BMM 16

Module: Current Affairs

Chapter: 3
(For internal circulation of seamed only)

World and Regional co-operations

Contents:
1) UN
2) SAARC
3) ASEAN
4) Panchsheel Treaty
5) MFN
6) European Union

United Nations

The need for establishing an international body for the maintenance of world
peace was felt from the very start of the World War II. The United Nations (UN), an
intergovernmental organization was established on 24 October 1945 to promote
international co-operation. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations,
the organization was created following the Second World War to prevent another
such conflict. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193
and 2 observer states. The UN Headquarters resides in international territory in
New York City.
Its objectives include:

Maintaining international peace and security

Promoting human rights
Fostering social and economic development
Protecting the environment, and
Providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed
conflict.

The UN's most prominent officer is the Secretary-General, an office held by South
Korean Ban Ki-moon since 2007. The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in
2001
The UN has six principal organs:
1. General Assembly: It is the main deliberative assembly of United Nations
which includes all the 193 states as its members. It meets yearly or in case
of emergency situations, it can meet anytime of the year. Its main aim is
to:

decide on the admission of new members, following proposal by the UNSC

adopts the budget

elects the non-permanent members of the UNSC, all members of ECOSOC,

the UN Secretary General following proposal by the UNSC, and the 15
judges of the ICJ

Each country has one vote.

2. UNSC (United Nations Security Council): The Security Council is charged with
maintaining peace and security among countries. The Security Council has
the power to make binding decisions that member states have agreed to
carry out. The Security Council is made up of 15 member states, consisting
of 5 permanent membersChina, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and
the United Statesand 10 non-permanent membersArgentina (term
ends 2014), Australia (2014), Chad (2015), Chile (2015), Jordan (2015),
Lithuania (2015), Luxembourg (2014), Nigeria (2015), Republic of Korea
(2014), and Rwanda (2014). The five permanent members hold veto power
over UN resolutions, allowing a permanent member to block adoption of a
resolution.

3. UN Secretariat: supports the other UN bodies administratively, e.g., in

the organization of conferences, writing reports and studies, and the
preparation of the budget-plan. Its chairperson the UN Secretary
General is elected by the General Assembly for a five-year mandate and
is the most important representative of the UN.

4. UN ECOSOC (United Nations Economic and Social Council): It is

responsible for co-operation between states on economic and social fields.
It co-ordinates co-operation between the numerous specialized agencies of
the United Nations like UNICEF, UNESCO etc. It has 54 member states as
its members.

5. The International Court of Justice (ICJ): It is located in The Hague, in

the Netherlands, is the primary judicial organ of the UN. It decides disputes
between states that recognize its jurisdiction and issues legal opinions.
6. The Trusteeship Council: was originally designed to manage colonial
possessions that were earlier League of Nations mandates. It has been
inactive since 1994, with the last trust territory (Palau) attaining
independence in 1994.

SAARC

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an

economic and geopolitical cooperation among eight member nations that are
primarily located in South Asia continent. Its secretariat is headquartered in
Kathmandu, Nepal. The current Secretary General of SAARC is Arjun Bahadur
Thapa, Nepal.
The idea of regional political and economical cooperation in South Asia was first
coined in 1980 and the first summit held in Dhaka on 8 December in 1985 led to
its official establishment by the governments of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan was the first to have been
accessed in the physical enlargement of the SAARC in 2007.
The SAARC policies aim to promote welfare economics, collective self-reliance
among the countries of South Asia, and to accelerate socio-cultural development
in the region. The official meetings of leaders of each nation are held; meetings of
foreign secretaries, twice annually. The 18th SAARC Summit would be held at
Kathmandu, Nepal in November 2014.
The objectives and the aims of the Association as defined in the Charter are:

to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and to improve their
quality of life;

to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development

in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity
and to realise their full potential ;

to promote and strengthen selective self-reliance among the countries of

South Asia;

to contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one

another's problems;

to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic,

social, cultural, technical and scientific fields;

to strengthen co-operation with other developing countries;

to strengthen co-operation among themselves in international forums on

matters of common interest; and

To co-operate with international and regional organizations with similar

aims and purposes.

to maintain peace in the region

SAARC has six Apex Bodies, namely, SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry
(SCCI), SAARCLAW (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Law),
South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA), South Asia Foundation (SAF), South
Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC), Foundation of SAARC
Writers and Literature (FOSWAL). Indian Prime Minister represents the country in
SAARC.
Potential Members of SAARC:

China has expressed interest in establishing special relations with SAARC,

and is supported by Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the
Maldives.
Burma has expressed interest in upgrading its status from an observer to a
full member of SAARC.
Russia has applied for observer status membership of SAARC.
Turkey has applied for observer status membership of SAARC in 2012.

ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a political and economic

organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8
August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar),
Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth,
social progress, and cultural development among its members, protection of
regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss
differences peacefully. The headquarters are located in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Aims and Objectives:

1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural

development in the region through joint endeavors in the spirit of equality
and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and
peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;
2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice
and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and
adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;
3. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of
common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and
administrative fields;
4. To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research
facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative
spheres;
5. To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilization of their
agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study
of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of
their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the
living standards of their peoples;
6. To promote Southeast Asian studies; and
7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and
regional organizations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all
avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.
Initially the meetings were held annually but by December 2008, the ASEAN
Charter came into force and with it, the ASEAN Summit is held twice in a year.

Panchsheel Treaty
The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, known in India as the Panchsheel
Treaty are a set of principles to govern relations between states. Their first formal
codification in treaty form was in an agreement between China and India in 1954
which was finally signed in Beijing. The 5 principles are:

Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Mutual non-aggression.

 Mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

Equality and mutual benefit.
Peaceful co-existence.

MFN Status:
In international economic relations and international politics, "most favored
nation" (MFN) is a status or level of treatment accorded by one state to another
in international trade. Trade advantages include low tariffs or high import quotas.
India has conferred MFN status to Belgium and Pakistan.

European Union

The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 28 member

states that are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the
European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) an international organization serving
to unify European countries after the Second World War and the European
Economic Community (EEC) whose aim was to bring about economic integration,
including a common market, was formed by the Inner Six countries in 1951 and
1958. These inner six countries include Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,
Luxembourg and Netherlands. The Maastricht Treaty established the European
Union under its current name in 1993.
The EU has developed a single market through a standardized system of laws that
apply in all member states and where passport controls have also been abolished.
EU aims at free movement of people, goods, services, and capital, enact
legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintain common policies on trade,
agriculture, fisheries, and regional development.
The monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002. It is
currently composed of 18 member states that use the euro as their legal tender.
Brussels is the de facto capital of EU.
Member Countries:
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark

Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland

Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Poland

Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdoms

Institutions of EU:

European Commission: It is the executive body of the European Union

responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding
the Union's treaties and day-to-day running of the EU. All the states are its
members.

The Council of the European Union: It consists of all the members and its
main functions are to make budgetary provisions, deal with foreign affairs
and legislative procedure.
The European Council: It defines the EU's policy agenda, settle issues
outstanding from discussions at a lower level, to lead in foreign
policy matters, etc are some of the major functions of this council.
The Court of Justice of the European Union: It encompasses the whole
judiciary which consists of two major courts and a number of specialized
courts. Its mission is to ensure that "the law is observed" carefully during
the treaties.
The European Central Bank: It is the central Bank for Euro and consists of
18 members and its main task is to define and implement the monetary
policy for the Eurozone, to conduct foreign exchange operations, to take

care of the foreign reserves and to promote smooth operation of the

financial market infrastructure
The Court of Auditors: It works like an audit agency of EU which looks after
the finances have been correctly implemented in the EU budget and
spending is done accordingly.
The European Parliament: It is the directly elected parliamentary EU. It
works with the Council of the European Union (the Council) and the
European Commission.

References:
1) Book hives guide of International Politics
2) Internet