Canada and the United Nations

Lead-Up to the UN Following the end of World War I, Woodrow Wilson in his famous “Fourteen Points” called for the creation of an international body that would help provide security and peace throughout the world. It was an idea that he believed would help to stop all future wars and lead to a more peaceful civilization. However, because of the other events that followed after World War I, namely the Versailles Peace Treaty and the Great Depression, aggression once again grew throughout the world, and the League of Nations would be exposed as a body that had no legitimacy or power to deal with international problems. With the end of World War II, however, many world powers were determined that this would never happen again.

Canada and the United Nations The roots of the United Nations were born during the Second World War itself. Throughout the war, the leaders of the Soviet Union (Josef Stalin), the United States (Franklin Roosevelt) and the United Kingdom (Winston Churchill) met frequently throughout the world. They discussed joint war plans and how to attack the Axis powers; they also discussed how plans for the post-War world. They felt that it was necessary to have an international body in which nations could settle their disputes. The first plans were laid in 1943, at the Moscow, and later Tehran, conferences. These were only the most basic of discussions, and the leaders agreed to meet with one another later to develop more in-depth plans.

Canada and the United Nations Finally, in 1944, the leaders of China, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain met at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, held just outside of Washington, DC. Here the outline for the United Nations was developed, including its membership and organs, as well as arrangements to maintain international peace and security and international economic and social cooperation.

Canada and the United Nations Establishment of the UN On April 25, 1945, the United Nations Conference on International Organization began in San Francisco. In addition to governments, a number of non-government organizations, including Rotary International and Lions Clubs International received invitations to assist in the drafting of a charter. After working for two months, the fifty nations represented at the conference signed the Charter of the United Nations on June 26. The charter stated that before it would come into effect, it must be ratified by the Governments of the China, France, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the United States, and by a majority of the other 46 signatories. This occurred on October 24, 1945, and the United Nations was officially formed. Canada would be one of the first 60 nations to sign onto the agreement, and would soon play a very important role in the development of the UN.

Canada and the United Nations The League of Nations formally dissolved itself on 18 April 1946 and transferred its mission to the United Nations.

Canada and the United Nations Almost immediately, the number of countries joining the UN began to grow. From the 50 nations that signed the declaration on October 24, 1945, over 100 more nations joined within the first decade of its existence. Below you will see a map that shows the growth of the UN through the decades.

Canada and the United Nations United Nations Charter The Charter consists of a preamble and a series of articles grouped into chapters. The preamble consists of two principal parts. The first part containing a general call for the maintenance of peace and international security and respect for human rights. The second part of the preamble is a declaration in a contractual style that the governments of the peoples of the United Nations have agreed to the Charter.

Canada and the United Nations The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights One of the most important accomplishments of the United Nations was the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in The document states that people cannot be discriminated against on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, and politics, and that people have a right to health care, education, and work.

Canada and the United Nations The major author of the Declaration was a Canadian law professor who spent 20 years at the U.N. -- John Peters Humphrey. John Peters Humphrey was called upon by the United Nations Secretary-General to work on the project and became the Declaration's principal drafter. At the time Humphrey was newly appointed as Director of the Division of Human Rights within the United Nations Secretariat. The Commission on Human Rights, a standing body of the United Nations, was constituted to undertake the work of preparing what was initially conceived as an International Bill of Rights. The membership of the Commission was designed to be broadly representative of the global community.

Article 1 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2 Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. Article 3 Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person. Article 4 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Article 5 No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 7 All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. Article 8 Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law. Article 9 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. Article 10 Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11 Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. Article 13 Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Article 15 Everyone has the right to a nationality. Article 17 Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. Article 18 Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19 Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Article 21 Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 25 Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Article 26 Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

Canada and the United Nations Canada and the Early Years of the UN The Korean War In 1950, Communist-supported North Korea invaded American- supported South Korea. The U.N. condemned the attack and asked member states to assist South Korea. Canada made the third largest U.N. contribution (the U.S. was first, and Britain second) to the defence of South Korea. With the help of 26,000 Canadian soldiers, the U.N. forces stopped the aggressor from the north and restored the security of South Korea by Over 400 Canadians lost their lives in the Korean conflict.

Canada and the United Nations The Suez Crisis The United Nations faced another world crisis in 1956 when England, France, and Israel ganged up on Egypt over the issue of who should control the Suez Canal. The Canal was owned by the European countries, but it was in Egyptian territory. The Soviet Union backed Egypt and fighting started. In the U.N., Canada’s Lester Pearson proposed that all troops be withdrawn from the area and that the two warring sides be kept apart by a special U.N. peacekeeping force. This plan was accepted, and Canada provided the largest number of soldiers to the U.N.’s first “peace army.” Since 1956, the U.N.’s blue helmeted peacekeepers have been used in many other parts of the world. For his work, Lester Pearson was awarded the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize.

Canada and the United Nations