The Role of the United Nations

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Patrick Minossora International Politics Mrs. Tedesco 08/05/2014 The Role of the United Nations Throughout the history of mankind, the scourge of war and acts against humanity have caused millions upon millions of lives lost due to greed, hatred, and power. After the plight of the Second World War, the United Nations was put into place to prevent succeeding generations from participating in acts of inhumanity, and to recognize the importance of human rights. The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that formed on October 24, 1945, replacing the League of Nations, whose role was similar to the United Nations (promoting world peace) but was very ineffective because the United States and other important actors were not members. The structure of the United Nations contains five acting bodies. There is the General Assembly, which has the prime responsibility to oversee the budget of the UN, appoint members to the Security Council, and make recommendations in General Assembly Resolutions. Then there is the UN secretariat, whose prime responsibility is to discuss and resolve pressing issues in international matters. Then there is the International Court of Justice, which is the universal court for international law (settle legal disputes between states). One of the most important bodies, the UN Security Council, is responsible for international security issues. Then finally there is the UN Economic and Social Council, which is responsible for global economical and social affairs. These five bodies were created in order to effectively create a world with less conflict. The five nations who ratified the UN charter (and hence are the permanent members of the UN) are the United States, Britain, France, China, and Russia. Since the Second World War, the world became more interactive than ever before. Countries have recognized that in order for there
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