The United Nations

Origin Of The United Nations

The United Nations is the symbol of hope for mankind. This hope, as former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammerskjold said, is the hope that peace is possible. The United Nations is an organization of 193 sovereign states. It was set up in 1945 to replace the ill-fated League of Nations. The Allies, who were fighting the Axis Powers in the Second World War to destroy dictatorship and secure the ‘world for democracy, resolved to establish a new world organization rather than revive the League of Nations. It was in the London Declaration of 12 June 1941 that all nations then fighting against Hitler’s Germany announced their intention of working together, with other free peoples, to establish ‘a world in which, relieved of the menace of aggression, all may enjoy economic and social security.’ Earlier, President Roosevelt of the United States in a message to the Congress in January 1941, had spelt out four freedoms as being of universal importance.

These were: (a) Freedom of speech and expression; (b) Freedom to worship God in one’s own way; (c) Freedom from want; and (d) Freedom from fear.

At that time the United States was not at war. She was observing neutrality. As explained earlier, the United states joined the Second World War only in December 1941 when Japan bombarded Pearl Harbour. The Soviet Union had joined the Allies in June 1941 after Germany’s attack. Thus the Four Freedoms and the London Declaration were expressions of the desire of mankind to be free from ‘war’ and free from ‘want’. On 14 August 1941, Roosevelt and Churchill issued the famous Atlantic Charter which spoke of the establishment of a ‘peace which will afford to all nations the means of dwelling in safety within their own boundaries,’ of freedom from ear and want, and the creation of ‘a wider and permanent system of general security.’

The principles spelt out in the Atlantic Charter, and the London Declaration, were endorsed by the 26 countries who were then Allies, on 1 January 1942 in what came to be known as the United Nations Declaration. This declaration signed in Washington was mainly concerned with war, not peace. It was to emphasize cooperation in an all-out struggle against Axis and to give an assurance to each other not to make peace individually.

Objectives And Principles

Objectives:

(i) to maintain international peace and security based on respect for the principle of equal human rights and self-determination of peoples.

(ii) to develop friendly relations among nations.

(iii) to cooperate in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character.

(iv) to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in achieving these ends.

(v) to protect environment & to justify use of natural resource.

The United Nations act in accordance with the following Principals.

  1. All member states are sovereign and equal.
  2. All are pledged to fulfil their obligations under the Charter in good faith.
  3. All are pledged to settle their international disputes by peaceful means and without endangering international peace, security and justice.
  4. They are to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against any other state.
  5. They are to give the UN every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the Charter.
  6. The United Nations shall not intervene in matters which are essentially domestic ones of any state except when it is acting to enforce international peace.

REFERENCES : V.N. KHANNA, English for students