Category Civics

The United Nations is responsible for world peace. However, don’t be surprised to learn that such an organisation does not have an army of its own. At times of crisis, the UN calls on its member states to provide their military service. This service is not free though. The UN pays for the military service it gets.

Though the supreme command lies with the Secretary-General, these forces have their own commanders. The first loyalty of the UN forces is to their country. They are actually on loan and can be withdrawn by the respective countries anytime. They do not form an independent UN army.

The loaned force includes soldiers, police officers and civilians. 123 countries currently provide the military troops and police forces that make up the UN Peacekeeping force. There are currently 13 peacekeeping operations led by the Department of Peace Operations.

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In simple terms, peacekeeping refers to the efforts of the UN to establish lasting peace in areas affected by conflict.

According to the UN Charter, the power and responsibility to take collective action to maintain international peace and security lie with the United Nations Security Council.

Peacekeeping is a role held by the Department of Peace Operations.

Peacekeepers engage in various activities like implementing the peace agreements, strengthening the rule of law, and economic and social development. They also facilitate the political process, protect civilians, assist in disarmament, and protect and promote human rights. They work in most physically and politically difficult environments.

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Women were considered second-class citizens in many countries. Despite the continuing domestic violence and brutality against women, progress has definitely been made in tackling the issue of gender discrimination.

With proper awareness programmes, millions of women’s lives were transformed; they developed a positive outlook and learnt to stand up for their rights. In developing countries, special funds were set aside for women to help them start their own enterprises.

Let’s now look at some specific cases. Turkey was a male dominant society. It established a Ministry of State for Women that specially looked into the progress of women in 1991.

Brazil established a new police until that specifically dealt with women’s issues. Mexico changed its rape law in order to help women victims.

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In the 1980s, the focus of human rights shifted to gender. Inequalities that women have to face in day-to-day life began to be addressed by the United Nations and the rights of women began to be treated as equal to men.

Starting from the 1980s, the UN set up a whole range of women’s groups, the most prominent ones being the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, the UN Development Fund for Women, and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women.

These programmes took up women’s issues and started finding constructive solutions for them. Attempts to spread awareness about gender discrimination became crucial in the UN programmes.

For this, a vast amount of information about various issues like domestic violence and harassments were made available for the public. Women’s rights became an integral part of human rights.

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Children are the future of the world. As an organisation that works to build a better future, the UN has never ignored students; it has various programmes targeting students. Let’s now look at some of the UN programmes for students.

The Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth addresses the rights and development needs of the youth. This programme aims to bring the youth closer to the UN. The Model UN Workshop is meant to give students the basic understanding of the rules and procedures of the General Assembly. These workshops discuss drafting resolutions and negotiating deals.

UNICEF has an online platform where students around the world can learn about the issues affecting the world. They can also share their thoughts and opinions about the same. This platform is known as the Voices of Youth.

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Have you heard of an organisation called the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)? This organisation is responsible for drug control and actions against drug abuse. It was established in 1997 by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program and Crime Prevention, and the Criminal Justice Division.

UNODC is concerned with the problem of drugs, crime prevention, and criminal justice, apart from this, it deals with international terrorism, and political corruption. UNODC tries to deal with these threats to the society primarily through research and guidance.

After extensive research, UNODC adopts and implements various policies on terrorism, crime, corruption and drug abuse.

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