The international organization of the united nations, in the world called the UN, was created during the Second World War with the aim of strengthening peace and security between states, as well as developing their cooperation.

UN structure

To ensure its activities, the UN has a strict structure. Each body in the structure of the organization is responsible for a certain aspect of international relations:

  1. The Security Council is responsible for maintaining peace between countries and ensuring their security. All UN member states are forced to obey the decisions of the Security Council, although it consists of only 15 representatives.
  2. The Secretariat has more than 40 thousand employees in its staff. In fact, they are all international personnel who ensure the work of the UN around the world.
  3. The Secretary General heads the secretariat and is elected from among the representatives of countries that are not members of the Security Council.
  4. The International Court of Justice is the body of the United Nations that carries out the judicial and legal activities of the organization.
  5. The Economic and Social Council helps to realize the economic and social cooperation between countries respectively.
  6. The specialized agencies are approved by one of the above bodies in order to better fulfill their international obligations. The most famous among these organizations are The World Bank, WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO.

The UN and conflict resolution

Activities to promote the preservation of peace and security between countries are carried out primarily in the settlement international conflicts. The UN organizes peacekeeping operations Worldwide. At the same time, investigations into the causes of conflicts are carried out, negotiations are underway, and in case of signing ceasefire agreements, their observance by all parties to the conflict is monitored.

If necessary, the UN provides humanitarian aid victims of international conflicts or natural Disasters. It consists not only of the provision of medicines, food and basic necessities, but also of the rescue activities of the UN.

Comparison of the high and noble aspirations proclaimed in the UN Charter with those realized in practice, with real methods and methods of their implementation, as well as the results and consequences of many UN actions, cannot but cause mixed feelings. The generalized indicator of the effectiveness of the UN for 55 years is as follows: at the end of the twentieth century. living wage more than 1.5 billion people was less than $1 a day. More than 1 billion adults, mostly women, could not read or write; 830 million people suffered from malnutrition; 750 million people did not have access to adequate housing or health care.

The United Nations has certainly played prominent role in history and leave a brighter mark on it than its predecessor, the League of Nations. Figuratively speaking, the UN played the role of a kind of international constitutional assembly to coordinate the rules of law, which have become common not only for individuals, but also for entire states. And in this capacity, a lot has been done.

The undoubted achievement is the very unification of all the peoples and states of the planet under the common banner of ensuring international peace and security. An unconditional achievement is also the recognition of the principle sovereign equality of all States and the universal obligation not to interfere in each other's internal affairs. Thanks to world organization the share and role of secret diplomacy have significantly decreased, the world has become more open, and humanity has become more informed about what is happening in it. Annual sessions General Assembly, bringing together the leading figures of almost all states of the world, give each state the opportunity to address the international community with its problems and concerns, and the inhabitants of the planet to find out in a timely manner what worries humanity as a whole in the first place.

With the active participation of the UN, important international legal acts, V in a certain sense determined the course of world politics in the second half of the twentieth century. Suffice it to note that the very first resolution, adopted by the General Assembly on January 24, 1946, dealt with the problems of the peaceful use of atomic energy and the elimination of atomic and other weapons of mass destruction.

Continuing the traditions of the League of Nations, the UN organized the work of its permanent body - the international Conferences on Disarmament in Geneva. It discussed the main ideas of the treaties on the prohibition of nuclear weapons tests: first in the atmosphere, underground and under water (signed in 1963), and then over the seas and oceans (1971). It also discussed the main ideas of the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, according to which the nuclear powers were obliged not to provide nuclear weapon other countries, and states that do not yet possess such weapons should not develop or produce them. Comprehensive Ban Treaty nuclear testing adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 10 and opened for signature since September 24, 1996, i.e. more than half a century after the adoption of the first resolution of the UN General Assembly on the elimination of atomic and other types of weapons of mass destruction. In 1972, an agreement was signed banning the development, production and storage of bacteriological weapons, and 20 years later (in 1992) a similar document was signed with regard to chemical weapons. In 1990, it was possible to achieve the conclusion of an agreement on the reduction of conventional armed forces in Europe.

Mankind has long enjoyed the riches of the seas and oceans, but so far only a small fraction of what they can give people. Land, rivers and lakes have already been divided among peoples and states, belonging to those who live in the respective territories. Huge wealth is at the bottom of the seas and oceans, which are international. How to use them and on the basis of what right?

