UN Flashcards
When was the UN Charter signed?
1945
What two distinct things did the UN charter create?
1 Basic rules for the conduct of govt
2. A formal organisation with its own powers
What are the 6 organs of the UN?
- SC
- GA
- Trusteeship council
- Economic and social Council
- ICJ
- Secretariat
What lies beyond the 6 organs of the UN
Specialist agencies such as WTO, IMF, UN Development Fund etc.
What is the remit of the UNSC?
Responsible for responding to threats to International peace and security and has the authority to force states to change their polices through military enforcement if necessary.
What is the remit of the UNGA?
- Broader scope than the SC
- Can discuss any matter within the jurisdiction of the UN
- Enforcement extends only to making recommendations
What does retention of the Trusteeship council show?
Given it is no longer active it shows how hard it is to amend the text of the charter to remove outdated provisions
How must any interstate treaty be treated in regard to the UN charter?
All other treaties must be subordinate to the UN charter.
What does the rule on sovereign equality mean in the GA?
Each country’s representative can speak at the annual meeting for the same amount of time, at least in theory.
When can the UN interfere with the domestic issues of a state?
Only with the consent of the local government
When and why did the UNEF peacekeeping mission in Sinai withdraw?
1967
Egypt withdrew consent
U Thant order peacekeepers to withdraw immediately, despite expecting this was a prelude to war.
What is the legal status of GA resolutions?
Statements of recommendation
Never legally binding
How can the GA’s power be described?
Hurd: Broad but Shallow
What is the one area the GA does have power and how is it decided?
UN budget and allocation of costs
Decided by 2/3 man and no special influence reserved for highest payers
How many UNSC votes are required for a decision?
9, inc all P5
Who requested the UNSC veto?
USA, USSR, UK
Fought opposition to dilute or qualify it.
What does the insistence on the UNSC veto show?
UK, USA and USSR were aware that they would have major disagreements in the future despite a degree of unity in WWII.
How are the non-permanent seats allocation?
On the basis of regional groups that were invented by the UNGA
What is the UN’s basic power over international security?
“Primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security”
What was the UNSC designed to be in 1945?
Like the executive committee of the most powerful states to enforce against threats to the post-war international order that they were creating.
The UNSC has powers over matter of….
“International peace and security”
In the absence of any threat to intl peace and sec it has no powers at all.
What are peace enforcement missions?
Coercive invasions of countries by a UN-authorised force, intent on eliminating or mitigating a threat to intl peace and sec.
What is an example of a Peace-Enforcement mission?
2011 - mil operation against Qaddafi in Libya
What is a constraint on the power of the UNSC in conducting peace keeping or enforcement?
It has no military resources and must rely on voluntary contributions from UN member states
