The United Nations

EXERCISES
A. Fill in the blanks:

I. The League of Nations was formed in 1920 after the end of the First World War.
2. Each member state of the UN can send up to Five representatives to the General
Assembly.
3. The Security Council is often referred to as the 'Enforcement Wing' of the UN.
4. The five permament members of the Security Council are USA, UK, France,
People's Republic of China andthe Russian Federation.
5. The objective of the ECOSOC is to free the world from want.
6. The WHO is a specialized agency of the UN.

B. Match the following:

B
San Francisco Conference (a) organ of the UN
2. UN headquarters (b) 15
3; Security Council (c) five
4. Permanent members Of (d) New York City
the Security Council

S. Number of judges at the (e) 1945

International Court of
Justice
Answer:

San Francisco Conference (e) 1945

2. UN headquarters (d) New York City
3. Security Council (a) organ of the UN
4. Permanent members of the (c) five
Security Council
5. Number of judges at the (b) 15

International Court of Justice

C. Choose the correct answer:

1. 24 October/22 March/21 June is celebrated as United Nations Day.

Ans. 24 October is celebrated as United Nations Day.

2. The olive branches on the UN flag symbolize peace/wealth/truth.

Ans. The olive branches on the UN flag symbolize peace.

3. The Economic and Social Council consists of 54 members elected by the General
Assembly for a 3/4/5-yearterm.

Ans. The Economic and Social Council consists of 54 members elected by the General
Assembly for a 5-yearterm.

4. The InternationalCourt of Justice is located in New York City in USA/The Hague in

Netherlands/Paris in France.

Ans. The InternationalCourt of Justice is located in The Hague in Netherlands.

5. The Secretariat/GeneralAssembly/lnternational Court of Justice is the chief

administrative organ of the UN.

Ans. The Secretariat is the chief administrative organ of the UN.

D. State whetherthe following are true or false:

1. All the members of the UN are members of the General Assembly.

True.
2. French is one of the official languages of the UN.
True.
3. The Trusteeship Council is the most importantorgan of the UN.
False
Correct: The Security Council is the most importantorgan of the UN.
4. UNESCO and UNICEF are specialized agencies of the UN.
True.
5. Most of the world's problems have disappeared with the end of the Cold War.
False.
Correct: Most of the world's problems have disappeared with the end of the Cold
War. This, however, did not happen.
E. Answer the following questions in one or two words/ sentences:

Question 1.
Mention one important organ of the UN.

Answer:
The Security Council is the most importantorgan of the UN.

Question 2.
Who are the members of the General Assembly?

Answer:
All the members of the UN are members of the General Assembly.

Question 3.
What is a negative vote by one of the permanent members of the Security Council
knownas?

Answer:
Veto is the negative vote by any one of the permanent members of the UN Security
Council which leads to the cancellationof the resolution.

Question 4.
Why was the Trusteeship Council established?

Answer:
When the UN was first formed, a large number of countries were not free. Many were
affected by the war. The Trusteeship Council was establishedto look after the
territories that were under foreign rule and to help them attain self-government.

Question 5.
Why did the UN impose economic sanctions against the South African government?

Answer:
By imposing economic sanctions against the South African government, it played a
significant role in challenging the apartheid policy and liberating the South African
people from apartheid.

Question 6.
What is the relevance of the UN in today's world?

Answer:
The need of the hour is to reform and strengthen the UN and to make it strong and
effective, capable of healing the wounds of our times and restoring sanity, balance and
harmony to our strife-tom world.

F. Answer the following questions briefly:

Question 1.
The magnitudeand scale of destruction during the Second WorldWar created a great
revulsion for war and a passionate yearning for peace. In this context
(a) The signing of the Atlantic Charter
(b) The basic rights or the four freedoms guaranteed by the charter
(c) The San Francisco Conferenceand establishmentof the UnitedNations

Answer.

(a) Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Great Britain, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, the
president of the United States of America, met aboard a battleship off Newfoundland in
the Atlantic Ocean. They signed a document called the Atlantic Charter on 14 August
1941

(b) It was agreed that when the war ended, humans must be guaranteed the basic
rights or the four freedoms. The basic rights included:

1. freedom from want

2. freedom of speech
3. freedom of religiousbelief
4. freedom from fear

(c) In June 1945, 50 nations met in San Francisco to sign the Atlantic Charter. Poland,
which was not represented at the conference, signed it later and became one of the
original 51 member states. On 24 October 1945, the United Nations was established to
save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and to reaffirm faith in
fundamental human rights. 24 October is celebrated as United Nations Day.

