...The United Nations in International Politics The United Nations, an intergovernmental organization, was formed shortly after WWII in the efforts to become the Successor to the League of Nations to promote and preserve peace through international cooperation and collective security. In 1945, after the League of Nations ceased its operations after being unable to stop WWII, representatives from fifty-one countries met in San Francisco where they drafted the proposed United Nations charter. The charter was signed by all fifty representatives on June 26, 1945, and was then ratified four months later on October 24, 1945. The United Nations has grown from fifty-one member states in the beginning to 193 member states as of today. The United Nations has four primary goals: to maintain worldwide peace and security, develop relationships among nations, assist in cooperation between nations in order to solve economic, social and cultural problems along with encouraging respect for human rights, and lastly to provide a forum where nations work together for these goals. In addition to these goals the UN also aims to protect human rights, fight epidemics, poverty and famine, and deliver aid in form of food, clothes and medicine. People of the world today still struggle with the two major issues of peace and development within the United Nations’ roles in international politics. In recent times the United Nations is considered by many to be a peacekeeping organization, but from time ...
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...non-existent and only happens to victims who are participating in any illegal enterprise. The ugly truth is that most people who have been trafficked did not know the ramifications of the decisions that they were making because of the promises that were falsely given to them by their captives (smugglers). The need for a plan of action to combat human trafficking is one that must not be taken lightly. If it were as simple as people think, then it would have never been an issue to begin with. Plan of Action to Combat Human Trafficking The discussion of human trafficking is one that has taken place throughout the time that man has been in civilized existence. Human trafficking is one of the most horrific acts that a person could ever go through and/or encounter. These victims are slaves and live in servitude until they break free or die in some instances. Many people would like to believe that this is something that happens in places like Mexico, Africa, and other poor nations; they are sadly wrong. Here in this privileged nation of ours no one looks twice at a nanny whose boss is a professional. Yet she could have been promised an entirely different life if she would come here. Now she is stuck, physically, emotionally, and verbally abused, and nowhere and no one to turn to for help. This epidemic is not...
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...“life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” America promises equality and freedom and the protection of their rights as outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. But with all the rights and freedoms that American citizens enjoy, there is one particular area where the United States seems to be lacking. That area is health care. The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t have some form of legal recognition of a right to health care (Yamin 1157). Health care reform in the United States has become a major controversy for politicians, health care professionals, businesses, and citizens. Those in opposition to reform claim that health care is not a human right, therefore the government should not be involved. Supporters of reform believe that health care is most definitely a human right and should be available to everyone in the United States instead of only those who can afford it, and that it is the government’s responsibility to uphold that right. Out of all the industrialized countries in the world, the United States is the only one that doesn’t have a universal health care plan (Yamin 1157). The current health care system in the United States relies on employer-sponsored insurance programs or purchase of individual insurance plans. Employer-sponsored coverage has dropped from roughly 80 percent in 1982 to a little over 60 percent in 2006 (Kinney 809). The government does provide government-sponsored insurance programs for people...
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...Wilson was the president of the United States of America – USA from 1912 through the first world war – WW1. At the end of the war in 1918, he distinguished himself as the greatest political figure in the international arena with his vision for strong international peace body which he elaborated in his fourteen points speech. (UNOG, Online: 2009) The fourteenth point of his speech was the formation on League of Nations which will usher in justice, peace, freedom and concord. The major participants in the formation of the league of the nation were the Great Britain, France, and the United States of America to preserve the future global peace and forestall such conflicts like first world war. (University of Virginia, Online: 2009)The League was based on the covenant which was written into the Treaty of Versailles and other peace treaties and provided for an assembly, a council and a secretariat with each section vested with a task to help the league maintain peace (UNOG, Online: 2009) Franklin D. Roosevelt the President of the United States of America, Winston Churchill the Prime Minister of the Great Britain and other notable leaders reasoned that the destructive consequences of WW2 warranted the call to form an international organization which would play a vital role in achieving the global peace. (US Department of States, Online:2005 and National Archives, Online: 2009) Hence, the United Nations replaced the League of the Nations after the demise of the latter....
