1. The United Nations System and other international Organizations
Lecture Note on International Organizations Cho, Joong-Wan, PhD Former Chief of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) Secretariat and Trade Policy, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) Visiting Professor, International Trade and Business, Kangwon National University Thursday, September 28, 2017
The United Nations System and other international Organizations

2. The United Nations System
A. United Nations (UN) Charter (유엔 헌장)
The constituting instrument of the Organization, setting out the rights and obligations of Member States and establishing the UN organs and procedures.
As an international treaty, the Charter codifies the major principles of international relations – from the sovereign equality of States to the prohibition of the use of force in international relations.
1) Preamble to the Charter (헌장 서문)
Expresses the ideals and common aims of all peoples whose governments joined together to form the United Nations:
“WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, …………………, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.”

3. 2) Purposes and principles (헌장의 목적과 원칙)
To maintain international peace and security;
To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self determination of peoples;
To cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;
To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these common ends.

4. Principles:
Based on the sovereign equality of all its Members;
All Members are to fulfil in good faith of their Charter obligations;
To settle their international disputes by peaceful means and without endangering international peace and security, and justice;
To refrain from the threat or use of force against any other state;
To give the United Nations every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the Charter;
Nothing in the Charter is to authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state.

5. 3) Membership (회원제)
Memership of the United Nations is open to all peace-loving nations which accept the obligations of the Charter and are willing and able to carry out these obligations;
The General Assembly admits new Member States on the recommendation of the UN Security Council;
The Charter provides for the suspension or expulsion of a Member for violation of the Charter.
193 nations of the world are currently members of the United Nations.
4) Official Languages of the UN: Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish (and Arabic as an official language of the GA, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

6. The United Nations System
B. Structure of the Organization (유엔 조직구조)
The Charter established five principal organs of the United Nations, which are: The General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, International Court of Justice and Secretariat.
The United Nations family, however, is much larger, encompassing 15 agencies and several programmes and funds (refer to the handout on the UN System).
1) The General Assembly (유엔 총회)
The GA is the main deliberative organ, composed of the representatives of all Member States; each member has one vote.
Decisions on important issues, such as peace and security, admission of new Members and budgetary matters, requires a two-thirds majority. Decisions on other issues are by simple majority.

7. The United Nations System
GA Sessions and the Committees (총회기간 및 위원회)
The GA’s regular session usually begins each year in September (72nd session begins this month in Sep in New York).
Most issues are handled by the GA Committees:-
First Committee (Disarmament and International Security);
Second Committee (Economic and Financial);
Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural)
Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization);
Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary);
Sixth Committee (Legal).

8. The United Nations System
2) Security Council (SC: 유엔 안전보장이사회)
The SC has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.
The Council has 15 members: 5 permanent members (P-5, namely: China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States) and 10 elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
Decisions on substantive matters require nine votes, including the concurrence votes of all five permanent (P-5)members – so called veto power of the P-5.
While other organs of the UN make recommendations to member governments, the SC alone has the power to take decisions which Member States are obligated under the Charter to carry out.
The functions and powers of the SC include:
To maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and purposes of the UN;
To call on Members to apply economic sanctions and other measures not involving the use of force to prevent or stop aggression and to take military action against the aggressor;
To recommend to the GA the appointment of the Secretary-General and, together with the GA, to elect the Judges of the International court of Justice.

9. United Nations System 3) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC: 경제사회이사회)
The Charter establishes the ECOSOC as the principal arm to coordinate the economic, social, and related work of the UN and the specialized agencies and institutions – known as the United Nations family of organizations.
The Council has 54 members, who serve for a 3-year term. Voting in the Council is by simple majority with each members has one vote.
The functions and powers of the ECOSOC include:
To serve as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member States and the UN System;
To make or initiate studies and reports and make recommendations on international economic, social, cultural, educational, health and related matters;
To assist in preparing and organizing major int’l conferences in economic, social and related fields and promote a coordinated follow-up to these conferences;
To coordinate the activities of the specialized agencies, through consultations with and recommendations to them, and through recommendations to the GA.
Through discussion of int’l economic and social issues and policy recommendations, ECOSOC plays a key role in fostering int’l cooperation for development and in setting the priorities for action.

10. The United Nations System
ECOSOC Subsidiary and related Bodies (경제사회이사회 하부조직 )
The ECOSOC has subsidiary bodies including: 9 functional commissions; 5 Regional Commissions; 5 standing committees and expert bodies; a number of expert bodies on subjects such as development planning, natural resources, and economic, social and cultural rights (refer to handout on the UN System).
The Council also cooperates with and to a certain extent, coordinates the work of UN Programmes (such as UNDP, UNEP, UNICEF and UNFPA) and the specialized agencies (such as FAO, WHO, ILO and UNESCO), all of which report to the ECOSOC and make recommendations for its substantive sessions.
Relations with NGOs: The ECOSOC consults with NGOs concerned with matters within its competence. Over 1,600 NGOs have consultative status with the ECOSOC.
NGOs/CSOs around the world, in increasing numbers, are working daily with the UN community to help achieve the objective of the UN Charter.