Question 2.
With reference to the United Nations discuss:
(a) The UN flag
(b) Any four objectives Of the UN outlined in the Preamble of the UN Charter
(c) The obligationsof all nationsthat follow from these objectives

Answer:
(a) The UN flag depicts two bent olive branches which are open at the top with a world
map between them. The Whiteolive branches and the world map are on a light blue
[Link] branches symbolizepeace.

(b) The objectives of the UN have been outlined in the Preamble of the UN charter.
They are:

1. To maintaininternationalpeace and security.

2. To develop friendly relations among nations on the basis of equality.
3. To achieve international cooperation in solving, economic, social, cultural and
humanitarian problems.
4. To promote human rights and fundamental freedom for the people of the world.
5. To act as a common platformfor harmonizingthe activities of various nations for
the attainment of the objectives of the UN.
6. To save succeeding generationsfrom the scourge of war, which has twice
brought suffering to humans.

(c) This implies that:

I. All nations, big or small, are equal.

2. They must all obey the Charter.
3. All disputes must be settled peacefully.
4. No force should be used.

Question 3.
With reference to the General Assembly and Security Council of the UN, answer the
following questions:
(a) Mention any four functions of the General Assembly.
(b)Explain the veto power of the permanent members of the Security Council. What
happens when the Security Council cannot take any action because of the veto?
(c) State three important functions of the Security Council.

Answer:
(a) Importantfunctions of the General Assembly:

1. To discuss international problems and make recommendations for their solution.

2. To make recommendations for the peaceful settlement of disputes.
3. To consider and approve the UN budget.
4. To elect non-permanent members of the Security council members of the
economic and social council (ECOSOC) and the trusteeship council.
5. To supervise the work of the other organs of the UN including the use of armed
forces' duringa crises (Unitingfor Peace Resolution)
6. To make recommendations for 'collective measures.

(b) A negative vote by any one of the permanent members would lead to a cancellation
of the resolution. This right to prevent action from being taken is known as the right to
veto. When no action can be taken by the Security Council because of the veto, the
General Assembly can deal with the crisis. It can take whatever action may seem
appropriate to restore and maintain world peace.

(c) Functions of the Security Council:

I. To investigate international disputes and recommend ways of settling such

disputes peacefully.
2. To call on member states to apply economic sanctions against the aggressor.
3. To take military action against the aggressor, if necessary.

Question 4.
With reference to the organs of the UN, discuss:

(a) Any three functions of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
(b) The composition and functions of the International Court of Justice
(c) Any four significant achievementsof the UN

Answer.
(a) Functions of the ECOSOC:

I. To promoteeconomic growth and social progress

2. To create a spirit of respect for human rights.
3. To solve problems relatedto health,illiteracy,drugs, employment,status of
women etc.
4. To supervise the work of various specialized agencies such as World Health
Organization (WHO), United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), International
Labour Organization (ILO) Food and Agricultural organization (FAO), etc.

(b) The International Court of Justice (ICJ) consists of 15 judges from different
countries, elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council. Each judge has a
9-year term. Two judges cannot be from the same country.

Functions of International Court of Justice:

I. To settle disputes brought to it by member nations.

2. To give legal advice to the other organs of the UN, on request.

(c) Achievement of the UN

 I. Although it has not been able to prevent war, in many cases, it has taken effective
action to restore peace, e.g., the Korean War, the Suez Canal crisis, the Gulf War,
etc.
2. Manycountries like Indonesia,Algeria, Morocco,have achievedtheir
independence with support from the UN.
3. By imposing economic sanctions against the South African government,it played
a significant role in challenging the apartheid policy and liberating the South
African people from apartheid rule.
4. It has worked consistently for the protection and preservation of human rights
aroundthe world.
5. It has worked activelyto end the nucleararms race and encouragedthe use of
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
6. It has achievedgreat success in the fields of labour,health,welfare of children
and education by fighting poverty, ignorance, malnutrition, hunger and disease
through its specialized agencies.