In 1958, the UN member states signed the Convention on continental shelf, according to which the shelf of the internationally agreed width is divided among all coastal states. In 1982 was concluded international convention By maritime law. In connection with the beginning of space exploration, the question arose about the ownership of space objects and their natural resources. After lengthy discussions, in 1979 an agreement was signed on the activities of states on the Moon and other celestial bodies. These agreements and the Convention on the Continental Shelf proclaimed outer space, the deep seabed and its mineral resources common heritage of mankind.

According to these international agreements, it was found that:

1) the sphere of the common heritage of mankind is not subject to any appropriation by states, physical and legal entities;

2) when using the resources of the common heritage of mankind, the interests of all international community;

3) states are obliged to ensure that the activities of their organizations and individuals in areas of the common heritage of mankind was carried out in strict accordance with international rules;

4) when developing resources in these areas, the necessary measures to protect the environment should be taken.

Another important field of activity of the UN is its assistance to the process of eliminating colonial dependence and gaining by the peoples of Africa, Asia and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans state independence. Exclusively important role in this process was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1960. Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples". According to it, more than 60 former colonies gained state independence and became members of the UN. By the day of the 50th anniversary of the UN (in 1995), there were still 17 self-governing territories in the world. The jubilee session of the General Assembly declared the year 2000 the year of the end of colonialism. The UN also made a certain positive contribution to the process of settling political and ethnic conflicts in individual countries.

The role of the UN in the development of an international code of human rights is especially significant. The inalienability and inalienability of human rights is already mentioned in the UN Charter itself. It also says about the mission of the UN, which consists in the need "... realize the international cooperation in resolution international problems economic, social, cultural and humanitarian character and in the promotion and promotion of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion". Of lasting importance are Universal Declaration of Human Rights and adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1966 and entered into force in 1976. Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights” And " Covenant on Civil and Political Rights". The states that signed them undertook to create at home all the necessary conditions for the realization of the human rights and freedoms proclaimed here. Many dozens of declarations and conventions on the rights and freedoms of various strata and groups of the population have been adopted in the development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international covenants on human rights. The achievements of the UN include the activities discussed above specialized agencies UN (UNESCO, WHO, ILO, etc.)

The UN achieved the greatest success in those areas of activity where the rivalry of the leading powers of the world was weaker. Although it cannot be denied that it was the leading powers of the world that made the most significant contribution to this success. Oddly enough, it was the rivalry between the USA and the USSR and the systems of social relations they personified that played a good service to mankind, and significantly advanced it along the path of progress. So, for 85 years of the twentieth century, despite two devastating world wars, world production goods and services increased more than 50 times. 80% of this colossal growth falls on the period of the most acute confrontation between the two systems - from 1950 to 1985. During this period, the pace economic growth in the world were the highest in the history of mankind - about 5% annually. Of course, such development became possible due to many factors, including the scientific and technological revolution. In conditions of intense rivalry among themselves, the states sought to use them to the maximum advantage for themselves. All this taken together made it possible to achieve the highest rates of economic growth and the longest cycle of crisis-free development in the world. The merits of the UN and its specialized agencies in these successes are significant. In the 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR, "the ideological conflicts and divisions of the bipolar world gave way to ethnic and religious intolerance, political ambitions and greed, and are often exacerbated by the illegal trade in weapons, jewelry and drugs." The rate of economic growth also dropped significantly.

The UN is a forum of sovereign states and what it can do depends on the understanding they reach among themselves. The UN Security Council has developed a system of principles and measures for maintaining peace and resolving conflicts.

1. The cornerstone of this system remains the state, respect for its integrity and sovereignty. But the time of absolute and exclusive sovereignty is over, real life often refuted pure, theoretical concepts. Thus, the issues of trade, communication and ecology know no boundaries, and "closed" societies objectively can no longer exist in modern world. In addition, the former consensus that existed in the world community and enshrined in international law is losing its strength regarding how and under what conditions interference in internal affairs is permissible. sovereign state. The objective prerequisite for this is, first of all, the real processes of globalization and democratization, as well as the increasingly widespread (and largely justified) doubts arising from this that the main and almost exclusive threats international security and stability stem, as it were, from external sources, that is, from interstate violence. Organized and large-scale violence carried out within a state (as it was, for example, in Haiti, Somalia, Rwanda, etc.), today is becoming not only a private domestic political problem, but also a real issue of international security, which neither the world community, neither the modern international law so far there is no fully satisfactory answer.

As is known, the principle of the prohibition of the use of force or the threat of force, which is enshrined in the UN Charter, operates in modern international law. This principle is universal, that is, it is binding on all states, not just UN members. This principle means that armed force can only be used against a state if its actions pose a threat to international peace or security. At the same time, the UN Charter expressly provides that a state may use armed force in self-defense either in the event of external aggression or to comply with a decision of the UN Security Council. International practice shows that the Security Council can be an effective and authoritative body that, through its decisions, contributes to the strengthening of international peace and security.

