World Cultures Name:___________________________

Unit Introduction to Globalization Block:_______

The United Nations
Complete this assignment to gain background knowledge on the United Nations. To begin, open an Internet browser and
navigate to the United Nations home page at http://www.un.org/en/index.shtml. Then, scroll down to the section
called The U.N. and, and click on CyberSchoolbus. Read the article there and respond to the items below:
1. Explain the meaning of the U.N. emblem.
The world held in the olive branches of peace

2. How many countries are members of the U.N. today? 193_________
3. How might you describe the U.N. General Assembly? What happens when it convenes?
The general assembly talk about key world issues. Each member is given a single vote to use do decide what
revolutions to support

4. Does the General Assemblys vote matter? Why or why not?
Yes and no. resolutions are not binding however they carry the weight of the world government

5. What is unique about the U.N.s headquarters?
It is in international territory

6. What are the main goals of the U.N.?

To keep peace thought out the world
Develop friendly relations between nations
To work together to help people live better lives, to eliminate poverty, disease and illiteracy in the world, to
stop environmental destruction and to encourage respect for each other's rights and freedoms.
To be a centre for helping nations achieve these aims.


7. Identify at least two challenges that exist in following the U.N. principles.

The UN cannot interfere with domestic affairs of nations because sometimes they need to, to be able to
reach their goals
Counties must settle disputes peacefully if one country attacks another the one that got attacked will want
to wage war not do it peacefully

8. What was the League of Nations, and how does it relate to the U.N.?

It was an organization founded after WW1 similar to the UN in its mission to stop disputes between counties

9. In what ways was the League of Nations an example of early globalization? Identify at least two.

Nations communicated with each other to work together
If a county went against its policies then the other nation would stop globalizing with them by no trading
with them

10. Why did the League of Nations fail? Identify at least two reasons.

Powerful nations didnt support the league
The league had no military to reinforce its resolutions

11. In what year was the U.N. created? June 26 1946___ What was happening at that time?_
World War 2 ________________________

12. How many countries originally joined the U.N.? _51__________________
13. Why might the League of Nations be considered the forerunner of the United Nations?
Many principles were carried over from the league

14. What is the U.N.s Security Council, and what countries are involved in it? Nations of the UN that have veto power
the members are the Unites States USSR china France UK
15. Why might the structure and operation of the Security Council be problematic? In other words, what principle does
it appear to violate? Identify two issues.

5 countries hold more power than others
Lesser countries do not have as much a say as the security council
Go to the BBCs profile on the U.N. at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/3159028.stm and scroll down
to the Members section.
16. Who is the newest U.N. member, and what noteworthy nations are not members of the U.N.? Why has U.N.
membership grown?
South Sudan Because the Membership grew as colonies became independent and the Soviet Union disintegrated

17. How is the U.N. funded?

Member nations contribute to the running costs of the UN.

18. The chart below lists the six organizational bodies of the U.N. Complete the chart with information about their
purpose as well as details you find interesting or important. NOTE: Youve already read a bit about the G.A. and S.C.
Organizational Bodies Purpose Interesting & Important Facts
General Assembly

Where all counties debate
Each nation get one vote
meets for three months of the year
from mid-September, and for special
and emergency sessions.
Security Council

15 member 5 permanent 10 that change
membership on a changing basis
The council can impose economic
sanctions and can authorise the use of
force in conflicts.
Economic and Social
Council
spearheads the UN's economic, social,
humanitarian and cultural activities.
Its 54 members are elected by the
General Assembly.
International Court of
Justice (World Court)
main judicial body of the UN and is
tasked with settling legal disputes
submitted to it by states
The court's 15 judges are elected by
the General Assembly and the
Security Council. The court's decisions
are binding, although nations have
sometimes refused to accept its
rulings.
Secretariat

undertakes the day-to-day work of the
UN,
9,000 Secretariat staff are drawn
from 170 countries.
Trusteeship Council

administered the UN's trust territories. suspended its activities in 1994 when
the last of the trust territories, Palau
in the south Pacific, became
independent.

19. The U.N. also has separate organizations that work to meet its goals. List four different groups or goals these
organizations work to help or promote (NOT the names of the organizations).

promotes child health, education, protection
reducing poverty, developing infrastructure, promoting democratic governance
promotes environmental protection
safeguards rights and well-being of refugees

20. What is the title of the U.N.s leader, and who currently holds this position? How is this position used to
counterbalance the strength of some U.N. members?

Secretary-general , Ban ki-moon often filled by candidates from smaller more neutral
nations

21. What do you feel is the future of the U.N.? Does it have a place in todays world? Why or why not? What can it do
to improve its position? Write a 5-6 sentence paragraph explaining your views.
I believe that the U.N. does have an important place in todays world. It has member from almost every country in the
world that corroborate and communicate with each other. However I think that it will have changes to its power
structure. Since there are 5 permanent nations on the security council they hold more power than the other nations.