11. The United Nations System
4) International Court of Justice (ICJ: 국제심판원)
Located in The Hague, the Netherlands, the ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the UN.
The ICJ settles legal disputes between states and gives advisory opinions to the UN and its specialized agencies. Its Statute is an integral part of the UN Charter.
The Court is comprised of 15 judges elected by the GA and the SC, voting independently.

12. The United Nations System
5) UN Secretariat (유엔 사무국)
The Secretariat – an international staff working in duty stations around the world – carries out the diverse day-to-day work of the Organization. It also services the other principal organs of the UN and administers the programme and policies laid down by them.
The Secretary-General (SG): Appointed by the GA on the recommendations of the SC for a five-year term, renewable up to ten years. The current SG is Mr. Antonio Gueterres of Portugal, who took up the office as from 1 Jan, 2017, as the 9th SG of the UN.
The Secretariat has a staff of about 9,000 under the regular budget, drawn from some 160 member countries of the UN.
The UN, while headquartered in New York, maintains a significant presence in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Beirut, Geneva, Nairobi, Santiago and Vienna, and has offices all over the world.

13. The United Nations System
6) Budget of the UN (유엔 기구의 예산)
The regular budget of the UN is approved by the GA for a two-year period. The budget is initially submitted by the Secretary-General and reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) prior to submission to the 5th Committee under the GA.
The main source of funds for the budget is the contributions of Member States. These are assessed on a scale approved by the GA on the recommendations of the Committee on Contributions.
United Nations funds and programmes – such as UNICEF, UNDP, and the High Commissioner for Refugees – have separate budgets. The bulk of their resources is provided on a voluntary basis by member Governments, and also by individuals (e.g., Bill Gates of Microsoft), as in the case of UNICEF.
The UN specialized agencies also have separate budgets (regular) and XB from voluntary contributions from member Governments.

14. The United Nations System
C. The United Nations System (유엔 조직체계)
The UN System is made up of the United Nations Secretariat, the UN Programmes and Funds (such as UNICEF and UNDP) and the Specialized Agencies.
The UN Programmes and Funds are subsidiary bodies of the GA. The Specialized Agencies, linked to the UN through special agreement, report to the ECOSOC and/or the GA. They have their own governing bodies and budgets, and set their own standards and guidelines.
1) UN Secretariat (유엔사무국)
The UN Secretariat consists of departments and offices. The Executive Office of the S-G, composed of the Secretary-General, Deputy S-G and their senior advisers, establishes general policies and provides overall guidance to the Organization.
The Secretariat has its headquarters in New York and offices in all regions of the world. Three main centres of activities are in Geneva (The UN Office at Geneva: UNOG), Vienna (The UN Office at Vienna: UNOV), and Nairobi (The UN Office at Nairobi: UNON).
In addition, the Secretariat consists of OIOS (refer to handout), OLA, DPA, DDA, DPKO, OCHA, DESA, DGAACS, DPI, DM, OIP, UNSECOORD, ODCCP.

15. The United Nations System
2) UN Regional Commissions (유엔 지역위원회)
The UN Regional Commissions (RC) report to ECOSOC and operate under the authority of the Secretary-General. The UNRC’s mandate is to initiate policies and measures to promote socio- economic development of each region (5) and strengthen the socio-economic relations of the countries in that region. They are funded by the regular UN budget.
There are five UNRCs: Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) headquartered in Addis Abbaba/Ethiopia; Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) headquartered in Geneva/Switzerland; Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) headquartered in Santiago/Chile; Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) headquartered in Bangkok/Thailand; and Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) headquartered in Beirut/Lebanon.
ESCAP, established in 1947 in Shanghai, has a mandate to address the economic and social issues of the region. It plays a unique role as the only intergovernmental forum for all the countries of Asia and the Pacific. ESCAP has 53 member States and 9 associate member States represent some 60% of the world population (from Turkey to New Zealand and Fiji in the South Pacific).

