Canada and the Founding of the United Nation - Essay Example

Canada and the founding of the United Nation Canada and the founding of the United Nation Introduction United Nations was established in 1945 after the Second World War and is now composed of 193 countries. Nations had become weary of wars and wanted to end it once and for all by establishing an organization where nations can talk and negotiate their differences peacefully. Such, the idea of a united nations was conceived to give way to peaceful dialogues instead of resorting to conflict. The name “United Nations” was first conceived by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in January 1, 1942 during the Declaration by United Nations at the height of the Second World War when the representatives of 26 Governments pledged support to fight the Axis powers. Prior to the formation of the United Nations, countries first organized themselves to address specific issues. One of the first organization prior to United States that was organized to address peace was the International Peace Conference that was held in 1899 in The Hague to put in place the mechanism on how to resolve crisis peacefully that would prevent wars from happening such as the previous world wars. Canada has been instrumental in the creation of United Nations being one of its founding members and has been an active participant and supporter since its beginnings. It was active not only in the primary role of UN to maintain peace and stability but also on other aspects such as supporting its drive to promote human rights, improving the administrative capability of UN and providing financial support to the institution. Why United Nation is created United Nations is created to prevent another world war to happen and to also collectively address global issues such as peace and security, climate change, food security and others. It was created after World War II where countries in ruin and wanted lasting peace. At present, UN has expanded its role from averting a world war and maintaining peace to addressing global issues in the 21st century. It has also became a major international platform for dialogue and negotiation not only in settling conflict and dispute but also in addressing other timely humanitarian concerns such as human rights and climate change. UN’s Predecessor and its Other Concerns United Nation’s predecessor was the League of Nations which was created with similar intention as the International Peace Conference which was established in 1919 to prevent war and promote peace and security under the Treaty of Versailles. The League of Nations however was disbanded after it failed to prevent the Second World War from happening giving way to creation of United Nations after Second World War in 1945. Since then, United Nation remained as the international organization not only for preventing war but also as a place of negotiation and arbitration of in settling international dispute and also in addressing pressing concerns of the 21st century. In addition to the original intention of preventing war and promoting peace and security, the United Nations can now address other humanitarian issues such as “climate change, sustainable development, human rights, disarmament, terrorism, humanitarian and health emergencies, gender equality, governance, food production, and more” (United Nations, nd) making United Nations relevant in addressing the pressing issues that confronts the world in the 21st century. In its Charter, United Nations is also vested with powers to address issues that confronts the world today. It is made possible through the forum afforded by UN’s various organs such as the “General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, and other bodies and committees” (United Nations, nd) where members of UN can express their concerns and engage in dialogue and negotiations between its member states. This way, UN became an organization that enables its member governments to find solution to their issues that is amenable to everybody. This mandate in the charter enables United Nations to make good of its purpose of not only in preventing another world war but in also in making the organization relevant to the problems that beset humanity in the 21st century. Main organs General Assembly. The General Assembly is main policymaking body of the UN where all 193 Member States are represented. Its member meets every September of year to discuss and address pressing concerns such as peace and security and other issues that affect the world and its member states. Security Council. The Security Council of the UN is responsible for dispensing UN Charter’s maintenance of peace and security. Thus, it is tasked to assess any threat and enjoins conflicting parties to settle differences by dialogue and negotiations and through peaceful means. When the situation warrant, UN Security Council under Chapter VII of its Charter can enforce measures necessary to maintain peace and security (United Nations, nd). Along with its enforcement role is the deployment of peacekeeping forces which is also a product of Canada’s proposal. Economic and Social Council. Is the body in the UN that conducts policy review, dialogue and recommendations that pertains to economic and social issues. This council is composed of elected 54 members that would serve for three years. Human rights issues fall in this Council which Canada is very actively engaged in since the drafting of the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights. Trusteeship Council. The Trusteeship Council charged to provide supervision for UN’s 11 Trust Territories under Chapter XIII of its Charter where initiatives are undertaken to prepare the said territories for self-governance and independence (United Nations, nd). International