G picture Study:

This building is the headquartersof an intemationalorganizationwhich was

established in October 1945 to maintaininternationalpeace and security.

Question 1.
Name the organization.

Answer:
United Nation (UN)

Question2.
Where are the headquarters of this organization located?
Answer:
New York City

Question 3.
Mention four important objectives of this organization.

Answer:
The objectives of the UN have been outlinedin the Preamble of the UN charter. They
are:

I. To maintaininternationalpeace and security.

2. To develop friendly relations among nations on the basis of equality.
3. To achieve international cooperation in solving, economic, social, cultural and
humanitarian problems.
4. To promote human rights and fundamental freedom for the people of the world.
5, To act as a common platform for harmonizing' the activities of various nations for
the attainment of the objectives of the UN.
6. To save succeeding generationsfrom the scourge of war,which has twice
brought suffering to humans.

Question 4.
Name three major organs of this organization.

Answer:
Organs of the UN:

1. The GeneralAssembly
2. The Security Council
3. The Economicand Social Council

OTHER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

Question
I.
What js meant by the term 'veto'?

Answer:
A negative vote by any one of the permanent members would lead to a cancellation of
the Resolution. This right to prevent action being taken is known as the right to veto.
This means that any resolution becomes ineffective even if one of the permanent
members votes against it. This means that all decisions have to be taken with the
consent of all the permanentmembers.
Question 2.
The Cold War has ended. What is the relevance of the UN in today's world?

Answer:
There were deep rooted ideological, economic and political differences between the
United States ans Soviet Union before the Second World War. These differences were
intensified as a result of their mutual suspicions immediately after the Second World
War. After 1953, The Cold War was waning. There were two reasons which could
explain the easing of the tension.

The first reason was that since 1953, boththe UnitedStates and Soviet Union
possessed by hydrogen bombs. Both sides realized that the use of these destructive
weapons in war would destroy each other. Thus they were determined to improve their
relations in order to avoid direct military clash.

The Second reason was that since 1954, the bonds betweenThe 'Super Power' and their
satellites began to slacken, As their satellites did not fully support their leaders, it made
political sense for the two super power to improve their relations.
 Specialized Agencies of the UN

Exercise

A. Fill in the blanks:

I. The UNESCO was established in 1945 with headquarters at Paris.

2. UNICEF provides assistance for running child care centres.
3. When the UN was formed the ILO became its first specialized agency.
4. The headquarters of FAO are in Rome.
5. The WHO believes that good health is one of the fundamental rights of every
human being.

B. Match the following:

1. UNßC0 (a) Rone

2. UNICV (b) Gaeva
3. ILO
4. FAO (d) Geeva
s. WHO N. Yort
Answer:

1. UNESCO
2. UNICEF (e) N« YMk
3. ILO (b) Gawa
4. FAO (a) Rome
5. WHO (d) Geneva

C. Choose the correct answer:

I. The functions of UNESCO/UNICEF/ILO are based on the belief that the best way to
prevent war is to educate people's mind in the pursuit of peace.

Ans. The functions of UNESCO are based on the belief that the best way to prevent war
is to educate people's mind in the pursuit of peace.
2. The FAO/WHO/ILO was founded in 1945 and helps countries to raise their levels of
nutrition.

Ans. The FAO was founded in 1945 and helps countries to raise their levels of nutrition.

3. The ILO/WHO/UNESCO was set up at the end of the First World War.

Ans. The ILO was set up at the end of the First World War.

4. The objectives of WHO/ILO/FAO is to improve the standard of health all over the
world.

Ans. The objectives of WHO is to improve the standard of health all over the world.

5. The WHO has succeeded in eradicating smallpox/measles/ typhoid from the world.

Ans. The WHO has succeeded in eradicating smallpox from the world.

D. State whetherthe following are true or false:

1. UNESCO encourages the spread of universal education.

True
2. UNICEF helps in solving financial crises and provides loans to nations.
False.
Correct: UNICEF helps in solving the problem of exploitation of children and child
labour.
3. The ILO sets guidelines for improving the living and working conditions of workers
everywhere.
True.
4. The headquartersof ILO are in Rome.
False.
Correct: The headquarters of ILO are in Geneva.
5. The largest specialized agency of the UN is WHO.
True.

