The international Court of Justice
It based in the Hague, Netherlands and is the highest judicial organ in the UN. It consists of 15 Judges, who serves a term of 9 years with a possibility for re- election.
→it handles issues involving diplomatic staff, fishing rights, nuclear tests and international borders and territorial water issues. For example in 2004, the court arbitrated the boundary dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon over Bakazi peninsula, awarding the region to Cameroon.
The secretariat
The secretariat is located in New York, USA and consists of international civil servants, led by the Secretary General. It is the body concerned with the day to–day work of the UN.
Duties/functions of the UN Secretary General
(i) To administer peace keeping operations
(ii) Researches on trends of human rights
(iii) Points out any situation that poses a threat to global peace to the UN general assembly
(iv) Monitors how UN recommendations are executed
(v) Translates documents
(vi) Registers treaties
The Economic and social council ( ECOSOC)
This is made up of 54 UN members states elected by the General Assembly to serve for a term of three years. It serves as the main UN forum for coordination of economic and social issues. This work is supervised by commissions, which include;-
(i) The statistical commission
(ii) The population commission
(iii) The commission for social development
(iv) The commission on the status of women
(v) The commission on narcotic drugs
→its work is done through different agencies which include WHO, FAO, UNESCO and UNICEF
Africa and The United Nations International Children’s Fund ( UNICEF)
UNICEF deals with the welfare activities with respect to children all over the world. Ways in which African states worked closely with UNICEF to promote the welfare of children
(i) Assists refugees world wide for example in 1959 UNICEF helped refugees in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria with blankets and tents
(ii) Collaborates with African states in promoting sanitation in rural areas
(iii) Donating essential drugs to protect the lives of young children and mothers
(iv) To conduct research in collaboration with African countries in the field of agriculture to fight multrutrition and hunger
(v) Promote girl- child education programmes with a view to uplift the quality of life of African children
(vi) Promotion of material health in Africa and in other parts of the world
(vii) UNICEF sponsors programmes in the continent to promote the welfare of infants through breastfeeding campaigns and other forms of nutrition including multritamins.
(viii) Work together with African countries to develop new vaccines and biotic. UNICEF promote vaccination campaigns against some of the pandemic in the continent such as tuberculosis. Polio, measles, yaws, syphilis
Africa and United Nations Educational Scientific and cultural Oraganization( unesco)
UNESCO has provided technical assistance to African countries since independence, when regional office was opened in 1962 in Ghana. It promotes educational, cultural and scientific development globally.
Activities promoted by UNESCO include:-
- Assistance towards free and compulsory education
- Easing, racial, social and international tension
- Appreciation of cultural values of different people
- Promotion of scientific research with a view of raising people standard of living
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Africa and the Red Cross
The international committee of the Red cross, is one of the International Non – Governmental Organizations that have played a big role in providing assistance to part of the world experiencing distress in different forms. Therefore it works closely with UN and its specialized bodies to assist in humanitarian works
→ Assistance provided by Red Cross includes;
(i) Provision of shelter in the form of tents for victims of disc esters, for example Tanzanians was experienced floods in 2006
(ii) It provides assistance in form of medial supplies, doctors, nurse in war zones in Africa and world at large
(iii) It mobilizes volunteers who are rained to handle different kinds of emergencies
(iv) It Organizes campaigns for blood donation aimed at assisting the people who requires blood transfusion especially during emergencies such as wars, natural disasters
(v) It provides assistance to refugees and other victims in terms of food and water. For example in Liberia and Sierra Leone in 1990’s as well as Somalia and Sudan.
Africa and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees ( UNHCR)
Most of the refugees in the world live in the African continent. The Organization of African Unity Cooperated with the UNHCR since its formation. By 1979, there were 3.5 million refugees in the continent, 5 million by the 1990’s. Among the support provided by the UNHCR to the continent includes:-
(i) To conduct research on the needs of refugees in the continent
(ii) To assist African refugees with food and clothing
(iii) To assist African refugees with medical aid
(iv) To assist African refugees with education
(v) Mobilize for funds among different states for refugees
(vi) Assisting African refugees with protection and places for settlement by negotiating with governments
- The Trusteeship council
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This organ took over the work of the mandates Commission that was created by the league of Nations to supervise the affairs of territories under colonial rule all over the world. It consists of five permanent members, and six additional members appointed by the general assembly.
Its work includes, the promotion of economic social, and political development of territories under its mastership. Some of the countries that acquire political independence under the trusteeship include, Libya 1949, Somalia – 1960, Cameroon01960, Ghana-1957, Tanganyika 1961 Rwanda and Burundi-1962 and Western Samoa in the Atlantic Ocean- 1962.
Achievement resulting from Africa’s Participation in the UN
(i) Disarmament. Over the years it has spearheaded the crusades towards reducing dangerous arms in the world especially nuclear weapons. Several treaties have been signed with the aim of cutting down number of such
weapons, for example the strategic Arms limitation talks( salt)
(ii) The UN plays a leading role in the peaceful resolution conflicts. All this is possible through the use of peace keepers, sending observer missions, special envoys and mediators to intervene in volatile areas. For example in
Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra leone, Liberia and Somalia.