However, conflicts that threaten international peace and security are particularly frequent in Lately arise not only between states, but also within the territory of any individual state (the so-called internal conflicts). It is clear that not all internal conflicts pose a threat to international peace and security, but only those that are associated with massive violations of human rights and freedoms, the so-called "domicide" (as opposed to genocide), ethnic violence, etc. But just as applied to them, a new and not yet satisfactorily resolved international legal problem arises, namely: is the use of force justified, except in self-defence? In particular, is this acceptable in the case of "humanitarian crises"?

If you turn to UN Charter, then it de jure does not provide for the implementation of acts of armed intervention on humanitarian grounds, that is, in connection with violations of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen. If strictly legally applied to the relevant decisions of the Security Council, then the introduction of armed forces into the territory of certain states in connection with "humanitarian problems" can be regarded, in accordance with Article 2 (7) of the Charter, as interference in the internal affairs of the state. Confirmation of this can be found in the practice of the International Court of Justice, which back in 1986 in the case of Nicaragua stated that "the use of force cannot be an appropriate method to ... ensure ... respect" for human rights.

And yet, despite the theoretical underdevelopment, legal complexity and political delicacy of all these issues, in this case, it seems, we are dealing with a certain lag of international law from real processes in the field of politics and morality. Today, a new, much more detailed and clearer definition is urgently needed. legal aspects use of force in international relations in the context of globalization and democratization, the development of additional criteria for its application in accordance with the UN Charter, including in humanitarian emergencies. Special attention should be given to the development of a clear international legal interpretation of humanitarian crises.

In addition, it is necessary to take into account the precedent nature of the interference of the international community in the internal affairs of certain states on humanitarian grounds. In reality, the Security Council, when deciding on the use of armed forces against any country, takes into account both humanitarian motives and arguments. Thus, by resolution 688 (1990), the Security Council authorized the multinational force to carry out an armed intervention in Iraq to protect the Kurds; authorized groups of States, by resolutions 794 (1992) and 929 (1994), to establish a multinational armed force in Somalia and Rwanda, respectively, to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance and other humanitarian operations.

It should be noted that at the Moscow meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE in 1991 it was recognized that "questions relating to human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law are of an international character, since they constitute one of the foundations of the international order." The States participating in this meeting stressed that “they declare categorically and definitively that the commitments they have made in the field of the human dimension of the CSCE are matters of direct and legitimate interest for all states, and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the state concerned".

One of the important consequences of the processes of globalization and democratization developing in the modern world is that humanitarian problems, issues of observance of human rights go beyond the exclusive internal competence of individual states. The world community, with good reason and right, is reacting today to violations by this or that state of its obligations in the field of human rights. At the same time, it is fundamentally important that in each individual case the appropriate reactions and actions (including by force) taken by the international community be adequate and proportionate and carried out on behalf of the UN Security Council.

In view of the foregoing, it seems that the time is coming to raise the question of the development and conclusion international treaty which, on the basis of modern international law and taking into account new political realities, would determine in what cases and for what purposes intervention is permissible (or even required) on humanitarian grounds. In particular, such an agreement would establish the violation of which human rights and freedoms is the basis for international intervention. Probably should have been created and defined international body(perhaps under the Security Council) to implement the objectives of such a treaty.

And yet there are a number of UN Security Council measures that contribute to the maintenance of peace and security.

"Human Diplomacy"- these are actions aimed at preventing the emergence of disputes by the parties, preventing the escalation of existing disputes into conflicts and limiting the scope of conflicts after they arise.

"Making Peace"- these are actions aimed at forcing the warring parties to come to an agreement, mainly through peaceful means.

"Keeping the Peace"- is to ensure the presence of the UN or the "arbitrator" party in this particular area, which until now has been done with the consent of all interested parties, which, as a rule, involves the deployment of military, police, civilian personnel, both in terms of preventing conflicts and establishing peace..

"Preventive diplomacy"requires the implementation of measures aimed at establishing confidence. This requires information about the situation for early warning of the conflict.

It also requires mutual trust and good will between the parties and preventive measures: the systematic exchange of military missions, the formation of regional or sub-regional centers to reduce danger, the organization of free flow of information.

