THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM A Reference Handbook Other Titles in ABC-CLIO’s CONTEMPORARY WORLD ISSUES Series Courts and Trials,Christopher E. Smith Dating and Sexuality,Jeffrey Scott Turner Drug Use,Richard Isralowitz Environmental Activism, Jacqueline Vaughn Switzer Families in America,Jeffrey Scott Turner Gay and Lesbian Issues, Chuck Stewart Healthcare Reform in America, Jennie Jacobs Kronenfeld and Michael R. Kronenfeld Media and American Courts, S.L. Alexander Media and Politics in America, Guido H. Stempel III Nuclear Weapons and Nonproliferation, Sarah J. Diehl and James Clay Moltz Police Misconduct in America, Dean J. Champion Profiling and Criminal Justice in America, Jeffrey B. Bumgarner Racial and Ethnic Diversity in America, Adalberto Aguirre, Jr. Racial Justice in America,David B. Mustard Reproductive Issues in America, Janna C. Merrick and Robert H. Blank U.S. Homeland Security, Howard Ball U.S. Immigration, Michael C. LeMay Voting in America, Robert E. DiClerico Women and Equality in the Workplace, Janet Z. Giele and Leslie F. Stebbins Women in Prison, Cyndi Banks Books in the Contemporary World Issues series address vital issues in today’s society such as genetic engineering, pollution, and biodiversity. Written by professional writers, scholars, and nonacademic experts, these books are authoritative, clearly written, up to date, and objective. They provide a good starting point for research by high school and college students, scholars, and general readers as well as by legislators, businesspeople, activists, and others. Each book, carefully organized and easy to use, contains an overview of the subject, a detailed chronology, biographical sketches, facts and data and/or documents and other primary- source material, a directory of organizations and agencies, annotated lists of print and nonprint resources, and an index. Readers of books in the Contemporary World Issues series will find the information they need in order to have a better understanding of the social, political, environmental, and economic issues facing the world today. THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM A Reference Handbook Chadwick F. Alger CONTEMPORARY WORLD ISSUES Santa Barbara, California Denver, Colorado Oxford, England Copyright 2006 by Chadwick F. Alger All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Alger, Chadwick F., 1924– The United Nations system : a reference handbook / Chadwick F. Alger. p. cm. — (Contemporary world issues) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-85109-805-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 1-85109-806-2 (ebook) 1. United Nations--History. I. Title. II. Series. JZ4986.A44 2005 341.23—dc22 2005025406 09 08 07 06 / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. Visit abc-clio.com for details. Production Team Acquisitions Editor: Mim Vasan Submissions Editor: Peter Westwick Production Editor: Anna R. Kaltenbach Editorial Assistant: AlishaMartinez Production Manager: Don Schmidt Manufacturing Coordinator: George Smyser ABC-CLIO, Inc. 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper . Manufactured in the United States of America. For my wife, Elinor, with deep respect for her devoted efforts to develop social justice in local communities, where seeds essential for global social justice must be planted. Contents Preface, xiii 1 Background and History, 1 The UN System in Historical Perspective, 5 Emergence of New Tools for Peace Building, 9 Organization of the UN System, 15 Financing the UN System, 23 The Political Process in the UN System, 25 Conclusion, 26 Notes, 27 2 Problems, Controversies, and Solutions, 29 Varied Definitions of Global Values, 30 The Challenge of Global Complexity, 32 The Functions of Social Conflict, 33 The Need for Long-Term Peace Building, 33 The Need for a UN Standby Peacekeeping Force, 35 Are Changes in Security Council and General Assembly Voting and Security Council Membership Needed?, 36 Alternative Modes for Financing the UN System, 39 Expanding Participation in Global Governance, 40 What Are Your Involvements and Responsibilities?, 45 References, 46 3 The Ambivalent Participation of the United States in the UN System, 49 Historic Roots of U.S. Ambivalence, 49 Factors Contributing to U.S. Government Unilateralism, 51 ix x Contents Public Opinion on the United Nations, 53 Public Knowledge about the United Nations, 57 Seven Factors Contributing to U.S. Government Unilateralism, 59 Emerging Opportunities for Public Education and Participation, 60 Conclusion, 63 References, 64 4 Chronology of the Emergence and Development of the UN System, 67 Historic Roots of the UN System, 67 Principal Organizations of the United Nations, 72 Organizations Created by the General Assembly, 82 UN Specialized Agencies, 87 UN World Conferences, 106 Coordination of the UN System, 107 References, 109 5 Facts and Data, 113 Table of Contents, 114 League of Nations Covenant, 116 UN Charter, 126 Member States (191) of the United Nations with Dates on which They Joined, 152 International Bill of Human Rights, 156 Monitoring Bodies for Core Human Rights Treaties, 196 UN Electoral Assistance, 197 Examples of Human Rights Activities of Other UN Agencies, 200 UN Peacekeeping Operations, 209 UN Peacemaking and Peace-Building Missions, 214 International Criminal Tribunals, 215 UN System Counterterrorism Efforts, 217 Financing the UN System, 224 Secretaries-General of the United Nations, 230 Presidents of the UN General Assembly, 231 UN System Nobel Peace Prizes, 231 UN Conferences 1994–2004, 234 Former UN Trust Territories, 237 Remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, 238