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...THE RELEVANCE OF THE UNITED NATIONS IN THE POST-COLD WAR ERA: IRAQI INVASION AS A CASE STUDY BY ALADENIYI, EMMANUEL ABIODUN APRIL 2005 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND 1. The basic concepts and assumptions that led to the formation of the United Nations (UN) dates back to the beginning of statecraft and humanity’s first efforts to foster international cooperation. The treaty of the peace of Westphalia of 1648 is regarded at humanity’s first effort in statehood and fostering international cooperation. The formation of the UN is predicated on the evolution of diplomacy, alliances, conferences, rules of warfare, means of peaceful settlement of conflicts and the development of international law. The overriding purpose of the UN is war prevention. This purpose was earlier pursued by ancient Greek Philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, who wrote on the conditions necessary for peace.1 The church in the Middle Ages also enunciated a doctrine of “Just War” to limit violence and destruction by sanctioning only wars fought for justifiable courses. The pacifists and internationalists, like Desiderius Erasmus, condemned war in its entirety as “immoral and wasteful”. 2. The need to institute mechanics for peaceful settlement of disputes and prevent war encouraged the formation of various international organizations over time. These include the Congress of Vienna and Concert of Europe in 1815. The Hague System worked towards the codification...
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...The United Nations General Assembly had started to address and refer terrorist acts as a discrete subject in 1972; it has since adopted several resolutions that call on states to combat terrorism. Moeckli (2008) argues in his paper “The Emergence of Terrorism as a Distinct Category of International Law” that the most significant Security Council measure adopted against terrorism is the Resolution 1373 of September 28, 2001. Subsequently, succeeding the 9/11 events, the resolution adopted under the Chapter VII of the United Nations Chapter “requires member states to create a legal and institutional framework to prevent and suppress the financing, preparation, and commission of terrorist acts and to cooperate with other states in this effort ”. Because the Resolution 1373 imposes a body of rules with general application, and a set of details obligations to all member states; Ward (2003) argued that it is “one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching resolutions adopted in the history of the Security Council”...
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...7th year participating in MUN conferences, and my third as staff at WASMUN. I’m looking forward to meeting you all and chairing a committee that has so much depth and scope in its topics! The following background guide is meant to serve as a general guide to the issues on our agenda. Your research should not only involve reading the background guide, but should also focus on an in-depth analysis of the history and debates which concern the regions in question. If delegates have any questions concerning the committee, topics or background guides, feel free to contact me at maderk@cc.wwu.edu. I look forward to seeing you in March! Sincerely, Kristina Mader Chair, Special Political & Decolonization WASMUN 2007 Copyright © Washington State Model United Nations 2006-2007 Page 1 of 14 Wash in gt on St ate Mo del Unit ed Nati ons 2 007 History of the Committee At the advent of the United Nations, a system of committees was set up to deal with the many diverse issues before the General Assembly. The First Committee, Disarmament and International Security, was formed to deal with the regulation of armaments and the admission, suspension and expulsion of United Nations members, as well as other political and security issues. With the number of problems rising though, the burden for DISC grew too great, leading the committee to rethink its focus and capabilities. Out of this effort a new committee was created. In 1965 the Fourth Committee, Special Political and...
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...are rights unequivocally inherent to all human beings, whatever our basic nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, or any other status. We are all entitled to our human rights without discrimination. Government exposure of political crimes and human rights violations have been in the forefront of the media in the last half-century, and the United States has always assisted itself in its own interests. For the past decade the United States has been a global power and presence and most other countries are not. We are often called upon to engage in conflict situations like preventing violations of Human Rights and Genocide. It seems the United States only intervenes when our nations interests is concerned, and only brings negative reactions which severely undermines our effectiveness and especially our international credibility.“ American leadership must be commensurate with U.S. interests and the nature of the challenges facing the county. The United States should not take the lead on every issue or assume that every problem in the world demands a U.S. response. In the majority of cases, the United States should “lead from behind” or from the side, or sitting in front but rarely by itself”. (Foreign Affairs, Zenko & Cohen, Vol. 91 No. 2.) Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the legal forms of treaties, customary international law, general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights...
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...participation in both the economic and the domestic areas of responsibility. * Issues: * It refers to valuing both men and women equally, * works to defeat the misjudgment, * Women are ranked last in the ladder of society, * Relative Equality: * When both sexes have relative equality, economies grow rapidly, less corruption occurs and children’s health improves. * Gender inequality refers to Men and women being physically different but it is the barriers between one another. * These include social, economic, political and legal interpretation that lead to inequality between both sexes. * Gender equality is a vital and important human right. * Issues And Reasons: There are many issues relating to social inequality: * Men and women have different daily responsibilities and roles. * Men overrule women, as men tend to have a high status in society as the work they do is riskier and heavier compared to women’s which is providing food for their family and caring for their children. * They have unequal access to education and health services. * Women are not treated equally. * Within in the terms of political and legal inequality, females are treated unfairly and are poorly represented at all levels of formal decision making in society. These issues leads to unequal rights and benefits. * What Needs Attention?: The following are issues that need to be dealt with in order to improve gender equality: * Education...
