My Science School

Though both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were created at an international conference at Bretton, they are not the same. Both the organisations have different functions and priorities.

While the World Bank works to reduce poverty, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) strives to bring stability to the world’s monetary system.

The IMF is a firm that checks a nation’s financial health, providing economic assessment every year. It also provides financial aid under several policies. The members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) work together to improve global financial cooperation, and promote international trade and economic growth.

 

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By the end of the Second World War, many countries were left in utter poverty. Their resources were spent in war and the people were suffering. Considering this situation, 44 countries decided to give shape to an organisation that would offer financial help to the war torn countries.

This organisation would take money donated by governments or other people and distribute it to countries in need. This decision was taken in 1944 and the result was the World Bank.

The World Bank began operations in 1946 and the first loans were given to war torn countries including France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Luxembourg. The World Bank is an international organisation that provides money to countries to help them improve the lives of their citizens. Apart from loans, the World Bank also gives out grants. The grants are like loans that do not have to be paid back.

 

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“To contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information” – this is the aim of UNESCO.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization works primarily to improve and promote education, sciences and culture. This is done in order to increase the universal respect for justice, law, and human rights. Providing quality education for all is UNESCO’s primary concern.

UNESCO has five major programs – education, natural sciences, social sciences, culture and communication/information. The organisation conducts a lot of events that concerns literacy, technical, and teacher-training programs, international science programs, and regional and cultural history projects. It also works for the freedom of the press.

 

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The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is successfully providing humanitarian and development aid to children around the world since 1946.

When it began, it was known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. The programme started off as an effort to provide immediate relief from hunger to the children and mothers who belonged to the countries that were devastated by the Second World War.

The programme later expanded to provide them healthcare, and the long term needs of women and children in the developing countries.

The funding for the UNICEF comes from governments and private donations. The UNICEF relies on community-level services to promote the health and well-being of children, with special focus on field work.

 

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‘Better health for everyone, everywhere.’ This is what the World Health Organisation (WHO) strives to achieve. WHO is concerned with international public health. It was established on April 7, 1948 and works in collaboration with the member states. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, WHO has 150 offices across the world.

The World Health Organisation works to eliminate communicable diseases like tuberculosis, Ebola and AIDS, and non-communicable diseases like cancer and heart diseases. It is also concerned with nutrition, food security and drug abuse.

WHO also develops reports, conducts awareness programmes and organizes international conferences related to public health. The organisation also assists governments to strengthen their public health services.

 

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There were a lot of discussions by scholars and politicians after the Second World War. These discussions attempted to find the roots of the conflicts that later led to wars.

After a lot of debates and discussions, it was found that poverty, ignorance and justice were the prime causes that led to serious international issues. To tackle these issues, the UN cane up with a number of funds and specialized agencies. These funds and programmes come directly under the General Assembly.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) are some of the specialized agencies run by the United Nations. Currently, the UN has 17 specialized agencies.

 

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In 1945, the UN Charter formed the Trusteeship Council to look after eleven territories known as trust territories. Earlier, the trust territories had belonged to those powers that were defeated in the Second World War.

Out of the eleven territories, seven were in Africa while the rest were from Oceania. Over time, many of the trust territories gained independence and as a result, the workload of the council decreased. In 1994, Palau, the last of the territories became independent. This left the council without any responsibilities. Therefore, the Trusteeship Council was suspended in 1994 as its mission was accomplished.

 

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The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is involved in settling all the legal disputes submitted by the member states. The court would judge crimes like genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. No wonder it is called the ‘World Court’.

The International Court of Justice was known as the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Established in The Hague in 1899 to hear international disputes, it worked with the League of Nations before being associated with the UN. It became a wing of the United Nations in 1946. Apart from settling legal disputes, the International Court of Justice also provides advice on legal questions.

 

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Not all the countries in the world are wealthy. Some countries are rich while some others are extremely poor. Such a situation creates a huge gap between these nations. The United Nations Economic and Social Council works to bridge this gap by providing direct financial aid to the poor countries.

The council’s financial aid comes in different forms- loans, grants and advice. The organisation also encourages the wealthy nations to help the poor nations.

Most of the work by the United Nations Economic and Social Council is devoted to the development of backward nations. It works to improve the living conditions, healthcare and education system of the backward countries. It also promotes population control.

 

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The United Nations I run by its Secretariat. The programme and policies laid down by the other UN bodies are administered by the Secretariat. The UN Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General, one of the most powerful positions in world politics.

The duties carried out by the Secretariat range from peacekeeping to mediating international disputes. For ensuring its smooth functioning, the Secretariat has employed over 9000 employees from 170 countries, who have sworn loyalty to the UN. There is a wide range of job positions in the Secretariat, from secretaries and scientists to translators and truck drivers!

The Secretariat staff informs the world media about the works of the UN. They also organize international conferences on issues of worldwide concern. They are also involved in interpreting speeches and translating documents into the official languages of the UN.

Apart from New York, the Secretariat has offices in Geneva, Bangkok, Nairobi, Santiago, Vienna and Addis Ababa.

 

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The UN Security Council has five permanent members- the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom. The permanent membership of these countries was granted by the UN Charter.

These countries were Allies during the Second World War (they were on the winning side.) These countries also possessed nuclear weapons and the world’s most powerful armies. The permanent members also have the power to veto a resolution. This power allows these members to prevent the adoption of any decision regardless of its international support.

There have been discussions about granting permanent membership to other members. The frequently suggested candidates for this were India, Brazil, Germany and Japan.

 

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The responsibility of maintaining international peace and security lies with the UN Security Council. The real power to make decisions for the world lies with the Security Council.

It is the Security Council takes the decision about providing membership to the nations. It also encourages the members to take action against those who break the rules of the United Nations. The Security Council is the only body of the UN that can call for military action.

There are a total of fifteen members in the Security Council. Apart from the five permanent members, the UN General Assembly elects ten members to serve a two-year term. The meetings of the Security Council can happen anytime around the year and anytime of the day or night.

 

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The sessions of the General Assembly are presided over by its president. This is a position voted by the members of the General Assembly.

Some of the largest and powerful countries of the world including China, Japan, Russia, the US, France, and the UK have never held presidency. This is because of the global status of their power. In addition to this, the UN Secretary-General should not come from the five permanent member states.

The president of the General Assembly is usually selected from different geographic areas such as Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Western Europe and other states. Tijjani Muhammed –Bande of Nigeria currently serves as the president of the UN General Assembly.

 

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You all know about the Indian Parliament. In the Parliament, all elected members get equal representation. The UN General Assembly can be seen as the world’s parliament.

All the member nations have equal representation in the General Assembly. The General Assembly meets every year from September to December. It also meets at other times to discuss other serious issues like terrorism, child labour, or the conservation of the environment. Every nation has one vote in the General Assembly regardless of its size, population, or national income.

To pass resolutions on important matters, it is necessary to win two-thirds of the votes of the members. However, the General Assembly alone cannot make important decisions. It can only recommend that actions to other important bodies like the Security Council.

 

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There are six principal offices that ensure the smooth functioning of the United Nations-the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, the International Court of Justice and the Trusteeship Council. These offices support and promote the ideas mentioned in the UN Charter. The UN General Assembly is the central body of the United Nations. Out of the six principal organs, four are located in Turtle Bay in New York.

The International Court of Justice is situated in the Hague and the Trusteeship Council was suspended in 1994. Other UN offices are spread across the world.

 

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