4.How does the General Assembly take decisions?

5.What does the Executive Committee supervise?

6.What is INTERPOL`s chief official responsible for?

7.How is the Secretary General nominated to the position?

8.Where are the headquarters of INTERPOL located?

9.What are the main categories of INTERPOL`s targets?

10.What are the official languages of INTERPOL?

Text 4: The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the largest security-oriented organisation in the world. It is an international organisation for securing stability, based on democratic practices and good governance. The OSCE currently has 56 participating states from Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North America.

The Organisation was established in 1973 as the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). However talks had been mooted about a European security grouping since 1950s. But the Cold War had prevented any substantial progress until the talks at Finland Hall in Helsinki in November 1972. These talks were held at the suggestion of the Soviet Union to reduce tension in the region by furthering economic cooperation and to strengthen piece and security in Europe. A unique aspect of the OSCE is the non-binding status of its provisions. Rather than being a formal treaty, the OSCE Final Act represents a political commitment of all signatories to build security and cooperation in Europe.

The high-level decision making bodies of the organisation are the Summit and the Ministerial Council, with the weekly

Permanent Council serving as the regular negotiating and decision-making body, under the leadership of the Chairman-in- Office, who holds the position for a year.

The OSCE Secretariat, under the direction of the

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Secretary General, provides operational support to the Organisation. It is based in Vienna, Austria and assisted by the office in Prague. The Organisation also has offices in Copenhagen, Geneva, The Hague, Prague and Warsaw.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE is a body of parliamentarians from the OSCE's member states. A forum for the Security Cooperation meets once a year to discuss and make decisions regarding military aspects of security in the OSCE area.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is the oldest OSCE institution, established in 1990. It is based in Warsaw, Poland, and is active throughout the OSCE area in the fields of election observation, democratic development, human rights, tolerance, non-discrimination, and the rule of law. To prevent electoral fraud, the OSCE has observed over 150 elections and referendums since 1995.

The office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, established in December 1997, acts as a watchdog to provide early warning on violations of freedom of expression in the OSCE member states. The OSCE representative also assists member states by advocating and promoting full compliance with the OSCE principles and commitments regarding freedom of expression and free media.

Regular OSCE activities and institutions are financed by contributions made by the OSCE participating States, according to the scale of distribution.

Questions for discussion:

1.When was the OSCE established?

2.What is the purpose of the OSCE?

3.What was the aim of the talks at Finland Hall in Helsinki in November 1972?

4.What kind of organisation is the OSCE?

5.What are the high-level decision making bodies of the OSCE?

6.What is the goal of the oldest OSCE institution?

7.Where are the headquarters and offices of the OSCE located?

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entire WTO affairs.

The General Council also meets under different rules, such as the Dispute Settlement Body or the Trade Policy Review Body.

2.The Dispute Settlement Body is made up of all member governments, and is usually represented by ambassadors. The WTO’s procedure for resolving trade quarrels is under the Dispute Settlement Understanding and vital for enforcing the rules and therefore for ensuring that trade flows smoothly.

3.The Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB) - is open to all WTO Members. The WTO General Council meets as the Trade Policy Review Body to undertake trade policy reviews of members.

Questions for discussion:

1.What kind of organisation is the WTO?

2.What is the goal of the WTO?

3.When was the WTO founded?

4.Where are the headquarters of the WTO?

5.What are the principles of the WTO trade agreements?

6.What is the topmost decision-making body of the WTO?

7.What are the main functions of the Ministerial Conference?

8.What is the role of the General Council?

9.What is the role of the Dispute Settlement Body?

10.What is the role of the Trade Policy Review Body?

Text 6: Greenpeace

Greenpeace is an independent, non-governmental environmental organisation which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and to force solutions for the green and peaceful future. Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Greenpeace has 2.8 million supporters worldwide and holds national and regional offices in 45 countries. The executive director of Greenpeace is elected by the board members of Greenpeace International.

Each regional office is led by a regional executive director

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elected by the regional board of directors. The regional boards also appoint a representative to The Greenpeace International Annual general meeting.

The global organisation receives its income through the individual contributions of estimated 2.8 million financial supporters, as well as from grants from charitable foundations. It does not accept funding from governments or corporations.

Greenpeace was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1971.Taking its name from the slogan used during the protests against the United States nuclear testing in late 1969, the Committee came together with the objective of stopping a second underground nuclear bomb test codenamed Cannikin by the United States military beneath the island of Amchitka, Alaska. The first ship expedition was called the Greenpeace I; the second relief expedition was nicknamed the Greenpeace Too! The test was not stopped, but the organisation of the committee laid the groundwork for Greenpeace later activities.

Greenpeace is known for its campaigns to stop atmospheric and underground nuclear testing. In later years, the focus of the organisation turned to other environmental issues, including bottom trawling, global warming, ancient forest destruction, nuclear power, and genetic engineering.

In addition to such methods as lobbying politicians and attendance at international conferences, Greenpeace has a stated methodology of engaging in nonviolent direct actions to attract attention to particular environmental causes.

Throughout the world, ancient forests are in danger. Many of the plants and animals that live in these forests face extinction. And many of the people and cultures who depend on these forests for their way of life are also under threat. Greenpeace exists because this fragile earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs action.

Questions for discussion:

1.What is the goal of Greenpeace?

2.When was Greenpeace founded?

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3.Where are the national offices of Greenpeace located?

4.What is Greenpeace known for?

5.What are the main environmental issues of today?

6.What are the main sources of income of Greenpeace?

7.How did Greenpeace get its name?

8.What does Greenpeace do now?

9.How does Greenpeace attract attention to particular environmental causes?

10.Why does Greenpeace have so many followers?