E. Answer the following questions in one or two words/sentences:

Question 1.
Why were the specialized agencies of the UN established?

Answer:
The objectives of the specialized agencies of UN is to solve economic, social, cultural
and problem through internationalcooperation. A number of specialized agencies have
been established to achieve these goals.

Question 2.
Name one specialized agency of the UN.

Answer:
WHO (The World Health Organization),

Question 3.
What does the acronym UNESCO stand for?

Answer:
UNESCO: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Question 4.
What does the acronym UNICEF stand for at present?

Answer:
The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund.

Question 5.
Why is it necessary to ensure that workers are content and i happy?

Answer:
A country can progress and prosper if the workers are content and happy.

Question 6.
What important programmer did the FAO launch to eliminate hunger?

Answer:
To eliminate hunger through its most important programmer called 'Food for AH'.

Question 7.
What does the FAO do in the event of an emergency food situation in any country?
Answer:
Special FAO programmes also help countries to prepare for an provide relief in the
event of emergency food shortages

Question 8.
Why is World Health Day observed on 7th April every year?
Answer:
Its main purpose is to improve the standard of health all over the world. World Health
Day is observed on 7 April every year to mark the founding of the WHO.

F. Answer the following questions briefly:

Question 1.
A number of specialized agencies of the UN have been set up in the interest of human
affairs. In this context answer the following questions:

(a) Mentionthe functions and activities of the UNESCO.

(b) Why was UNICEF originally established? What are its long-term goals at present?
(c) Mentionany four endeavours of UNICEF to achieve its goals.

Answer:
(a) UNESCO implements its activities throughthe five programmerareas of Education,
Natural Science, Social and Human Sciences Culture Communication and Information.

Main functions of UNESCO:

1. It provides international leadership in creating learning societies with educational

opportunities for all, it supports research in comparative Education and provides
experts and foster partnerships & strengthen national educational leadership and
capacity of the countries to offer quality education for all.
2. It encourages free flow of ideas by images and words by promoting freedom of
expression press freedom and access to information,throughthe
International Programmer for the Development of communication and the
communication and InformationProgrammer.
3. It promotes events such as International literacy Day International year for the
culture of Peace.
4. It also promotes founding and funding of projects such as FRESH (Focusing
Resources on Effective School Health) InternationalCouncil of Science etc.

(b) UNICEF was known as United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund
when it was established in 1946 originally to provide emergency aid to children and their
mothers in countries devastated by the Second WorldWar. The goal of UNICEF is the
realization for every child, of the opportunity to enjoy the basic rights and privileges. It
tries to solve the problemof exploitation of children and child labour.

UNICEF provides assistance to nations for running childcare centers.. It provides

assistance to young mothers and also provides medicines to newbornbabies and
mothers. UNICEF continues to work for the welfare of children (in backward countries)
in the fields of education, health and sanitation, nutrition,water, environment, women,
welfare, social justice, etc.

(c) Endeavours of UNICEF to achieve its goals are:

Its tries to solve the problem of exploitation of children and child labour.
2. It provides assistance to nations for running childcare centers.
3. It provides assistance to young mothers and also provides medicines to newborn
babies and mothers.
4. UNICEF continues to work for the welfare of children (in developing countries) in
the fields of education, health and sanitation, nutrition, water, environment,
women's welfare, social justice, etc.

Question 2.
With reference to the ILO and the FAO discuss:
(a) The aims and activities of the ILO
(b) The aims of the FAO
(c) The activities of the FAO

Answer:
(a) The ILO was set up in 1919 at the end of the First World War, with its headquarters at
Geneva, Switzerland. Later, when the UN was formed it became its first specialized
agency. The ILO seeks to promote peace and prosperity in the world by ensuring social
and economic justice to workers all over the world. A country can progress and prosper
if the workers are content and happy. It sets guidelines for improving the living and
working conditions of workers everywhere.

(b) Main aims of FAO:

1. To raise the standard of living of the people.

2. To raise the levels of nutrition.
3. To eliminate hunger through its most important programmer called 'Food for All'
4. To increase agricultural production and distribution of food and promote rural
development.