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...THE UNIVERSITY OF Manchester “Human Rights in World Politics” POLI 70492 Essay title: East meets West: Human Rights in Perspective. Lecturer: Dr James Pattison Essay Question: “Should Universal Human Rights Be Enforced regardless of Cultural differences?” ID Number: 8262033 Introduction: Even though human rights are of the major issues in our current day world, it has not been the case over the course of human history. Despite some early calls by the Greeks especially Aristotle for citizenship rights and participation in the political life, slavery was regarded as a normal feature back then and it was not until the 18th century that serious attempts to protect human rights and dignity took place: The two major events promoting these rights were without doubt the United States of America’s declaration of independence in 1776 and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in 1789 both of which endorsed some basic rights and freedom which were a huge step forward at the time. As an example, the French declaration clearly enclosed the following article “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Following these two events, many Western writers and philosophers such as John Stuart Mill, Thomas Paine, and G.W.F. Hegel defended human civil rights and liberties in their writings...
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...ACHIM STEINER, UNEP executive Directors, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nation Executive Office United Nations Environment Programme P.O. Box 47074 - Nairobi 00100 - Kenya Phone: +254 (0)20 762 4148 Fax: +254-20-7624006/7624275 Email: executiveoffice@unep.org Dear Mr. Under-Secretary-General of United Nation, Good day! My name is Carolyn Smith. I am a mother of two and I have two grandchildren. I am from Florida and I am currently working towards my Bachelors Degree majoring in Business Administration in American Public University. As part of our requirements in our course International Relations, I am writing to express my worry about the fast approaching risk in environmental change in our Country, for our Children and for the future generation. More than 2,000 researchers adding to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have been made it clear that slices of no less than half to 70% worldwide nursery gas outflow are necessary to permit our atmosphere to re-balance out. Indeed, the government should make a way and give full effort to reduce the greenhouse effect. In particular, I trust you to act to address the issues, and I request that you furnish me with data on what the legislature is doing to lessen gas outflow in these area: 1. Removal of sponsorship for fossil fuel sources 2. Incentives for the uptake of renewable energy 3. Funding incentives for alternative energy 4. Reducing emission to the transport group ...
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...H. Res. 106: Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution 110th CONGRESS 1st Session Calling upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 30, 2007 Mr. SCHIFF (for himself, Mr. RADANOVICH, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. SHERMAN, and Mr. MCCOTTER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Calling upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide, and for other purposes. Resolved, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This resolution may be cited as the `Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution'. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The House of Representatives finds the following: (1) The Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulting in the deportation of nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and children were killed, 500,000 survivors were expelled from their homes,...
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...Human trafficking is an organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited (Merriam Webster, 1). There are many devastating statistics correlated with this issue such as the fact that an average of 700,000 women and children are trafficked worldwide earning profits of over $7 billion (Veenstra, para.1). However, the conclusion can be made that females experience the majority of the abuse that is associated with the crime of trafficking which is motivated by the constant perception of women as inferior and insignificant individuals deserving of mistreatment. Despite the advance of women’s right in North America, there are still many countries reluctant to change their values and give girls...
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...EMMERGING ROLE OF UN IN THE MANAGEMENT OF FUTURE CONFLICTS INTRODUCTION Since the end of cold war, the world has been in a constant flux of changes, resulting into serious security risks. These risks range from border disputes to ethno-religious conflicts, most of which are likely to cause regional and global destabilization. In today’s unipolar world no single or group of states has the capacity to counter balance by themselves and therefore, the world is looking more towards United Nations (UN) for establishing World peace. The Collective power to shape the future is greater now than ever before. The world needs a new vision that can mobilize people everywhere to achieve higher levels of cooperation in areas of mutual interest. The foundation of UN some fifty five years ago was an expression by world leaders towards a new world wherein the international behavior and governance was about to begin. The domination of power blocks and less respect for use of UN forum for vested interest has curved the UN role. The potentialities of international organization led by UN are immense in this regard though not utilized to its full potential. At this new millenium every ones expectations are of more peaceful world order. But the natures of conflicts in future days are likely to be more diverse and complicated to be handled by UN. The causes of these conflicts will be mainly of race for nuclear power, global militarization, prolong economic sanction on...
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...home to more than one thousand million individuals, India is world's biggest democracy. India is additionally one of the establishing members of the UN. It signed the declaration by the United Nations at Washington on 1 January 1942 and furthermore, took an interest in the notable UN convention in San Francisco from 25 April to 26 June 1945. India has reliably upheld the purposes and standards of the UN and has made huge commitments to authorizing the objectives of the UN charter, especially within the discipline of peacekeeping. Despite supporting the purposes and principles of the United Nations, India keeps on being not able to do to totally eradicate the issue of discrimination which perseveres at all the levels in all forms. Being a male-centric...
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