North-South Relations: Global Cooperation

Formation of the UN

• The United Nations is an international peacekeeping organization that was created after WWII
• Allied powers began planning a new organization to maintain world peace in the late period of WWII
• In October 1943, China, Britain, the US, and the Soviet Union signed the Declaration on General Security
• The declaration promised continued cooperation to set up a peacekeeping organization, replacing the League of Nations
• In June 1945, representatives from fifty countries met in San Francisco and signed the UN Charter
• The UN came into being on October 24, 1945
• The headquarters are in New York City, the US
• There are also UN offices in Geneva and Vienna
• From its start in 1945, the number of member states in the UN has increased from 51 to 193 in 2020
• The UN symbol has two olive branches surrounding the world, symbolizing world peace

Objectives of the UN

• By signing the UN Charter, members of the UN agreed to:
• Maintain world peace
• Promote self-government and friendly relations between nations
• Cooperate in solving economic, social, and cultural problems
• Defend the dignity and worth of all people, and promote respect for human rights and basic freedoms
• Work together to settle international disputes

Structure of the UN

• The UN has 6 major organs and many specialized agencies

General Assembly

• Includes all member states, and each has one vote
• Resolutions are passed by two-thirds majority votes
• Meets once a year
• Has the power to pass the UN budget
• Appoint the Secretary-General
• Accept new members
• Discuss and make suggestions on important issues

Security Council

• Maintains international peace and security
• Solves international conflicts through mediation and adoption of economic, diplomatic, and even military means
• The Security Council has 5 permanent members: China, the US, Britain, Russia, and France
• There are also ten non-permanent members, who are elected by the General Assembly
• Non-permanent members terms are two years

Influences of the five permanent members on the UN Security Council

• The Security Council is the most powerful institution of the UN
• The Security Council is responsible for maintaining international peace and security
• All member states must comply with and carry the decisions of the Security Council
• Besides the five permanent members, there are ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for a two year term
• Any bill will not pass if any permanent member rejects it, even if it has enough votes
• The five permanent Security Council members have great influence on UN affairs and international politics

Security Council resolutions

• Security Council resolutions require nine votes, with no rejection from the permanent members
• This reflects the status the five permanent members have as victors of WWII

Secretariat

• The Secretariat is the office responsible for managing the UN
• Headed by the Secretary-General, it handles the UN's daily business
• The Secretary-General reports to the General Assembly, and acts as mediator in conflicts

Economic and Social Council

• It has fifty-four members
• It makes reports and gives advice on the economic, social, cultural, educational, health, and human rights conditions around the world for the General Assembly
• It has many specialized agencies and commissions, such as:
  • Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  • The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
  • World Health Organization (WHO)
  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• The agencies provide economic, technological, and professional aid to countries in need

International Court of Justice

• Located at The Hague, it has fifteen judges
• It handles disputes among nation states

Trusteeship Council

• It formed to be certain that non-self-governing territories (e.g. former colonies and territories of defeated nations in WWII) were ruled in the residents' best interests
• Once those territories gained independence or self-government, the Trusteeship Council ended in November 1994

Problems in functioning of the Security Council

• Many small/medium countries oppose giving the five permanent members of the Security Council privileges when voting on resolutions
• The Security Council's number of members is small and cannot adequately represent the small countries' interests
• The number of member states of the UN has been increasing, though the proportion of Security Council members in the total number of UN member states has been declining
• The five permanent members are more powerful, but less representative
• The permanent member states have the greatest power on the resolution, and are questioned for protecting their own interests
• US often rejects resolutions for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict unfavorable to Israel because of its tendency to support Israel
• If one of the five permanent members rejects a resolution, it will not be passes

Lacking sufficient funds

• The Un receives funding from member states
• The UN has financial difficulties because most developed countries pay little attention to contributing to the development assistance of the UN
• As official aid of the developed countries has decreased, some UN development projects are forced to suspend
• Some countries (especially the US), refuse to pay their share of contribution
• The UN faces financial difficulties, and its normal operation is affected

Success depending on members’ cooperation

• The UN is an international organisation that countries voluntarily participate in
• Despite its member states, it lacks an independent armed force
• It has to rely on member states to supply troops
• Its ability to function greatly depends on its members' willingness to cooperate
• Even if related countries do not comply with resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council during serious conflicts, there are no consequences.
• The UN failed to prevent incidents of war and genocide, such as:
  • The Rwandan genocide in 1994
  • The US military invasion of Iraq in 2003
  • The genocide in Sudan in the same year

Relationship with regional organizations

• Regional orgnanizations have become more important after the Cold War
• Examples of regional organizations:
  • NATO
  • The EU
  • Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
• Such organizations have constituted challenges toward the role/status of the UN
• Regional orgnanizations have advantages in maintaining regional security, though they should not replace the UN
• In addition, the UN should work together with regional organizations to play a greater role in developing world order

Differences between Developed and Developing Countries

• The relationship between developed and developing countries is known as the North-South relationship
• North-South refers to the relationship between the Southern Hemisphere developing countries and the Northern Hemisphere developed countries
• In the 1950s the gap of GDP between developing and developed countries was 22 times
• In 1990, the gap of GDP was 59 times
• According to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), there are 145 developing countries
• 49 countries are considered least developed mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

Economic Aspect

• Developing countries have abundant natural resources, vast amounts of labor and have the ability to promote the global economy
• Developed nations have financial and technical advantages
• The continuous development of the developed nations has close ties with the economic advancements of the developing nations
• Developed nations strength is economy, trade, finance and technology
• Developed nations have constant innovation regarding resources, materials, development, energy and technology
• Developing nations rely heavy on the financial and technical support of developed nations

Political Aspect

• Conflicts and disputes stem from different countries on territories, customs, borders, terrorism, religions, and issues
• The developed and developing nations must cooperate with one another to solve their political problems

Social Aspect

• Affects overall development
• Issues are poverty, pollution, population increase, food and drug shortage and AIDS
• Developing and developed nations must share responsibility to solve the global issues
• If development problems cannot be resolved, it is hard to keep stability and peace

Explore the necessity of cooperation between developed and developing countries to address political issues and development challenges. Understand shared responsibilities and the impact of the North-South gap on global stability. Analyze the roles and critiques of historical interactions.