Text 2 human rights and humanitarian assistance

THE PURSUIT OF HUMAN RIGHTS WAS A CENTRAL REASON FOR CREATING THE UN. World War II atrocities and genocide led to a ready consensus that the new organization must work to prevent any similar tragedies in the future. An early objective was creating a legal framework for considering and acting on complaints about human rights violations. The UN Charter obliges all member nations to promote “universal respect for, and observance of, human rights” and to take “joint and separate action” to that end. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, though not legally binding, was adopted by the General Assembly in 1948 as a common standard of achievement for all. The Assembly regular takes up human rights issues.

The UN and its agencies are central in upholding and implementing the principles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A case in point is support by the UN for countries in transition to democracy. Technical assistance in providing free and fair elections, improving judicial structures, drafting constitutions, training human rights officials, and transforming armed movements into political parties have contributed significantly to democratization worldwide. The UN has helped run elections in countries with little or no democratic history, including recently in Afghanistan and East Timor. The UN is also a forum to support the right of women to participate fully in the political, economic, and social life of their countries. The UN contributes to raising consciousness of the concept of human rights through its covenants and its attention to specific abuses through its General Assembly, Security Council resolutions, or International Court of Justice ruling. The purpose of the United Nations Human Rights Council, established in 2006, is to address human rights violations.

In conjunction with other organizations such as the Red Cross, the UN provides food, drinking water, shelter and other humanitarian services to populaces suffering from famine, displaced by war, or afflicted by other disasters. Major humanitarian branches of the UN are the World Food Programme (which helps feed more than 100 million people a year in 80 countries), the office of the High Commissioner of Refugees with projects in over 116 countries, as well as peacekeeping projects in over 24 countries.

7. Self - assessment test

T

Score 10

ask 1. Translate from English into your native language:

1. to maintain international peace and security

2. to settle conflicts

3. to promote respect for human rights

4. joint and separate actions

5. the Blue Helmets

6. nuclear disarmament

7. unanimity of the council

8. armed UN enforcement actions

9. arms limitation

10. to promote international cooperation in education and culture

Score 5

Task 2. Write the full names of the following abbreviations:

1. UN

2. UNESCO

3. WHO

4. UNDP

5. UNICEF

T

Score 5

ask 3. Give the correct names of the UN principal organs and specialized agencies to complete the following sentences:

1. …is considering more than 170 different topics, including globalization, nuclear disarmament, development, protection of the environment and consolidation of new democracies.

2. …is the organ to which the Charter gives primary responsibility for maintaining peace and security.

3. …is the main judicial organ of the UN.

4. …coordinates the economic and social work of the United Nations and the UN family.

5. … promotes international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication.

Score 7

Task 4. Read the statements and tell, if they are True (T) or False (F).

1. Each of the 15 Security Council members can veto the resolution.

2. The UN Secretary General is elected by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council.

3. The main objective of the ECOSOC is to consult with non-governmental organizations, thereby maintaining a link between the UN and civil society.

4. The work of the Trusteeship Council is organized on the permanent basis.

5. The International Court of Justice consists of 15 members appointed by the Security Council.

6. The Secretariat with the Secretary General at its head carries out the administrative work of the UN.

7. The international organizations comprising the UN system are responsible to the UN in their governing bodies, budgets and secretariats.

Task 5. Fill in the gaps with the words from the box, changing them, if necessary.

1- to admit 6- scientific 10 - recognition

2 -member 7- cultural 11- policies

3- agency 8 – funding 12 - membership

4- announced 9 – changing

5 – educational 13 - approval

UNESCO voted on Monday (1)… Palestine into the organization as its newest (2)… and the United States promptly responded by cutting off funding for the (3)… . Acting under a legal requirement to cut U.S. funds to any U.N. agency that recognizes a Palestinian state, the State Department on Monday (4)… that the United States has stopped funding the U.N. (5)…, (6)… and (7)… Organization because of the vote.

Yasser Abed Rabbo expressed disappointment with the U.S. intention to cut (8)… to the agency. “We hope that the United States will not take such a step,” he said. “The world is (9)… , so it is better to move toward (10)… of the rights of the Palestinian people, rather than adopting the same old (11)… which have proven to be fruitless.” The UNESCO (12)… bid, which required (13)… by two-thirds of the agency’s General Conference, passed by a vote of 107 to 14, with 52 abstentions.

The Washington Post, 31/X/2011 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/unesco-votes-to-admit-palestine-over-us-objections/2011/10/31/gIQAMleYZM_story.html