International Organisations Class 12 Political Science

What are International Organisations?

International organizations, often abbreviated as IOs, are entities established through agreements or treaties among sovereign states to address common interests or concerns that transcend national boundaries. 

These organizations serve as platforms for cooperation, coordination, and collaboration among member states to tackle various global challenges, ranging from economic development and trade to peace and security, environmental protection, human rights, and public health.

What is the Need of international organizations?

• To solve problems that no country can solve alone.
• To bring about an agreement between the countries.
• To establish cooperation between countries.
• To reduce the possibility of war in the world.

Evolution of The United Nation [UN]

• The United Nations was established in 1945 immediately after the Second World War. It was a successor to the league of nations which was formed after the First World War.

UN Emblem

• The First World War led to the creation of an international group to handle conflicts, aiming to prevent future wars. This led to the establishment of the League of Nations.
• Despite some success initially, the League couldn't stop the Second World War, where more casualties occurred than ever before.
• The United Nations (UN) was formed after the Second World War to succeed the League of Nations. It started in 1945 with 51 countries signing the United Nations Charter.
• The UN's goal is to prevent conflicts between countries and encourage cooperation. It aims to prevent small disputes from turning into wars and to minimize the impact of any conflicts that do arise.
• The UN also focuses on improving social and economic development globally, recognizing that many conflicts stem from these issues. By 2011, the UN had 193 member states, nearly all independent nations.
• In the UN General Assembly, each member has one vote, while the UN Security Council has five permanent members: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China.
• These five countries were chosen due to their power after the Second World War. The Secretary-General, currently António Guterres, serves as the UN's chief representative.
• The UN encompasses various structures and agencies focusing on issues like war, peace, social and economic development, health (WHO), human rights (UNHRC), refugees (UNHCR), children's welfare (UNICEF), and education and culture (UNESCO).

Principal Organs of UN

1. Security council

Features of the security council 

• The security council is the most important organ of the UNO.
• There are 15 members in the security council which are divided into 2 parts.
• Permanent 5 members (USA, France, UK, China and Russia)
• Temporary 10 members (These members are elected for 2 years)
• Each permanent member has a special power called VETO (prohibition).
• The permanent member can withhold or limit the motion by exercising the VETO.

Functions of the security council

• Resolving disputes between countries
• Keep peace in the world
• Punishing those who disturb the peace

UN Security Council

2. Secretariat

• The bureaucracy of the UNO is called the secretariat.
• The secretariat is the body of all the employees working for the UNO.
• It informs the rest of the organs of the uno and keeps an account of their work.

3. Economic and social council

• The economic and social council works for cultural, economic, social and educational development in the world.
• Establishment – 1945
• Present members – 54
• Meeting – the meeting of this council helds twice a year.
  In Geneva in July
  In New York in April
• Its objective is to raise the level of economic, social, educational and cultural development in the world.

4. General assembly

• The general assembly is one of the main organs of the UNO.
• In the general assembly, all the members of the UNO are given one vote
• The general assembly is like the parliament of a country where disputes are discussed.
• In the general assembly, decisions on general matters are taken by a general majority and decisions on some special subjects are taken by a two-thirds majority.
• Its conference is held every year.

UN General Assembly

5. International Court of Justice

• The International Court of Justice settles disputes between countries.
• It is located in the Hague (Netherlands)
• The international court of justice consists of 15 judges who are elected for 9 years.
• After every 3 years, 5 judges are elected.
• All decisions are taken by majority vote.

6. Trusteeship council

• The trusteeship council was created to look after those areas which were not able to maintain the governance on their own after the second world war.
• It was the responsibility of the trusteeship council to look after these areas.
• Initially 11 countries were kept in it.
• Its work ended after the independence of Palamu island in 1996.

Reform of the United Nations after the Cold War

• Reform and enhancement are crucial for any organization to adapt to a changing environment. 
•  The United Nations (UN) is also in need of change. 
•  There have been calls to improve the UN, but there's little agreement on how to do it. 
•  Two main types of changes are needed: restructuring the UN's setup and operations, and reviewing the issues it deals with. 
•  Most agree that both types of changes are required, but there's disagreement on the specifics of what, how, and when. 
•  Much discussion revolves around the functioning of the Security Council, with calls for increasing its membership to better reflect current global politics, especially from Asia, Africa, and South America. 
•  Western nations also seek improvements in budgeting and administration. 
•  Some want the UN to focus more on peace and security missions, while others prefer it to concentrate on development and humanitarian efforts like health, education, and human rights. 
•  The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II, tailored to the politics of that time. 
•  However, the world has changed since the Cold War. 
•  The Soviet Union has dissolved, the US is a dominant force, and relationships between major powers have evolved. 
• China and India are rising powers, and Asia's economies are booming. 
•  Many new countries have joined the UN, facing a host of new challenges like genocide, terrorism, and climate change. 
•  In the late 1980s, with the Cold War ending, the question arose: Is the UN effective and equipped for the modern world? 
•  Member states have been grappling with these questions for years, seeking ways to improve the UN's effectiveness. 

Reform of Structures and Processes of the UN

• A resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1992 over the reforms in the security council. The resolution reflected three main complaints.
• To look into the complaints over the restructuring of the UN, on 1st January, 1997, the UN Secretary General Kofi Arman initiated an inquiry into how the UN should be reformed.
• Criteria for inclusion of a new member was decided. Some of them were that a new member must be a major economic and military power, a substantial contributor to the UN budget etc.
• Different governments saw advantages in some criteria and disadvantages in others depending on their interests and aspirations. A demand to abolish the veto power altogether was also raised. Many perceived the veto to be in conflict with the concept of democracy and sovereign equality in the UN.
• Permanent members have two privileges i.e. veto power and permanency in the security council.
• By veto power means that if a permanent member cast a veto in a negative manner then it may state the decision.
• Without veto power, there is the danger that the great powers would lose interest in the world body and without their support the body would be ineffective.

Jurisdiction of the UN

As the UN completed 60 years of its existence, the heads of all the member-states met in September 2005 to celebrate the anniversary and review the situation.

• Creation of a Peacebuilding Commission
• Acceptance of the responsibility of the international community in case of failures of national governments to protect their own citizens from atrocities
• Establishment of a Human Rights Council (operational since 19 June 2006)
• Agreements to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
• Condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations
• Creation of a Democracy Fund
• An agreement to wind up the Trusteeship Council

India and the UN Reforms

• India has always supported the restructuring of the United Nations. It believes that a strengthened and revitalised UN is desirable in a changing world.
• The most important demand of India is regarding the restructuring of the security council. It supports an increase in the number of both permanent and non-permanent members.
• It also argues that an expanded council, with more representative, will enjoy greater support in the world community.
• India itself wishes to be a permanent member in a restructured UN. India is the world’s largest democracy and the second most populous country in the world.
• The country’s economic emergence on the world stage is another factor that perhaps justifies India’s claim to a permanent seat in the Security Council.
• Despite India’s wish to be a permanent veto holding member of the UN, some countries question its inclusion. They are concerned about Indo-Pak relations, India’s nuclear capabilities etc.