10. Discuss the following:

1. Ukraine and Challenges of Modern World.

2. Ukraine and International Organizations.

Unit 2

International organizations

Part 2

Read the text, decide whether the sentences are true or false:

Transnational Groups and Organizations Not Made Up of States. This category includes all entities – political, religious, economic,commercial, and so on – that operate transnationally but do not have governments or their formal representatives as members. For centuries the Catholic Church was recognized as an indisputable example. In more recent times the category has included the World Zionist Organization, Communist parties, or national liberation movements that follow orders from foreign headquarters (Moscow, Beijing, or Havana, for example), the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), international terrorist groups (such as Hezbollah), international arms dealers, and many international nongovernmental organizations. In recent years there has been a growing awareness of Islamic fundamentalism (with its center in Shi’ite Iran) as a force of considerable transnational potential, regardless of the fact that historically Islam has not been characterized by either priesthood or a hierarchical organization.

International Groups and Organizations with States or Their Representatives as Members. These include such principal universal international actors in this century as the League of Nations, the United Nations, and the World Court, as well as such specialized agencies as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the World Health Organization (WHO); the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD); the International Monetary Fund (IMF); the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); the International Telecommunications Union (ITU); the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); and other intergovernmental bodies that report to the UN Economic and Social Council. A study by the Union of International Associations estimated that the number of national representatives of more than 110 countries in more than 2.100 international organizations exceeded 54.000. Most of these carry on routine administrative activities that do not attract the interests of the international theorists. On those occasions, however, when Arab and other countries attempt to expel Israel from UNESCO, or when the ICAO debates what to do about the hijacking of aircraft by terrorists, or when the adequacy of the IAEA safeguards system becomes an issue in regard to compliance with the provisions of the Non- Proliferation Treaty, the specialized agencies are removed from obscurity into the spotlight of international politics, and become for a time at least ‘bit players’ if not full-fledged actors.

The United Nations Organization was established on 24 October 1945 by 51 countries that decided to preserve peace by means of international cooperation. Today, 192 countries belong to the UN – almost all countries in the world. Becoming a Member of the United Nations Organization, a state has to accept the obligations of the UN Charter, an international treaty that defines basic principles of international relations. As it is stated in the Charter, the UN has four purposes: maintenance of international peace and security; developing friendly relations among nations; cooperation in solving international conflicts and in promoting respect for human rights; and harmonizing the actions of nations. The United Nations does not play the role of a world government and it does not make laws. It helps resolve international problems and formulate policies on matters important for people all over the world. At the UN, all the Member States – irrespectively of their size, wealth, political views and social systems – have a voice and a vote in this process. Five of the United Nations’ six main organs are located at UN Headquarters in New York (the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council and the Secretariat). The International Court of Justice is based in the Hague in the Netherlands.

The United Nations Organization recognize preserving world peace as its central purpose. Member States have decided to solve conflicts by peaceful means, without threatening or using force against other States. Ever since it was established, the UN has played a major role in minimizing international crises and in resolving conflicts. Complex operations have been undertaken, involving peacemaking, peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance. The UN has prevented conflicts from breaking out, and after a conflict, it has undertaken actions to remove the root causes of war and ensure durable peace. UN efforts have brought profound results. The UN played an important role in defusing the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and the Middle East crisis in 1973. In 1988 it helped to end the Iran-Iraq war, and the following year UN-sponsored negotiations finished in the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. In the 1990s the sovereignty of Kuwait was restored. The organization assisted in ending civil wars in Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mozambique, and resolving or curbing conflicts in various other countries. In September 1999, when 200,000 East Timorese were forced to flee their homes because of a campaign of violence, the UN organized an international security force, which helped restore order. A UN Transitional Administration was established to oversee the territory’s transition to independence on 20 May 2002 as Timor-Leste. After the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001, the Security Council adopted a resolution obliging States to ensure that any person who participates in financing, planning, preparing, perpetrating or supporting terrorist acts is brought to justice.