In a national crisis, there is "preemptive deployment" at the request of the government and with the consent of the parties concerned; "preventive deployment" can also take place when one of the parties feels threatened and asks for an appropriate presence of peace forces from only its borders. "Preemptive deployment" helps to reduce suffering, limit violence in the country, provide humanitarian assistance, ensure state sovereignty, negotiate. "Preventive deployment" contributes to the creation (by agreement of the parties) of demilitarized zones as a means of disengaging the belligerents, as well as the elimination of any pretext for attack.

The international organization of the united nations, in the world called the UN, was created during the Second World War with the aim of strengthening peace and security between states, as well as developing their cooperation.

UN structure

To ensure its activities, the UN has a strict structure. Each body in the structure of the organization is responsible for a certain aspect of international relations:

  1. The Security Council is responsible for maintaining peace between countries and ensuring their security. All UN member states are forced to obey the decisions of the Security Council, although it consists of only 15 representatives.
  2. The Secretariat has more than 40 thousand employees in its staff. In fact, they are all international personnel who ensure the work of the UN around the world.
  3. The Secretary General heads the secretariat and is elected from among the representatives of countries that are not members of the Security Council.
  4. The International Court of Justice is the body of the United Nations that carries out the judicial and legal activities of the organization.
  5. The Economic and Social Council help realize economic and social cooperation between countries respectively.
  6. The specialized agencies are approved by one of the above bodies in order to better fulfill their international obligations. The most famous among such organizations are the World Bank, WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO.

The UN and conflict resolution

Activities to promote the preservation of peace and security between countries are carried out primarily in the settlement of international conflicts. The UN organizes peacekeeping operations around the world. At the same time, investigations into the causes of conflicts are carried out, negotiations are underway, and in case of signing ceasefire agreements, their observance by all parties to the conflict is monitored.

If necessary, the UN provides humanitarian assistance to victims of international conflicts or natural disasters. It consists not only of the provision of medicines, food and basic necessities, but also of the rescue activities of the UN.

Powers and functions of the UN Security Council

The Security Council is one of the main organs of the UN and plays a major role in maintaining international peace and security.

The Security Council consists of 15 members: five permanent members (Russia, USA, Great Britain, France, China) and ten non-permanent members elected in accordance with the UN Charter. The list of permanent members is fixed in the UN Charter. Non-permanent members are elected by the UN General Assemblies for two years without the right to immediate re-election.

The Security Council is empowered to investigate any dispute or situation which may give rise to international friction or give rise to a dispute, to determine whether the continuation of this dispute or situation may threaten international peace and security. At any stage of such a dispute or situation, the Board may recommend an appropriate procedure or methods for settlement.

The parties to a dispute, the continuation of which may threaten international peace or security, have the right to independently decide to refer the dispute to the resolution of the Security Council. However, if the Security Council considers that the continuation of the dispute may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security, it may recommend such terms for the settlement of the dispute as it thinks fit.

A State that is not a member of the UN may also draw attention to any dispute to which it is a party if, in respect of that dispute, it accepts the obligations stipulated in advance in the UN Charter for the peaceful settlement of disputes.

In addition, the Security Council determines the existence of any threat to the peace, any breach of the peace or act of aggression, and makes recommendations to the parties or decides what measures should be taken to restore international peace and security. The Council may require the parties to the dispute to comply with such provisional measures as it deems necessary. Decisions of the Security Council are binding on all UN members.

The Council is also empowered to decide what non-military measures should be taken to implement its decisions and to require the members of the organization to implement those measures. These measures may include a complete or partial interruption of economic relations, rail, sea, air, postal, telegraph, radio or other means of communication, as well as the severance of diplomatic relations.

If the Security Council considers that these measures prove or have proved insufficient, it may take such action by air, sea or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore peace and security. The Member States of the United Nations undertake to place at the disposal of the Council the armed forces necessary for the maintenance of peace.

At the same time, it must be taken into account that the UN Charter in no way affects the inalienable right of each state to individual or collective self-defense in the event of an armed attack on a UN member until the Security Council takes appropriate measures to maintain peace and security.

Each member state of the Security Council has one representative here. The Security Council shall establish its own rules of procedure, including the manner in which its President is elected.

Decisions in the Security Council on questions of procedure are considered adopted if they are voted by nine members of the Council. On other matters, decisions shall be considered adopted when they are voted by nine members of the Council, including the concurring votes of all the permanent members of the Council, and the party involved in the dispute must abstain from voting. If, when voting on a non-procedural issue, one of the permanent members of the Council votes against, the decision is considered not adopted (right of veto).

