International Organisations Class 12 Political Science

What are International Organisations?

International organisations are groups formed when different countries make agreements or treaties to work together on shared issues that go beyond their own borders. 

These organisations 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 for International Organisations?

• 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 Nations [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.
• 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.

UN Emblem

• The UN aims to prevent conflicts between countries, promote cooperation, and stop small disputes from becoming wars. It also works to reduce the impact of any conflicts. Recognising that many conflicts arise from social and economic issues, the UN supports global development.

• By 2011, the UN had 193 member states, representing nearly all independent nations. In the General Assembly, each member gets one vote. The Security Council has five permanent members—the US, Russia, the UK, France, and China—chosen for their power after World War II. The Secretary-General, currently António Guterres, is the UN’s chief representative.

• The UN includes various agencies that address war, peace, development, health (WHO), human rights (UNHRC), refugees (UNHCR), children’s welfare (UNICEF), and education and culture (UNESCO).

Principal Organs of the UN

1. Security Council

Features of the Security Council 

• The Security Council is the most important organ of the UN.
• There are 15 members in the Security Council, which are divided into 2 parts.
• Five permanent 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 UN is called the Secretariat.
• The secretariat is the body of all the employees working for the UN.
• It informs the rest of the organs of the UN 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 is held 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 a principal organ of the UN.
• In the general assembly, all the members of the UN 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 governance on their own after the Second World War.
• It was the responsibility of the Trusteeship Council to look after these areas.
• Initially, 11 territories were placed under its supervision.
• Its work ended after the independence of Palau in 1994.

Reform of the United Nations after the Cold War

• Reform is essential for any organisation to keep up with change, and the UN is no exception. While there's broad agreement that the UN needs improvement, there is little consensus on how to achieve it. Two key areas of reform are its structure and the issues it addresses.
• The debate centres on the Security Council, with many calling for expanded membership to better represent Asia, Africa, and South America. Western nations push for better budgeting and administration. Some want the UN to prioritise peace and security, while others stress development and humanitarian work like health, education, and human rights.
• Founded in 1945, the UN reflected the post–World War II world. Since then, the Cold War has ended, the Soviet Union dissolved, and the US emerged as a dominant power. China and India are rising, Asia’s economies are growing, and many new countries have joined, bringing new challenges like terrorism, climate change, and genocide.
• Since the late 1980s, member states have questioned whether the UN is equipped for today’s world and continue to seek ways to improve its effectiveness.

Reform of Structures and Processes of the UN

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.

The leaders in this meeting decided that the following steps should be taken to make the UN more relevant in the changing context: 

• 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