The WHO (World Health Organization), established on 7 April 1948, is one of the United Nations specialized agencies. WHO works to make sure that all peoples reach the highest possible level of health. Its Constitution states that health is not simply the absence of disease or infirmity, but complete physical, mental and social well-being. WHO is governed by 192 member states, whose representatives meet as the World Health Assembly. Its role is to approve the WHO programme and the budget for the following two years and to decide major policy questions.

The NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is alliance of 28 countries (2010) from North America and Europe. The North Atlantic Treaty, signed on 4 April 1949, defines the role of NATO as guarding the freedom and security of its member countries by political and military means. To create the integrated military structure of the Alliance, all participants of its military aspect contribute forces and equipment. These forces and assets are commanded and controlled by individual states until they are required by NATO for a specific purpose (i.e. conflict or crisis, peacekeeping). Apart from that, the Alliance owns and operates some equipment as an organization. English and French are the two official languages of NATO. It is an intergovernmental organization, and its member nations provide the resources needed for the structure to function on a day-to-day basis. There are three budgets: one civil and two military. An agreed cost-sharing formula regulates the amount each member country pays into the budgets.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) combines the institutes of 175 countries. The Central Secretariat, which coordinates the system, is situated in Geneva, Switzerland. ISO is a non-governmental organization: its members do not, as is the case in the United Nations system, represent national governments. However, ISO occupies a special position between the public and private sectors. On the one hand, many of its member institutes are linked to the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by the governments. On the other hand, there are members who come from the private sector and have been established by national partnerships of industry associations. Therefore, ISO acts as a bridging organization, and can take into consideration not only the requirements of business, but also the broader needs of society. [VIP Файлобмінник]

1. The UN consists of 30 affiliated organizations. _______

2. The UN decides what safe traveling means. ________

3. One of the aims of the UN is to fight narcotic trade. ________

4. The WHO came into being later than NATO. _________

5. According to WHO, having no diseases does not equal being healthy. _________

6. Every member state of WHO can influence the policy of the organization. _________

7. Only wealthier members of NATO have to provide equipment for its forces. _______

8. NATO has no resources it can control on its own. _____

9. The military aspect of NATO is seen as secondary. _______

10. ISO has no links with the governments of its member countries. ______

11. Some of the ISO members are financed by the private sector only. ________

12. The structure and character of ISO is quite different from that of the UN system.______

Choose the most suitable part of the sentence to fill in each gap from the alternatives given below:

1. The United Nation is ( )

1. the largest government of the world.

2. an organization combining 51 greatest countries in the world.

3. the largest diplomatic organization.

4. an organization established in response to terrorist attacks.

2. The United Nations ( )

1. deals only with international conflicts.

2. acts to protect human rights.

3. is a legislative body.

4. reacts only after a conflict has finished.

3. Members of the United Nations ( )

1. can threat others, but must not use force.

2. have agreed to solve conflicts peacefully.

3. are not obliged to accept all the decisions of the Charter.

4. are immediately expelled when conflict arises.

4. In 1989 the UN ( )

1. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan.

2. organized forces which raided the Soviet Union.

3. started a conflict in Afghanistan.

4. succeeded in negotiations with the Soviet Union.

5. According to the United Nations’ resolution ( )

a) all States are to ensure protection of terrorists.

b) only the United States are to act against terrorists.

c) anyone connected with a terrorist attack will be prosecuted.

d) the Security Council cannot support the States against terrorists.

Exercises and Tasks

1. Complete the text with the following words: charge; detention; discrimination; exile; free; freedoms; law; liberty; punishment; race; remedy; rights; slavery; tribunal.

Article 1. All human beings are born ___________ and equal in dignity and rights.

Article 2. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and _____________ set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as ________, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, ______________ and security of person.

Article 4. No one shall be held in _____________ or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or _______________.

Article 6. Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the __________.

Article 7. All are equal before the law and are entitled without any ______________ to equal protection of the law.

Article 8. Everyone has the right to an effective ___________ by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, _____________ or _____________.

Article 10. Everyone is entitled in full equally to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial ______________, in the determination of his _____________ and obligations and of any criminal ____________ against him.