The Contemporary World: Institutions that Govern International Relations

1. Institutions That Govern
International Relations
JUNIE LEA DOMINGO

2. There are several international
organizations that governments of
countries around the world and individuals
participate in. These include the United
Nations, the International Court of Justice,
NAFTA, and NATO. There are also non-
governmental organizations promoting
social and economic growth.

3. Peace Treaties And Military
Alliances : The UN and NATO

4. The United Nations (UN) is one of the leading
political organizations in the world where
nation-states meet and deliberate. However, it
remains as an independent actor in global
politics. The premise for its establishment was
the restructuring of the world devastated
after
the Second World War. The term "United
Nations" was coined by former U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942 (United Nations,
2011).

5. UN is the major force in governing
interstate relations (Ritzer, 2015).
According to the UN (2011), peace and
security are maintained "by working to
prevent conflict; helping parties in
conflict make peace; peacekeeping;
and creating the conditions to allow
peace to hold and flourish."

6. This group of Countries decides what to do
when two or more countries are waging
war or are on the verge of fighting. There
are five permanent members of the UN
Security Council-the United States,
Britain, Russia, China, and France. In
addition to the five members, 10 additional
countries join the permanent members for
two-year terms, making a total of 15
countries.

7. The "big five" permanent
members have a veto power,
which means that one
member can stop the entire
council from taking action
against a country.

8. In 1991, the UN's military role was put into
question during its intervention in Iraq's invasion
of Kuwait wherein the Security Council
authorized the use of force (Ritzer, 2015).
Aside from this, the UN intervened in the civil
wars of less developed countries, such as
Cambodia and Fast Timor, through "election and
human rights monitoring, disarmament, and even
the assumption of state functions" (Weiss and
Zach, 2007, p. 1219).

9. UNICEF or the United Nations
Children's Emergency Fund. Its
primary goal is to help children
around the world.

10. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) cover a
range of concerns for the improvement of all aspects
of life. According to the UN (2017), sustainable
development encompasses economic prosperity,
social well-being, and environmental protection. Since
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) did not end
poverty for all people, the UN's post-2015 sustainable
development agenda showcases the vision of the
organization when it comes to broader issues such as
climate change, disaster risk reduction, and gender
equality.

11. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The increasing rate of greenhouse gas emissions,
rising sea level, and occurrence of extreme
weather patterns are the effects of climate
change. As a response, the UN's Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) took efforts that
can mitigate climate change like assessment of
climate science, facilitation of climate agreements,
and giving assistance to countries to reduce
emissions (UN, 2011).

12. The UN also has the International Court of Justice (ICJ),
usually referred to as the World Court. It is located in
the Netherlands in a town called The Hague.
Aside from this, there are also a variety or international
courts and tribunals created by the UN such as the
International Criminal Court (1ICC) and the International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). The problem is,
sometimes, getting the violators all the way to Europe
to face trial because there is no actual police force to
go out and get them. As more and more countries
interact with one another, people are looking for the
ICJ to play a bigger role in the future of our global
world.

13. 1948, human rights have been brought into the realm
of international law. This is reflected in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. A variety of UN-
sponsored human rights treaties and agreements have
been done for human protection. Other mechanisms
include the Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR), the Human Rights Council,
human rights treaty bodies, the UN Development
Group's Human Rights Mainstreaming Mechanism
(UNDGHRM), and the Special Advisers on the
Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to
Protect (UN, 2011).

14. There are also legal instruments that help the
organization like the International Bill of Human
Rights which consists of three legal documents:
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948),
the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. The UN also
believes in democracy and that it is
interdependent with development and respect
for all human rights.

15. NATO
It is a defensive treaty or a
military alliance between the
United States, Canada, and 25
European countries. This treaty
and international organization is
based on the idea of collective
security
NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION

16. NATO was created after the Second World War,
mostly during the beginning of the Cold War. With the
collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s,
former Soviet states, like Poland and Croatia, had
joined NATO, making the present-day Russia feel
more threatened. NATO has sent troops and
undertaken military operations in Afghanistan,
Kosovo, Iraq, and Africa. The United States with, by
far, the most advanced military in the world makes up
the bulk of NATO forces and operations. Many of
these wars or conflicts are considered to be strictly
U.S. wars.

17. Thank You ☺️