multitude of specialized agencies,
such as the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization, the World Food
Programme, UNESCO, and UNICEF. Additionally, non-governmental organizations may be
granted consultative status with ECOSOC and other agencies to participate in the UN's work.
The UN's chief administrative officer is the Secretary-General, currently Portuguese politician
Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

and diplomat António Guterres, who began his five year-term on 1 January 2017. The
organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states.

The UN, its officers, and its agencies have won many Nobel Peace Prizes, though other
evaluations of its effectiveness have been mixed. Some commentators believe the organization to
be an important force for peace and human development, while others have called it ineffective,
biased, or corrupt.

DECLARATION OF UN
By the Allies of World War II-1942

The earliest concrete plan for a new world organization began under the aegis of the U.S.
State Department in 1939. The text of the "Declaration by United Nations" was drafted at
the White House on 29 December 1941, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister
Winston Churchill, and Roosevelt aide Harry Hopkins. It incorporated Soviet suggestions, but
left no role for France. "Four Policemen" was coined to refer to four major Allied
countries, United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Republic of China, which emerged
in the Declaration by United Nations.  Roosevelt first coined the term United Nations to describe
the Allied countries. "On New Year's Day 1942, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister
Churchill, Maxim Litvinov, of the USSR, and T. V. Soong, of China, signed a short document
which later came to be known as the United Nations Declaration and the next day the
representatives of twenty-two other nations added their signatures." The term United
Nations was first officially used when 26 governments signed this Declaration. One major
change from the Atlantic Charter was the addition of a provision for religious freedom, which
Stalin approved after Roosevelt insisted.  By 1 March 1945, 21 additional states had signed.

A JOINT DECLARATION BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE UNITED

KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND, THE UNION OF SOVIET
SOCIALIST REPUBLICS, CHINA, AUSTRALIA, BELGIUM, CANADA, COSTA RICA,
CUBA, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, EL SALVADOR, GREECE,
GUATEMALA, HAITI, HONDURAS, INDIA, LUXEMBOURG, NETHERLANDS, NEW
ZEALAND, NICARAGUA, NORWAY, PANAMA, POLAND, SOUTH AFRICA,
YUGOSLAVIA
Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

The Governments signatory hereto,

Having subscribed to a common program of purposes and principles embodied in the Joint
Declaration of the President of the United States of America and the Prime Minister of Great
Britain dated August 14, 1941, known as the Atlantic Charter,

Being convinced that complete victory over their enemies is essential to defend life, liberty,
independence and religious freedom, and to preserve human rights and justice in their own lands
as well as in other lands, and that they are now engaged in a common struggle against savage and
brutal forces seeking to subjugate the world,

OR

The Charter had the following objectives:

The objectives of the United Nations, according to its Charter, are:

(1) To maintain international peace and security.

(2) To develop friendly relations among nations on the basis of equality and the principle of self-
determination.

(3) To foster worldwide cooperation in solving economic, social, cultural and humanitarian
problems.

(4) To promote human rights and fundamental freedom for the people of the world.

(5) To serve as a centre where various nations can coordinate their activities towards the
attainment of the objectives of the United Nations.

(6) To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war

Principal organs of the United Nations

UN General Assembly
— Deliberative assembly of all UN member states —
Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

The General Assembly is the largest organ of the UN. All members of the UN are members of
the General Assembly. Each state can send up to five representatives but is entitled to one vote in
the Assembly. This ensures that all the member states have equal status.

The General Assembly meets once a year for three months. But special sessions may be held
during times of crisis. At the beginning of every session, the Assembly elects a new President.

The functions of the General Assembly are as follows:

1. It can discuss any matter affecting international peace and security.

2. It makes recommendations for peaceful settlements of disputes.

3. It passes the budget of the UN.

4. It elects the non-permanent members of the Security Council.

5. It also elects the members of the Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council.

6. It admits new members to the UN on the recommendation of the Security Council.

7. The Security Council and the General Assembly elect the members of the International Court
of Justice.

8. In recent years the General Assembly has increased its power through a resolution called
Uniting for Peace Resolution. The General Assembly can make recommendations for “collective
measures, including the use of armed forces”, in case the Security Council is unable to take a
decision during a crisis.

Decisions are taken in the General Assembly by a simple majority vote. In some important cases
a two-thirds majority vote is required for taking a decision.

UN Secretariat

— Administrative organ of the UN —

Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

The Secretariat is the principal administrative department of the UN. It is headed by the
Secretary-General appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security
Council for a term of five years. He can be re-elected.

The staff of the Secretariat is appointed by the Secretary-General. They are chosen from among
the 192 member countries. The Secretary- General holds a key position in the administration of
the affairs of the UN. He organizes conferences, oversees peacekeeping operations, drafts reports
on economic and social trends, prepares studies on human rights, mediates in international
disputes and prepares budget estimates.

It is to be noted that the United Nations can achieve success only if the member states cooperate
with it. All member countries must abide by the policies and programmes of the United Nations,
if the latter is to succeed as a peace-keeping organisation.

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

— Universal court for international law —

ICJ
The International Court of Justice, located in The Hague, Netherlands, is the principal judicial
organ of the United Nations.

The Court consists of 15 Judges from different countries elected by the General Assembly and
the Security Council. They are elected for a nine-year term. No two judges can be citizens of the
same country.

Functions of the International Court of Justice:

(1) To settle disputes brought to it by member nations.