16. The United Nations System
3) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP: 유엔 개발계획)
The UNDP is the main body for coordinating the UN development work. It’s global reach and management of more than $2 billion in financial resources annually makes it the largest provider of development grant assistance in the UN System.
UNDP operates in more than 160 countries of the world, providing sound policy advice and assists in building institutional and human capacity that promotes equitable economic growth. UNDP is also committed to promoting good governance at the country level and building coalitions for action on issues critical to sustainable human development, among other areas of development work.
UNDP is governed by a 36-member Executive Board, representing both developing and developed countries. Among UNDP’s flagship publications is the annual Human Development Report. The Administrator of UNDP is Mr. Achime Steiner of Germany [the former Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquartered in Nairobi/Keyna] was appointed by the UN S-G, Mr. Gueterres, in Feb

17. The United Nations System
4) The World Bank Group (세계은행그룹)
The World Bank is a group of five institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD established in 1945, now known as the World Bank); International Finance Corporation (1956); International Development Association (1960); Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (1988); and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (1966).
The common goal of all WB institutions is to reduce poverty around the world by strengthening the economies of poor nations. Their aim is to improve people’s living standards by promoting economic growth and development. Among its major publications is the annual World Development Report.
IBRD/World Bank: The WB provides loans and development assistance to middle- income countries and creditworthy poorer countries. Unlike the UN, voting power is linked to member countries’ capital subscriptions, which in turn are based on each country’s relative economic strength. The Bank obtains 90% of its funds through the sale of bonds in international capital markets.

18. The United Nations System
4) The World Bank Group (continued)
International Development Association (IDA): IDA provides financing on highly concessional terms for the world’s poorer countries, those that are not able to service loans from the IBRD/WB. IDA loans, known as “credits”, are extended mainly to countries with annual per capita incomes of less than $895.
International Finance Corporation (IFC): IFC is the largest multilateral source of loan and equity financing for private-sector projects in the developing world. It finances and provides advice for private-sector ventures and projects in developing world in partnership with private investors.
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA): MIGA helps to encourage foreign investment in developing countries by providing insurance (guarantees) to foreign private investors against loss caused by non-commercial/political risks, such as war, expropriation and civil disturbance. It also provides technical assistance to help countries disseminate information on investment opportunities.

19. The United Nations System
5) The International Monetary Fund (IMF: 국제통화기금)
Established at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944 along with the IBRD/WB, the IMF facilitates international monetary cooperation; Promotes exchange rate stability and orderly exchange arrangements; Assists in the establishment of a multilateral system of payments and the elimination of foreign exchange restrictions; and Assists members by temporarily providing financial resources to correct maladjustments in their balance of payments (BoP).
IMF’s main financial role is to provide temporary credits to members experiencing BoP difficulties. In return, members borrowing from IMF agree to undertake policy reforms to correct the problems that underlie economic difficulties. The amounts that IMF members (182) may borrow are limited in proportion to their quotas (determined by a formula based on the relative economic size of the members.
IMF publishes the World Economic Outlook twice a year, as well as the annual Investment Capital Markets report.

20. The United Nations System
6) World Trade Organization (WTO: 세계무역기구)
The WTO was established in 1995, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) as the only international body dealing with the global rules of trade between nations. It is not a specialized agency of the UN, but has cooperative arrangements and practices with the UN.
The purpose of WTO is to help trade flow smoothly, in a system based on rules; to impartially settle trade disputes between governments ; and to organize trade negotiations (e.g., DDA) .
The principles on which these agreements are based include: non-discrimination (the “most-favoured nation”: MFN clause); freer trade encouraging competition; special and differential treatment for LDCs; and to reduce trade protectionism.
Currently to date, WTO has 153 member countries. Its governing body, the Ministerial Conference, meets every 2 years; the General Council carries out the day-to-day work.

21. Other International Economic Organization
The Organization of Economic and Cooperation and Development (OECD: 경제
협력 개발기구)
Based in Paris, France, OECD is the club for rich nations for the promotion of economic and development cooperation among its members in setting international standards in its Agenda areas; engaging in policy dialogue/collaboration among member countries; and policy transfer to non-member developing countries.
Major agenda of OECD include:
Promote economic cooperation and provide policy advice to pursue growth and improve standard of living among member countries;
Promote freer trade – liberalization of trade and expand benefits associated with globalization (trade policy, services trade liberalization measures, and Aid for Trade initiatives);
Liberalize international movement - OECD’s Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises adopted in 1976 was a milestone for non-discrimination/national treatment in FDI as a principle; OECD’s Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) proposed in was not materialized due to opposition of the world NGOs
Development cooperation – OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and contributing members (including RoK) account for more than 90% of world ODA.

22. Other International Economic Organization
The Organization of Economic and Cooperation and Development (OECD: 경제 협력 개발기구)
The Republic of Korea joined the rich nations’ club of OECD back in Dec. 1996, as the 29th member of OECD, after Mexico. The current members of OECD are 34 to date. Estonia is expected to join in the OECD soon.
OECD has three subsidiaries (but independent bodies in their decision-making) based in Paris: (1) Nuclear Energy Agency; (2) International Energy Agency; and (3) Development Centre.
OECD’s flagship publications include: OECD Economic outlook, Sectoral publications (e.g., Development Cooperation Reports, OECD Science and Technology reports, among others).