(iii) Promotion of the protection of human rights. This was done through the General Assembly adopting the universal declaration of human rights in 1948 which idenfies the universal rights and freedoms of a person in spite of
age, gender or race.
(iv) The UN also fought for promotion of democracy and good governance. It was in this spirit that the trusteeship council fought for the political independence of colonial territories.
(v) The UN campaigns for the promotion of education and cultural interaction among the people of the world regardless of race, language or geographical area
(vi) The organization has also coordinated effects among world nations to fight under development this is done through several bodies such as IMF, World Bank, United Nations Development Programe( UNDP)
(vii) The international Court of Justice has indicated several African leaders for crimes against humanity and this has been crucial in discouraging genocide in Africa. The Arusha tribunal has been particularly useful in investigating the genocide in Rwanda.
Challenges encountered by African countries participation in the UN
(i) The UN has been accused of failing to intervene quickly in Africa to avoid catastrophes. For example it has been accused in decisiveness during the Rwanda genocide
(ii) The UN depends on contributions from member states. Unfortunately majority of its members in Africa are poor countries who from time to time are unable to remit their contributions.
(iii) Ideological differences between different Nations globally, particularly the major for example during the cold war ( 1940’s and 1990 ) between the Eastern and Western blocs, African countries fall victim depending on which
side they support.
(iv) The UN also faces the challenges of divided loyalty among world nations for example the African union, the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty organization whose members are also UN members.
(v) Africans have also complained of not being treated equally like other continents in the UN. for instance the international Court of Justice has been accused of being too quick to single out African ;leader for crimes against
humanity and ignoring crimes commited by power for countries like USA and Britain.
(vi) The denial of a second term of appointment to the former UN secretary General, Boutros Boutros Ghli from Egypt, has also been interpreted as an illustration of the disregard for the African views in the UN membership.
(vii) The use of Veto powers by the permanent member of the Security council. African Countries here added their voice to demand that some African states also acquire this veto power in order to level the status of international
relation.
African and the Non- Aligned Movement (NAM)
The NAM is an organization comprising of less developed countries in the world. Its emergence could be traced back to the 1950’s after a number Asian countries attained political independence.
The Bandung Conference that was held in Indonesia in 1955 marked the birth of the NAM. Some of the participants in this conference were Jawarlal Nehru, the Indian Premier, Gamel Abdel Nasser of Egypt, president Sukarno, Indonesia and Chov En lai, the Chinese Premier: The NAM was established as an alternative to membership of either the Eastern bloc or the Western bloc
Objectives of the NAM
(i) To eradicate racism in the world
(ii) To fight for disarmament in the world in the world
(iii) To enhance the participation of less- developed countries in the united National
(iv) To safeguard the independence and sovereignty of member states
(v) To fight against the establishment of military alliances that endangered global peace
(vi) To promote neutrality in the affairs of the major powers of the world among member states.
(vii) To fight for the establishment of a new economic world order that will be free from examination
(viii) To fight neo-colonialism through the promotion of economic independence among the poor countries of the world.
(ix) To fight for the decolonization of countries still suffering from colonial oppression and exploitation.
Achievements of African states in the NAM
The following are some of the achievements of African states
(i) The organization contributed to the maintenance of global peace, through avoiding being drawn into the antagonism between the two super power during the cold war.
(ii) NAM enabled member states to enhance their diplomatic power in global affairs by speaking in one voice.
(iii) It played a crucial role in convincing the rest of the world on the need for a new economic order
(iv) NAM played a crucial role on global marmement it has been crucial in preserving humanity
(v) It provided an important forum where the Afro- Asian block could discuss important matters that affected their members
(vi) NAM fought for decolonization of areas under colonialism in Africa using their voice in international forum especially at the UN
(vii) NAM fought against the destruction of environment as a way of protecting the ozone layer and guarding against global warming in the world.
Problems experienced by Africa in the Non- Aligned movement
The problem encountered include
(i) Personality differences among African Member states. Some leaders can not seat at the same table with leader of fellow member states, thus complicating the work of the organization
(ii) The break- up of the former soviet Union made some of African member states to assume that the role of the organization has come to an end.
(iii) Absence of enforcement machinery such as military or peacekeeping mechanism within the movement effect its efficacy in terms of enforcing its policies
(iv) Many African member states in NAM are still economically weak, thus still suffer from political instability, which in turn under mines their involvement in global affairs
(v) The dependency of many African countries on their former coloural masters has further undermined the power of the Non- Aligned movement, for example the Cote d’ivoire opposition appealed to France for assistance to
dislodge the former president Laurent Ghaghbo during the 2010- 11 past election crisis.
(vi) African member states of the NAM experienced ideological differences among themselves although this pledged neutrality in affairs affecting major powers of the world. This slows down the efficiency of its movement.