(c)

1. FAO promotes investment in agriculture, better soil and water management,

improved yields of crops and livestock.
2. It also provides technical assistance in the fields of nutrition,agricultural
engineering, development of communications and prevention of food losses.
3. Special FAO programmes also help countries to prepare for an provide relief in the
event of emergency food shortage.
Question 3.
With reference to the WHO discuss the following:
(a) The establishment of the WHO
(b) The activities of the WHO
(c) The projects supported by the WHO

Answer:
(a) The WHO was established in 1948. Its headquarters are in Geneva. The World Health
Organization is the largest specialized agency of the UN. It is guided by the belief that
good health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being.

(b) The activities of the WHO are as follows:

It carries out worldwide campaigns to combat diseases like AIDS, cholera, malaria,
plague, polio, etc.
2. It encourages medical research, provides information on diseases, organizes
health services and spreads health awareness.

(c) The WHOsupports projects related to:

1. Education concerning health problems.

2. Proper food supply and nutrition.
3. Safe water and sanitation.
4. Maternal and child health, including family planning,
Immunization against major infectious diseases.
5. Prevention and control of local diseases.
6. Proper treatment of common diseases and injuries.
7. Provision of essential drugs.

G Picture Study:

This is the logo of the headquarters of a specialized agency of the UN which was
established in 1948.
1. Name the agency.

Ans: WHO.

2. What is the main purpose of this agency?

Ans: To improve the standard of health all over the world.

3. What does it do to achieves its objectives?

Ans. It carries out worldwide campaigns to combat diseases like AIDS, cholera, malaria,
plague, polio, etc. It encourages medical research, provides information on diseases,
organizes health services and spreads health awareness.

4. Mention one important achievement of this agency.

Ans: WHO has succeeded in eradicating smallpox from the world.

5. Name any two other specialized agencies of the UN. State one important objective of
each agency.

Answer:
The two specialized agencies of the UN are as below:

UNICEF (THE UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND)

It provides assistance to nations for running child care centers and emphasizes
giving nutritional food to children.

2. WHO (The World Health Organization)lt provides education concerning health

problems and proper food supply, safe water, sanitation and maternal and child
health„ including family planning. It also provides immunization against major
infectiousdiseases.

OTHER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

Question 1.
Name the specialized agencies of What is the purpose?

Answer:
World Health Organization (WHO) is largest specialized agency of the UN. WHO is the
directing and coordinating authority of health within the United Nations System. It is
responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health
research agenda setting norms and standards, providing technical support to countries
and monitoring and assessing health trends.

Its Main Purposes:

1. Providing leadership on matters critical health and engaging in partnerships

wherejoint action is needed
2. Shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation,translation and
dissemination of valuable knowledge.
3. Setting norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation
4. Articulating ethical and evidence-based policy options
5. Providing technical support and building sustainable institutional capacity
6. Monitoring the health situations and assessing health trends.

Question 2.
What is the purpose of WHO? To what extent has it been successful in its mission?

Answer:

Its Main Purposes:

1. Providing leadership on matters critical health and engaging in partnerships where

joint action is needed
2. Shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation and
dissemination of valuable knowledge.
3. Setting norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation
4. Articulating ethical and evidence-based policy options
5. Providing technical support and building sustainable institutional capacity
6. Monitoring the health situations and assessing health trends. The WHO has
helped in the improvement of public health. It has helped in fighting and
eradicating several diseases like smallpox, malaria, tuberculosis etc. It has helped
to set up childcare centers and also trained a large facilitates students to go for
higher education in medicine by providing scholarships.

Question 3.
What do the following acronyms stand for? State one important function of each
agency.

(1) UNESCO
(2) UNICEF
(3) ILO
(4) FAO
nswer:

1. UNESCO: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Function: It encourages international cooperation between artists, scientist and
scholars in all fields.

2. UNICEF: The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund.

Function: To solve the problem of exploitation of children and child labour.

3. ILO: The International Labour Organization

Function: It seeks to promote peace and security in the world by ensuring social
and economic justice all over the world.

4. FAO: Food and Agricultural Organization

Function: To eliminate hunger through its most important programmer called
'Food For All'.