(2) To provide legal advice to any organ of the UN on request.

UN Security Council
— For international security issues —
Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

The Security Council is the most important and effective organ of the UN. It is the executive
wing of the UN. The Security Council consists of 15 members. Five of them are permanent
members, namely Britain, China, France, Russia and the USA. The ten non-permanent members
are elected by the General Assembly for a term of two years.

Each member has one vote. Decisions are taken by a majority vote of at least nine members
including the five permanent members. Each permanent member has the power to reject or veto a
decision. This means a negative vote by any one of the permanent members would lead to a
cancellation of the resolution. The Council is powerless to act if there is such a veto by any
permanent member although it may be supported by all other permanent members.

The Security Council has the basic responsibility of maintaining peace and security in the world.
The Security Council meets once a month but in the event of an emergency, a meeting may be
held whenever required.

Functions of the Security Council:

1. To maintain international peace and security in the world.

2. To investigate international disputes and recommend appropriate methods of settling them.

3. To call on member states to apply economic sanctions against the aggressor and thus to put
pressure on the guilty state to stop aggression.

4. The Security Council may take military action against the aggressor, if required.

UN Economic and Social Council

— For global economic and social affairs —

The Economic and Social Council consists of 54 members elected by the General Assembly for a
three-year term.

The ECOSOC discusses major economic and social issues. It is mainly concerned with the
management of the UN’s social, economic, cultural and humanitarian activities.

Its main functions are as follows:

1. To promote economic and social progress.
Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

2. To solve problems relating to health, illiteracy, unemployment, etc.

3. To coordinate the functions of the agencies of the UN like the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Food and Agricultural Organization
(FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Educational Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF),
etc.

UN Trusteeship Council
— For administering trust territories (currently inactive) —

The Trusteeship Council was set up immediately after the Second World War. It was set up to
ensure the proper administration and development of those areas of the world that were under
foreign rule. The Council was also to take steps to help them attain self- government. By 1994,
all Trust Territories had attained self-government. The Council will now meet only if required to
do so.

ACHIEVMENTS

1. Promoting Arms Control

2. Helping Save the Lives of 90 Million Children:
3. Protecting the Ozone:
4. Every day United Nation works to tackle global Challenges
5. Provide food to 100 million people in 73 countries
6. Vaccinate 58 per cent of the world s children, saving 2.5 million lives a year
7. Assists over 34 million refugees and people fleeing war, famine or persecution
8. Combate climate change; works with 140 nation to prevent harmful mercury emissions
9. Keep peace with 110,000 peacekeepers on 4 continents
10. Fight poverty, helping 370 million rural poor achieve better lives in the last 30 years
11. Protects and promotes human rights on site and trhough some 80 treaties /declarations
Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

FAILURE:

The UN has failed to achieve its objectives, primarily due to its feudal structure that gives
greater power to a select few countries

 Its main objective was to keep the world away from war, and create a friendly and
peaceful global environment. The world body failed to achieve its objectives due to
various reasons, mainly its feudal structure to decide regional and international disputes,
along with other issues.
 Feudalism may be defined as a lack of public authority that is replaced with the writ of
the local lords.
 The Purposes includes maintenance of international peace and security, to develop
friendly relations among nations, promoting and encouraging respect of human rights and
taking other suitable measures to strengthen universal peace etc.
 These include the General Assembly and the Security Council. All U.N members
participate in the proceedings of the General Assembly. The Security Council consists of
fifteen members i.e. five permanent and ten non permanent which are elected for the term
of two years
 According to a Security Council Report from 2013, for the period between 1946 and
2013, the five permanent members exercised their veto powers the following number of
times: United Kingdom with 32, the United States with 77, the Soviet Union with 68 /
Russia with 9, China with 8 and France with 18
 Presently, more than fifteen disputes are pending on the agenda of the Security Council,
including Kashmir and Palestine.
 The Security Council needs to be democratic in nature, and the threat of Veto powers
needs to be nullified, so that all decisions are directed towards ensuring peace and
prosperity for humanity as a whole, rather than being reserved for a few select powerful
nations.
Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

Why the UN Fail to achieve the durable peace:

 Outdated structure of UN
 An unrepresentative of security council
 The UN- A Spineless body lacking authority and force
 The scourge of veto power
 Financial dependence of the west

NEEDS FOR REFORMS:

A holistic UN Reform needs

Security Council Reforms:

A very frequently discussed change to the UN structure is to change the permanent membership
of the UN Security Council, which reflects the power structure of the world as it was in 1945. 

UN Secretariat Transparency reform

At another level, calls for reforming the UN demand to make the UN administration (usually
called the UN Secretariat or "the bureaucracy") more transparent, more accountable, and more
efficient, including direct election of the Secretary-General by the people as in a presidential
system.

Democracy reform

Another frequent demand is that the UN become "more democratic", and a key institution of
a world democracy.

 Democratization and empowerment of UNGA

 Making the UNSC a fully representative body

 Making the ICJ a powerful judicial origan

Submitted to Sir ASIF SHINWARY By: Umar Hayat

 UNs Finance – A shared responsibility

 Designing the UN machinery in line with the contemporary global needs

 Reforming the UNSC is inevitable; this fact is almost acknowledged by all members
unanimously. The only hindrance to the process is the global power politics removing
which will require a coalition of world civil society and ordinary citizens to orchestrate a
fierce campaign against “elite few” which are responsible for slow pace of the reform
process.

CONCLUTION: