LESSON NOTES

YEAR 10C/D
WEEK 4

THE UNITED NATION ORGANISATION

O:
40. Explain the reasons for the establishment of the United Nations in 1945, including the
historical context and the contribution of founding nations.
41. Describe the purpose of the UN Charter, including its role as the constitution of the UN
42. Identify key aims and objectives outlined in the Charter.
43. Explain how countries can join the UN, the criteria for membership
44. Understand the funding structure of the organization.

 The United Nation Organization (UNO) came into existence in October, 1945.
 The UN Charter was drawn up in San Francisco in 1945.

WHAT IS THE CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS?

 Is the constitution of the United Nation Organization.
 It contains the aims and the objectives of the organization and the rules and regulation for
achieving those aims.
 The Charter came into force on October 24th1945 when government of China, UK,
France, USSR, USA and other nations agreed on it.

THE AIMS OF THE UNITED NATION

The aims of the United Nations Organization are to:
• preserve peace and eliminate war;
• remove the causes of conflict by encouraging economic, social, educational,
scientific and cultural progress throughout the world, especially in
underdeveloped country;
• safeguard the rights of all individual human beings and the rights of peoples and
nations.
WHAT ARE SOME RULES OF THE UNITED NATIONS?
 All members are sovereign and independent
 They will fulfill their obligation as set forth by the Charter
 They will settle their disputes fairly and peacefully
 They will not threaten or use force in any way not allowed by the charter
 They will assist the United Nation in any action it takes.
 The United Nation will seek to persuade non-members to act in accordance with the UN
RULES
 The United Nation will not interfere in the internal affairs of any nation.

HOW DOES A COUNTRY JOIN THE UNITED NATIONS

To become a member of the United Nations - a country must be:
 peace-loving, willing to accept the aims and the rules of the charter and be judged by the
United Nations as able to carry out these aims;
 Recommended by the Security Council;
 Confirmed by the General Assembly with a 2/3 majority vote.

HOW IS THE UNITED NATION FUNDED?

 Is funded by the member countries with members paying a share of the UN budget
according to the size of their economy.
 The United States of America is the biggest contributor to the United Nation budget.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION

O: 45. Analyse the roles/functions of various components of UN

There are six main organs of the UN:

1. The General Assembly
 This is a meeting together of all representatives from all the member nations.
 Its function is to discuss and make decisions about international problems to consider
the UN budget.
 To elect the Security Council members, and to supervise the work of many other UN
bodies.
 The six official languages of the UN are English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish and
Arabic.

2. The Security Council

 This sits in permanent session and its function is to deal with crisis as they arise.
 It has 5 permanent members (China, USA, USSR and Britain), and the other ten is
elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.

3. The Secretariat
 This is the ‘office staff’ of the United Nation.
 They look after the administrative work.
 It is headed by the Secretary General, who is appointed for a five year.
  The Secretary General acts as the main spokesperson for the UN and is always at the
forefront of international affairs, trying to sort out the world’s problems. So far the post
has been held by: ANTONIO GUTTRESS

4. The International Court of Justice

 It is the legal court of the United Nation which is located at The Hague (in Holland). It
has fifteen judges, all of different nationalities.

5. The Trusteeship Council
 The main purpose of this council is to look after colonies before they become fully
independence especially after World War II.
 It is now an inactive organ of UN.

6. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
 Twenty-seven members elected by the General Assembly.
 It organizes project concerned with health, education and other social and economic
matters.
 ECOSOS also co-ordinates the work of other specialized agencies. EXAMPLE:
 International Labour Organization (ILO), World Health Organization (WHO), the Food
and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and many more.

Activities
Section A: Multiple Choice
1. In what year was the United Nations founded?
a) 1940
b) 1945
c) 1950
d) 1960
2. Which city hosted the drafting of the UN Charter?
a) New York
b) Washington D.C.
c) San Francisco
d) Paris
3. Which country is the largest contributor to the UN budget?
a) China
b) France
c) United Kingdom
d) United States of America

Section B: True or False

4. The United Nations Charter serves as the constitution of the UN.
True / False
5. Member nations of the UN are permitted to use force without following any rules.
True / False
 6. To join the UN, a country must be peace-loving and willing to accept the aims of the UN.
True / False

Section C: Short Answer

7. What are two aims of the United Nations?

8. What are two rules that all member states of the UN must follow?

9. Describe one way in which the United Nations is funded.

Section D: Discussion
10. Why do you think it is important for the United Nations to encourage economic and
educational progress, especially in underdeveloped countries?

WHAT OTHER WORKS IS THE UNITED NATION RESPONSIBLE FOR?

O:
46. Identify and Describe UN Agencies
47. Explain the Significance of UN Agencies in Global Issues
48. Assess the Impact of UN Agencies

 UN also aims to safeguarding human rights and encouraging economic, social,

educational, health and cultural progress throughout the world.

AGENCIES OF UNITED NATIONS

1. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
 Works to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, to improve agricultural
productivity and food security, and to better the conditions of rural populations.
 The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations leads international efforts
to defeat hunger.
 FAO is the largest of UN agencies and its headquarters is in Rome, Italy.
2. International Labour Organization (ILO)

 Formulates policies and programs to improve working conditions and employment

opportunities, and defines international labour standards as guidelines for governments.
 Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.
 Founded in 1919.

3. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

 Promotes education for all, cultural development, protection of the world's natural and
cultural heritage, press freedom, and communication.
 Established in 1946.
 Its headquarters in Paris, France.
 Its stated purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international
collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect
for justice, the rule of law, and the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in
the UN Charter.

4. World Health Organization (WHO)

 Coordinates programs aimed at solving health problems and the attainment by all people
of the highest possible level of health; it works in areas such as immunization, health
education, and the provision of essential drugs.
 Established on 7 April 1948.
 Its headquarters are at Geneva in Switzerland.
Activities
Section A: Multiple Choice
1. Which UN agency is primarily responsible for raising levels of nutrition and food
security?
a) World Health Organization (WHO)
b) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
c) International Labour Organization (ILO)
d) International Monetary Fund (IMF)
2. The headquarters of UNESCO are located in which city?
a) New York, USA
b) Paris, France
c) Rome, Italy
d) Geneva, Switzerland

Section B: True or False

4. The World Health Organization (WHO) was established in 1948.
True / False

Section C: Short Answer

7. List three agencies of the United Nations and their main focus areas.
a) ___________________________________________________________
b) ___________________________________________________________
c) ___________________________________________________________
8. Explain how the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) combats hunger.

Section D: Discussion
10. Discuss how the work of UNESCO contributes to global peace and security. Why is
education important for achieving these goals?

UNITED NATION PROGRAMMES AND FUNDS

49. Research on and present ‘The Role of a United Nations Agency in addressing an eminent
issue in Fiji’

1.The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
  Works to promote and protect the human rights that are guaranteed under international
law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
The roles of the OHCHR:
• Promotes universal enjoyment of all human rights.
• Emphasizes the importance of human rights at the international and national levels;
• Promotes international cooperation for human rights;
• Supports human rights organs and treaty monitoring bodies;
• Responds to serious violations of human rights

2. The United Nations Population Fund Agency (UNFPA)

 Its mission is to promote the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of
“health and equal opportunity.”
 The agency’s main goals
• Universal primary education and closing the gender gap in education.
• Reducing maternal mortality by 75 per cent.
• Reducing infant mortality
• Increasing life expectancy
• Decreasing HIV infection rates

3. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

 To provide international protection to refugees and to seek permanent solutions for them.

4. The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

 Founded in 1946 to help children left homeless by the Second World War.
 Its functions were to help improve the health and living standards of children all over the
world, especially in poorer countries.
 UNICEF’s campaign is designed to reduce the child death rate by simple methods such
as encouraging breast feeding and immunizing babies against common diseases.

5. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)

 This was set up in 1950 to deal with the problem of Arab refugees from Palestine.
 UNRWA did a remarkable job providing basic food, clothing, shelter and medical
supplies and later it began to build schools, hospitals, houses and training centers to
enable refugees to get jobs and make the camps self-supporting.

CHALLENGES OF THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION

1. The lack of a permanent UN army

 UN has to rely on member nations to provide troops to enable it to enforce decisions.

2. When should the UN become involved in a conflict?

  Sometimes it hangs back too long, so the problem becomes more difficult to solve and
hesitates so long that it scarcely becomes involved at all, as happened with the war in
Vietnam

3. There is wastage of effort and/ or resources among the agencies’

 Critics claim that the WHO and the FAO overlap too much. The FAO was criticized for
spending too much on administration and not enough on improving agricultural systems.
.
4. The UN has always been short of funds

 Needs incredibly large sums of money to finance its operations. It is entirely dependent
on contributions from member states

Activities
Section A: Multiple Choice
1. What is the main focus of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR)?
a) Providing education
b) Promoting and protecting human rights
c) Offering refugee assistance
d) Reducing maternal mortality
2. Which agency aims to reduce maternal mortality and promote health for women, men,
and children?
a) UNICEF
b) UNHCR
c) UNFPA
d) UNRWA
3. What is a significant challenge faced by the United Nations Organization?
a) Too many permanent armies
b) Excessive funding
c) Lack of a permanent UN army
d) Increased collaboration among agencies

Section B: True or False

4. The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established to help
children affected by World War II.
True / False
5. UNRWA focuses on addressing the issues faced by refugees in Europe.
True / False
6. The United Nations frequently receives sufficient funding from member states to operate
effectively.
True / False
Section C: Short Answer
7. List three goals of the United Nations Population Fund Agency (UNFPA).
a) ___________________________________________________________
b) ___________________________________________________________
c) ___________________________________________________________
8. Describe one primary role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR).

9. What type of assistance does UNRWA provide to Palestinian refugees?

Section D: Discussion
10. Discuss the implications of the lack of a permanent UN army on the organization’s ability
to respond to conflicts. How does this affect its effectiveness in upholding peace and
security?

United Nations Declaration of Human Rights

O: 49: Discuss the various Human Rights accorded to all human beings
History:
 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General
Assembly on 10 December 1948, at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris.
 Was the result of the experience of the Second World War.

Purpose:
 The purpose is to bring peace to all nations of the world.

UNITED NATIONS
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1. We Are All Born Free & Equal. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and
ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.

2. Don’t Discriminate. These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences.

3. The Right to Life. We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety.

4. No Slavery. Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave.

5. No Torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us.

6. You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go. I am a person just like you!

7. We’re All Equal Before the Law. The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all
fairly.

8. Your Human Rights Are Protected by Law. We can all ask for the law to help us when we
are not treated fairly.

9. No Unfair Detainment. Nobody has the right to put us in prison without good reason and
keep us there, or to send us away from our country.

10. The Right to Trial. If we are put on trial this should be in public. The people who try us
should not let anyone tell them what to do.

11. We’re Always Innocent Till Proven Guilty. Nobody should be blamed for doing something
until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to show it is not true.

12. The Right to Privacy. Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to
come into our home, open our letters, or bother us or our family without a good reason.

13. Freedom to Move. We all have the right to go where we want in our own country and to
travel as we wish.

14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live. If we are frightened of being badly treated in our
own country, we all have the right to run away to another country to be safe.

15. Right to a Nationality. We all have the right to belong to a country.

16. Marriage and Family. Every grown-up has the right to marry and have a family if they want
to. Men and women have the same rights when they are married, and when they are separated.

17. The Right to Your Own Things. Everyone has the right to own things or share them.
Nobody should take our things from us without a good reason.

18. Freedom of Thought. We all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a
religion, or to change it if we want.

19. Freedom of Expression. We all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we
like, to say what we think, and to share our ideas with other people.

20. The Right to Public Assembly. We all have the right to meet our friends and to work
together in peace to defend our rights. Nobody can make us join a group if we don’t want to.

21. The Right to Democracy. We all have the right to take part in the government of our
country. Every grown-up should be allowed to choose their own leaders.

22. Social Security. We all have the right to affordable housing, medicine, education, and
childcare, enough money to live on and medical help if we are ill or old.

23. Workers’ Rights. Every grown-up has the right to do a job, to a fair wage for their work,
and to join a trade union.

24. The Right to Play. We all have the right to rest from work and to relax.
25. Food and Shelter for All. We all have the right to a good life. Mothers and children, people
who are old, unemployed or disabled, and all people have the right to be cared for.

26. The Right to Education. Education is a right. Primary school should be free. We should
learn about the United Nations and how to get on with others. Our parents can choose what we
learn.

27. Copyright. Copyright is a special law that protects one’s own artistic creations and writings;
others cannot make copies without permission. We all have the right to our own way of life and
to enjoy the good things that art, science and learning bring.

28. A Fair and Free World. There must be proper order so we can all enjoy rights and freedoms
in our own country and all over the world.

29. Responsibility. We have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and
freedoms.

30. No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights.

Activity:
1. Choose and discuss any right which affects you as a student and any right which affects
you as a young person.

Homework:
Paragraph writing:
Choose and discuss any three of your rights and explain why they are important to you.

Fiji and United Nations

O: 50: Discuss Fiji’s link to UN
When did Fiji become a member of UN?
 Fiji became a member United Nations on 13 October 1970.
 Fiji's plays an active role in UN peacekeeping operations, which began in 1978

Fiji's Permanent Representative to the United Nations

Filipo Tarakinikini
Benefits:
1. Employment:
Peace Keeping
 Peace keeping duties: Fiji soldiers served in the United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon, Sinai, Kosovo Iraq, Liberia, Sudan and Timor-Leste
 Fiji was the first country to volunteer troops to protect United Nations officials in Iraq
 Other UN Agencies
 Employment in other UN agencies within Fiji and even abroad.

2. Assistance and Support

Climate Change
 Issues emphasised by Fiji at the United Nations in recent years have included the effect
of climate change, notably on Small Island Developing States
 As a result, Fiji has been given the chairmanship of the next COP21 event.
 COP21 - Conference of Parties – with 'parties' meaning the countries that permitted the
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992 at the Earth Summit
in Rio de Janeiro.

3. International Recognition: Fiji is recognized as a respected country by other nations

around the world.
4. Participate in Global Discussions: Fiji can join international talks on important issues
like climate change and human rights.
5. Get Help for Development: Fiji can receive financial and technical support from the UN
for projects like building roads, schools, and healthcare centers.
6. Help Keep Peace: Fiji's soldiers can join UN peacekeeping missions to help keep other
countries safe.
7. Promote Human Rights: Fiji can join discussions and help protect people's basic rights
like freedom and fairness.
8. Meet New People and Countries: Membership in the UN allows Fiji to build
friendships and partnerships with other countries and organizations.
9. Have a Say in Global Decisions: Fiji has a voice in shaping international policies and
deciding on important issues.
10. Work Towards Global Goals: Fiji can align its goals with the UN's Sustainable
Development Goals to make a positive impact on the world.

How does Fiji Help the UN

1. By sending peacekeepers to war torn countries.
2. Taking part in UN Activities and projects.
3. By contributing to UN Budget.
4. By doing what it is required for the various decisions made by UN
5. By maintaining peace within the country.

Activities
1. When did Fiji become a member of UN?
2. What are some ways in which UN benefits Fiji?
3. Discuss two ways that Fiji contributes to UN?