Court of Justice. International Court of Justice is the body where international legal disputes submitted by its member states are settled. Its seat is in The Hague, Netherlands (United Nations, nd). Secretariat. The Secretariat performs the daily operation of the UN as mandated by the General Assembly and its other organs. The Secretary Generals serves as its chief administrative officer (United Nations, nd). Objectives of United Nations The objectives of United Nations are contained in the Article 1 of its Charter which states; To maintain international peace and security. This means that United Nations should make a collective effort with its member states that would prevent and remove and threat to peace, and to stop any acts or any form of aggression that would disturb peace. It is also its mandate to adjust, negotiate or settle international disputes and situations that may lead to conflict in a peaceful manner that is in accordance to international law (United Nations, nd). To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace. This means that UN must treat its member nations equally based on equal right and the right to self-determination as a precursor to strengthen universal peace (United Nations, nd). To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all. This means that international cooperation is a fundamental condition to achieve harmony among nations in the world that would make it easier to achieve and its common aspiration and objectives as members of humankind (United Nations, nd) Major issues that UN addresses Since its founding in 1945, United Nations has involved itself in many issues in addition to its original intent of preventing another world war to happen. Most of the major issues it is involved in are peace and security, climate change, food security, human rights, illiteracy and population displacement where many of these issues are also actively participated by Canada. Peace and security. The original intention of United Nation was to prevent another world war by providing an avenue where member states can have a dialogue to talk about their problems and negotiate about their differences. UN however has expanded its role in peace and security to include averting terrorism and maintaining peace in conflict torn countries by sending its peacekeeping forces. It is important to note that the idea of sending peacekeeping forces to restore and maintain peace in conflict stricken countries is a brainchild of Canada’s Minister of External Affairs (now Foreign Affairs) Lester B. Pearson for UN to have a “peacekeeping” force when he made his speech to UN General Assembly special emergency session on November 2nd, 1956 (United Nations Association in Canada, nd). Climate change. Climate change is a global problem that affects all of the planet’s inhabit and being such, UN has also actively engaged itself to address the issue. Among its recent initiative is the “forty-second sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 42) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 42), as well as the June session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP2-9)” which were held from June 1-11, 2015 in Bonn, Germany which aims to provide the scientific infrastructure on how to better climate change (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, nd). Food security. One of the major issues that United Nations is trying to address is to eradicate world hunger by achieving the “Zero Hunger generation" in developing countries where undernourishment is prevalent. This incidence of hunger and undernourishment has significantly declined to 12.9 percent from 23.3 percent translating it to 800 million less hunger through the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Food and Agriculture, 2015). Human rights. One of the major issues that Canada is deeply involved in the United Nations is the issue of human rights. After the end of the Second World War, Canada has always taken action and always present in many forums and initiatives that involves human rights from the first drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is also present in annual meetings of UN Human Rights Council in Geneva where it regularly co-sponsor many of its resolutions (Government of Canada, 2011). Canada is also vigorous to include human rights in all UN activities including human rights field operations in its peacekeeping forces which is a Canadian initiative. Not only is Canada active in promoting and sponsoring human rights, it is also equally vigorous in enforcing through its role in establishing the International Criminal Court and even chaired the international negotiating conference in June of 1998. Needless to say, Canada’s role in the issues that UN addresses is many and multi-tiered. Canada and its role in the creation of the United Nations Canada performed a major role in the creation and establishment of United Nations and had supported many of its initiatives since its beginnings. “The Declaration of the United Nations was released on 1 January 1942, with Canada among its twenty-six original signatories” (Chapnick, 2006 pg. 21). From a mere British dominated country, Canada has transformed itself to be one of the most active participant of UN beginning from its institution until today making the country as one of the world’s prominent internationalists. Canada’s participation to the UN is also consistent with UN’s original intent which is to avert war and to promote peace and security providing its member states an avenue where they can have a dialogue to talk about their problems and negotiate about their differences. UN’s expansion of this role in peace and security to include averting terrorism and maintaining peace in conflict torn countries by sending its peacekeeping