Text 7: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

One of the well known and powerful international organisations of the world is NATO. It was formed as a result of the North Atlantic Treaty, which was signed by 12 countries on April 4, 1949, in Washington, D.C. The 12 countries were

Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

NATO headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, and the organisation constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. The staff at the Headquarters is composed of national delegations of member countries and includes civilian and military offices and officers or diplomatic missions and diplomats of the partner countries, as well as the International Staff and International Military Staff.

NATO has a civilian branch and a military branch. The civilian branch includes the North Atlantic Council, the highest authority in NATO.

The Council consists of the heads of government of the NATO members or their representatives. The meetings of the North Atlantic Council are chaired by the Secretary General of NATO. A Secretary-general is an international diplomat who serves as the chief official of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. A European has always been chosen for this post.

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NATO's military branch includes three commands: Allied Command Atlantic, Allied Command Channel, and Allied Command Europe. Allied Command Europe has traditionally functioned as the heart of NATO. In the military structure of NATO, a U.S. general is always commander-in-chief of NATO forces so that the U.S. troops never come under control of a foreign power.

Official languages are English and French. The body that sets broad strategic goals for NATO is the Parliamentary Assembly (NATO-PA) which provides a link between NATO and the parliaments of its member nations. The Assembly’s governing body is the Standing Committee, which is composed of the Head of each member delegation, the President, the Vice-Presidents, the Treasurer and the Secretary General.

Questions for discussion:

1.When was NATO founded?

2.How many countries were the original members of NATO?

3.What is the primary goal of NATO?

4.Where are the headquarters of NATO? What is the composition of NATO staff?

5.What do the civilian and military branches of NATO include?

6.What is the highest authority in NATO?

7.What country representative is always the commander-in- chief of NATO military forces?

8.What are the official languages of NATO?

9.What is the Parliamentary Assembly responsible for?

10.Who serves as the chief official of NATO?

Text 8: The Organisation of the United Nations

The United Nations is an international organisation founded in 1945 after the World War II by 51 countries. Its aim is to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, promote social progress, better living

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standards and human rights. The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter was ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and a majority of other signatories.

Five permanent members of the UN were China, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union. From the 24th of December 1991 the membership of the Soviet Union passed to the Russian Federation with the support of the 11 member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The organisation’s permanent Headquarters are near New York City. The site of the UN Headquarters is owned by the United Nations. It is an international territory. No federal, state or local officer or any other official of the United States, whether administrative, judicial, military or police representative may enter the UN Headquarters except with the consent of and under conditions agreed to by the Secretary-General of the Organisation. The UN has its own fire fighting and security forces.

The UN has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Russian and Spanish.

The five principal organs of the UN are: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, the Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice.

1.The General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the United Nations. It is composed of representatives of all member states, each of which has one vote. Decisions on important questions, such as those on peace and security, admission of new members and budgetary matters, require a two-thirds majority. Decisions on other questions are reached by simple majority.

2.The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The Council has 15 members: five permanent members of the UN (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and 10 elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. All five permanent members have right of veto. Each Council member has one vote.

3.The Secretariat is the international staff working at the UN Headquarters in New York and all over the world. It carries

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out the diverse day-to-day work of the Organization. The head is Secretary - General, who is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a five-year, renewable term. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations. The SecretaryGeneral's duties include helping resolve international disputes, administering peacekeeping operations, organising international conferences, gathering information on the implementation of Security Council decisions, and consulting with member governments regarding various initiatives.

4.The Economic and Social Council is the principal organ to coordinate the economic and social work of the UN and specialized agencies and institutions known as the UN family. Voting is held by simple majority, each member has one vote.

5.The International Court of Justice whose seat is in the Hague, the Netherlands, is the principal judicial organ of the UN. Its purpose is to adjudicate disputes among states.

Questions for discussion:

11.When was the UN founded?

12.What countries are the permanent members of the UN?

13.What are the official languages of the UN?

14.What are the five principal organs of the UN?

15.What are the main responsibilities of the General Assembly?

16.What are the main responsibilities of the Security Council?

17.What are the main responsibilities of The Secretariat?

18.What do the duties of the Secretary-General's include?

19.What are the main responsibilities of the Economic and Social Council?

20.What are the main responsibilities of the International Court of Justice?

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Text 9: International Railway Organisations

Severe competition from other transport modes made railways establish international railway organisations. Their work is realized within the framework of several institutions.

The UIC or the International Union of Railways was founded in 1922. It promotes cooperation between railways at the world level and carries out activities to develop international rail transport. In order to reach understanding, the UIC has established standard railway terminology and international classification system of locomotives and railway carriages. The Soviet Union was among the founding members of the UIC in 1922. However, the Cold War made the USSR leave the UIC. Nowadays, a special working group has been set up to restart cooperation between JSC Russian Railways and the UIC.

The Community of European Railways and Infrastructure Companies brings together railway undertakings and infrastructure companies from the European Union, Norway, Switzerland and other states. It promotes modern environmentally friendly modes of rail transport systems.

The Union of the European Railway Industries is responsible for design, manufacture, maintenance and reconstruction of rail transport systems. Besides, there are some other interesting international alliances such as international air rail organisations. They develop, build and operate fast rail air links to passengers.

The European Conference of Ministers of Transport is an intergovernmental organisation established in October 1953. Russia joined the ECMT in 1997 and has been its active member ever since. Russian railways are a vital link for Eurasia from East to West, and North to South.

The Coordinating Council on Trans-Siberian Transportation (CCTT) is a non-commercial transport association. Its main purpose is to attract transit cargo to the Trans-Siberian route. Much work of Russian Railways takes place within the framework of the Organisation for Cooperation of Railway Lines (OSLD). Its main

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