The Security Council may establish subsidiary bodies as necessary for the performance of its functions. Thus, to assist the Security Council in the use of troops placed at its disposal and in the regulation of armaments, a Military Staff Committee was created, consisting of the chiefs of staff of the permanent members of the Security Council or their representatives.

Structure of the UN Security Council

Article 29 of the Charter of the United Nations provides that the Security Council may establish such subsidiary organs as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions. This is also reflected in rule 28 of the Council's Provisional Rules of Procedure.

All current committees and working groups are composed of 15 members of the Council. While the chair of the standing committees is the President of the Council, whose office is rotated monthly, the chairs or co-chairs of other committees and working groups are appointed members of the Council, whose names are presented annually in the Note by the President of the Security Council.

The mandates of the subsidiary bodies, whether committees or working groups, range from procedural matters (eg documentation and procedures, meetings away from Headquarters) to substantive matters (eg sanctions regimes, counter-terrorism, peacekeeping operations) .

International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia(ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) are subsidiary organs of the Security Council within the meaning of Article 29 of the Charter. As such, they are dependent on the United Nations for administrative and financial matters, but as judiciary they are independent of any state or group of states, including the body that established them - the Security Council.

Committees

Counter-Terrorism and Non-Proliferation Committees

Counter-Terrorism Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001)

Committee for the Prevention of the Proliferation of Nuclear, Chemical or biological weapons and its means of delivery (1540 Committee) .

Military Staff Committee

The Military Staff Committee helps plan United Nations military arrangements and regulate armaments.

Sanctions committees (ad hoc)

The application of mandatory sanctions is intended to put pressure on a State or entity to adhere to the goals set by the Security Council without resorting to the use of force. Thus, for the Security Council, sanctions are one of the important tools to ensure compliance with its decisions. Because of its universal nature, the United Nations is a particularly suitable body to introduce and monitor such measures.

The Council has resorted to binding sanctions as one of the tools to enforce its decisions when peace is in danger and diplomatic efforts have proved fruitless. Sanctions include comprehensive economic and trade sanctions and/or targeted measures such as arms embargoes, travel bans, and financial or diplomatic restrictions.

Standing committees and special bodies

Standing committees are open-ended bodies and are usually established to deal with certain procedural matters, such as the admission of new members. Special committees are established for a limited period of time to deal with a particular issue.

Peacekeeping operations and political missions

A peacekeeping operation involves military, police and civilian personnel who work to provide security and political support, as well as in the early stages of peacebuilding. Peacekeeping is flexible and has been carried out in many configurations over the past two decades. The current multifaceted peacekeeping operations are designed not only to maintain peace and security, but also to promote political processes, provide protection civilians, assist in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants; to support the organization of elections, to protect and promote human rights, and to assist in the restoration of the rule of law.

Political missions are one element in a range of United Nations peace operations that operate at various stages of the conflict cycle. In some cases, after the signing of peace agreements, the political missions managed during the peace negotiation phase by the Department of Political Affairs are replaced by peacekeeping missions. In some cases, United Nations peacekeeping operations are being replaced by special political missions whose task is to monitor the implementation of longer-term peacebuilding activities.

International courts and tribunals

The Security Council established the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 1993 following widespread violations in the former Yugoslavia during hostilities humanitarian law. It was the first postwar court established by the United Nations to prosecute war crimes and the first war crimes tribunal since the Nuremberg and Tokyo Tribunals, which were established at the end of World War II. The Tribunal hears the cases of those individuals who are primarily responsible for such heinous acts as murder, torture, rape, enslavement and destruction of property, as well as other violent crimes. Its purpose is to ensure the administration of justice for the thousands of victims and their families, and thus contribute to the establishment of lasting peace in the area. As of the end of 2011, the Tribunal had convicted 161 people.

The Security Council established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 1994 to prosecute those responsible for the genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in Rwanda between 1 January and 31 December 1994. It may also prosecute Rwandan citizens who committed acts of genocide and other similar violations of international law in the territory of neighboring States during the same period. In 1998, the Tribunal for Rwanda became the first international court, who delivered the verdict in the case of genocide, and also for the first time in history sentenced for such a crime.

Advisory Subsidiary Body

The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is an intergovernmental advisory body that supports efforts to bring peace to countries emerging from conflict and is an important complementary tool for the international community in its work on the broad peace agenda.

The Peacebuilding Commission has a unique role to play in terms of:

ensuring coordinated interaction between all relevant actors, including international donors, international financial institutions, national governments and troop-contributing countries;

mobilization and distribution of resources;

The Peacebuilding Commission is an advisory subsidiary body of both the Security Council and the General Assembly.