forces can even be said to be a Canadian initiative as this idea of sending peacekeeping forces to restore and maintain peace in conflict stricken countries is a brainchild of Canada’s Minister of External Affairs (now Foreign Affairs) Lester B. Pearson for UN to have a “peacekeeping” force when he made his speech to UN General Assembly special emergency session on November 2nd, 1956 (United Nations Association in Canada, nd). It is also equally important to highlight that Canada through its delegates in the San Francisco Conference of 1945 helped to ensure that UN will be established by not allowing quibbles to sidetrack them. Canada was also one of the main contributors in creating the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. In effect, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations has extended the reach of concern of United Nations to cover and address other relevant areas that beset the international community. Thus, its present initiative such as responding to climate change, hunger reduction and addressing human rights would not have been possible without Canada’s contribution in creating the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations thus extending its contribution beyond maintaining peace and security to include economic and social dimension (Chapnick, 2006). How Canada influence the United Nations Canada’s influence in the United Nations is very significant. It is one of the founding members of the United Nations making it one of the most influential member in the UN. When the United Nations was founded, Canada was one of the countries that signed the UN Charter in San Francisco on October 24, 1945 (Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada, nd). Canada also played a key role in drafting United Nation’s Charter which is an international treaty that spells out UN’s principle of international relations (Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, 2015) Since then, Canada continued to be an active participant of United Nation through various means and financial support. Canada has been actively pushes forth its solutions and idea in the UN since its founding from “from peacekeeping proposals in the 1950s, to creating the International Criminal Court and banning landmines in the 1990s” (Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, 2015). At present, Canada’s participation in UN is to assist war-affected children and to improve the operation of its various organs and agencies. This makes Canada’s contribution to the United Nations’ to be multifaceted and relevant. Most relevant contribution of Canada to UN In addition to one of UN’s original members and supporting most of its programs, Canada’s proposal of peacekeeping forces whereby UN troops are sent to conflict stricken areas to maintain stability and peace probably is the most significant contribution of Canada to UN as this proposal, which is still in use today is patently a Canadian initiative. It was first suggested by Canada’s Minister of External Affairs (now Foreign Affairs) Lester B. Pearson for UN to have a “peacekeeping” force when he made his speech to UN General Assembly special emergency session on November 2nd, 1956 (United Nations Association in Canada, 2015). In Pearson’s speech at UN’s emergency session, he cited that need for a “a truly international peace and police force...large enough to keep these borders at peace while a political settlement is being worked out” (United Nations Association in Canada nd, pg. 4-5) where this peacekeeping force would “facilitate settlements in order to bring about international peace and security” (pg. 5). Thus, through Canada’s Minister of External Affairs (now Foreign Affairs) Lester B. Pearson, the armed UN peacekeeping force came into being with its first Canadian commanding officer in the person of General E.L.M. “Tommy” Burns. This proposal of creating peacekeeping forces also provided the mechanism for UN to respond to conflicts that has since then been adopted by the UN by deploying peacekeeping forces to war torn countries. From the creation of the peacekeeping forces, Canada has served in more than 50 UN peacekeeping missions in various countries that includes, Sudan, Cyprus, East Timor, Haiti, Congo and others sending more than 120,000 troops (United Nations Association in Canada nd, pg. 4-5). Thus it can be said that UN’s peacekeeping forces is a Canadian initiative through Minister of External Affairs (now Foreign Affairs) Lester B. Pearson who is recognized to be the grandfather of peacekeeping. Canada’s role in UN before 1949 Canadian foreign policy dramatically transformed after the Second World War to make itself a middle power (Chapnick, 20006) that would become instrumental in preventing the world from getting into another war. Thus, it actively supported the United Nation peace initiative and consistent to this, the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO (Beloff, 1960). In 1947 to 1948, Canada sent contingent to Korea to supervise its national elections and also to oversee the withdrawal of USA and USSR from Korea through United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea. Consistent with its original proposal for UN to have its own peacekeeping forces, Canada contributed since 1948 until today peacekeeping contingents beginning with the 1st peacekeeping type in Palestine which was operated by observer groups. This role is still performed by Canada today where its military observer groups “continue to supervise and monitor the ceasefire” in war torn countries (www.canadahistory.com, nd). Canada also performed the same role in its mission in Pakistan where it supervised the “ceasefire between India and Pakistan” (www.canadahistory.com, nd). Conclusion Canada’s role in the United Nations is