Hello, my name is Mariana Lopes, I am a student of History and today, October 24th, is United Nations Day. In this part we will understand the history of the UN, how it was created, what it is used for, and what its main organs are.
It all starts with the "mother" of the UN, the League of Nations, created after World War I with the aim of overcoming the selfishness that led to the conflict, focusing on multilateralism - which is the collaboration of several countries, aiming at a common goal - believing that national interests and multilateralism can even be antagonistic, but also complementary.
Created in 1919, from the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations was based on U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's 14 points proposing a post-war peace agreement. But during all the subsequent time, the League found limitations in its performance because of the countries' impasses, such as colonialism and refusal to accept the principle of gender equality. With little adherence, the League of Nations does not uphold its principles and World War II breaks out - with even more severe attacks on human and territorial integrity and the preservation of world peace.
It is with the defeat of the Axis countries that there is a concern with the reconstruction of the post WWII world and it is at this moment that the United Nations Organization is created - with the same north as the League of Nations, but with more assertive purposes and with a proposal for real action in conflict scenarios. On June 26th, the United Nations Charter is signed - the document that establishes the organization.
This charter came into effect on October 24, 1945, with objectives such as maintaining peace and security throughout the world, mediating and promoting friendly relations among nations, promoting cooperation in solving international problems, and being the center responsible for bringing nations together toward these goals. The UN is currently composed of 193 countries and has 6 organizational bodies. Let's understand them.
The first is the General Assembly, with a deliberative scope, with the presentation of problems, approval of resolutions and requests for help. It is the Assembly that also regulates the other organs of the United Nations. The second instance is the Security Council, the body that acts on resolutions concerning international security. The Council is composed of five fixed countries - Russia, the USA, China, the UK and France - plus five temporary ones, which are elected every five years. Only the fixed countries have veto power and a decision is only made when approved by them.
The Economic and Social Council comes into being to lead the economic and humanitarian actions as well as to oversee the work of the organization's commissions, such as the human rights commission before it was abolished. The fourth body is the Trusteeship Council, an inactive body nowadays, but which aimed at the administration of territories under UN trusteeship. It was suspended in 1994, after Palau was established as a republic. The Council of Guardianship long fought for the self-determination of peoples.
The International Court of Justice aims to judge nations legally, on a neutral and supranational basis, over possible crimes committed. It is based in the Netherlands and is therefore known as the Hague Court. The court is made up of 15 judges chosen by the Security Council and the General Assembly. Finally, there is the General Secretariat, the administration of the entire Organization and responsible for managing the programs and practices of the United Nations, it is the one that triggers the Security Council when necessary and the one that relates with the media for the declaration of information. The current UN Secretary General is António Guterres, already in his second term in the organization.
The UN also has organizations adjacent to its purposes and objectives. A very important example is UNESCO, a specialized UN agency, which at the beginning aimed to rebuild the post WW2 education system, but also to ensure peace, sustainable development - acting in the fields of education, culture and science. Some UNESCO projects are the 2030 Agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals - which you can learn more about in our other episodes - and the issue of heritage - in which there is cataloging of natural or artificial sites, buildings and monuments, and the conservation of cultural and natural heritage.
The UN also has the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Program, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and other apparatuses that allow a greater scope in the realization of the proposed objectives.
It is important to emphasize that the UN does not have a military approach, its scope will always be in the diplomatic field and avoiding intervention as much as possible - always trying to respect the integrity of each territory, government, and individual - so its presence is never offensive in conflict or problem situations.
Now that you know more about the UN, you can better understand how international agreements, treaties and projects are made and by whom - as well as rethink the importance of the United Nations World Day. That was our text for the day – you can follow our podcast and our Instagram.
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