indispensable. Canada has already been present and supportive since the creation of the UN until today. To attest that Canada has been supportive of UN since its beginning, Canada has been one of United Nations’ original members. Many of UN’s programs outside of its original mandate of maintaining peace and security such as human rights and peace and security is vigorously supported by Canada. In line to UN’s original mandate of maintaining peace, Canada has in fact, introduced initiatives such as peacekeeping forces that restores relative calm in war torn areas. This peacekeeping forces is still used by UN today where member nations send their contingents as a contribution to the peacekeeping forces. Canada was also one of the main contributors in creating the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. In effect, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations has extended the reach of concern of United Nations to cover and address other relevant areas that beset the international community. Thus, its present initiative such as responding to climate change, hunger reduction and addressing human rights would not have been possible without Canada’s contribution in creating the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. At present, Canada is one of the leading supporters and contributors of UN through its financial support. Thus it can be concluded that Canada is one of the pillars of United Nations whose role and influence without question is instrumental for its creation and existence until today. Annotated Bibliography Chapnick, Adam (2006). The Middle Power Project: Canada and the Founding of the United Nation. Vancouver: UBC Press Adam Chapnick’s The Middle Power Project: Canada and the Founding of the United Nation is a chronology of how Canada transformed its foreign policy from being dominated by the Great Britain to become a middle power. Not only had Canada been instrumental in creating the United Nations after the Second World, it also helped the institution to usher into a “golden era of foreign policy. Along with Canada’s transformation is its vigorous support from the creation of the United Nations to its recent initiatives of deploying peacekeeping forces. Chapnick also mentioned that its civil servants were also cautious during the deliberation of the United Nation being inexperienced but still managed to focus to support the UN. About the UN | United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2015, from http://www.un.org/en/about-un/index.html The United Nation’s official webpage is an indispensable source of information about the institution. It talked about why it was created and the circumstances leading to its creation. It also explained its various organs as well as programs that makes UN relevant in the modern world. Its Charter which animates the UN cannot also be found in other sources except the UN that discussing UN would be incomplete without referring back to its literature. In its Charter are also its objectives which made the website helpful in understanding UN as an institution. Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2015, from http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/prmny-mponu/index.aspx?lang=eng The website Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations is probably the most authoritative source about Canada’s participation, contribution and role in the UN not only in the establishment of the institution but also on how Canada continue to support its various programs. This website also tells Canada’s policy position on many issues that UN is trying to address. One of which is human rights which Canada had been its vigorous supporter beginning from the drafting of the Declaration of the Universal Human Rights to the inclusion of human rights in its many activities that includes the deployment of peacekeeping forces of which is also a product of its own initiative and proposal. References Canada and the United Nations. (2015). Retrieved June 17, 2015, from http://www.international.gc.ca/genev/mission/canada-UN_nu.aspx?lang=eng Charter, United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2015, from http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/ FAO.org. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2015, from http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/288229/icode/ Histoire, ONU, Nations Unies, Charte, chronologie. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2015, from http://www.un.org/en/aboutun/history/index.shtml Main Organs | United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2015, from http://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/main-organs/index.html Max Beloff (1960). The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science / Revue canadienne dEconomique et de Science politique. Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 345-347 Overview | United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2015, from http://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/overview/index.html Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2015, from http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/prmny-mponu/canada_un-canada_onu/positions-orientations/human_rights-droits_humains.aspx?lang=eng Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2015. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2015, from http://unfccc.int/2860.php The Canadian Contribution to United Nations Peacekeeping. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2015, from http://unac.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/CdnUNPkpgBooklet_e.pdf Zero, hunger, challenge, UN, United Nations, food, sustainable, children, systems, hunger, eliminated. (n.d.). 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