From The League of Nations to The United Nations

Woodrow had a vision of an organization which would solve conflicts before countries involved in warfare and bloodshed. By December 1918, Woodrow left for Paris to change his points into the Treaty of Versailles. He later returned to United States of America with the treaty that held the idea that led to the League of Nations creation. After a series of events, the League of Nations commenced its organizational work in 1919 with its headquarter in London, Britain but after ten months, it was moved to Geneva, Switzerland. The League of Nations was dissolved after United Nations came into being in 1945 when fifty country representatives met in San Fransisco to draw the United Nations Charter. The Social Council’s and the permanent members veto power and voting procedures were finalized in the Yalta Conference held in 1945.

Stalin and Roosevelt argued that the Security Council’s discussions would not be prevented by the veto power. Roosevelt was out to seek two United States votes so he agreed with Byelorussia and Ukraine membership to the General Assembly by reserving the right, but it was never exercised. In 1945, from April to June Fifty nation’s representatives went to meet in San Francisco with a view of finalizing the United Nations Charter. The Charter resulted in the creation of the International Court of Justice, a Trusteeship Council and Social and Economic Council composed of 18 members in addition to the Security Council that had 6 none-permanent and five permanent members and the General Assembly. All the United Nations members meet in New York in the General Assembly Hall for general debates and the General Assembly sessions where many country heads address and attend annually.

Important decisions on issues like new member admission, budgetary, peace and security aspects are made through considering two thirds of the general assembly votes. Every year requires a fresh General Assembly election for a president who serves for a year. The Security Council is responsible for maintaining peace and security in reference to the United Nations Charter. Its fifteen membership breaks down to ten non-permanent and five permanent members. It is located in The Hague in Netherlands. It is the only United Nations organ that is not located in United States of America. The court has been mandate to settle legal matters according to the international law and giving advice answering legal questions posed by specialized agencies and the United Nations organs.

The Secretariat holds thousands of the United Nations staff and the Secretary General that carries out duties of the United Nations as required by the Organizations principal organs and the general assembly. There is the Organizations Secretary General who happens to be the Chief Administrative Officer of the organization that is appointed by the General Assembly to serve for renewable five year term. For instance, Italy was punished by the League of Nations through oil sanctions when it invaded Czechoslovakia. The sanction was not as effective as the League of Nations had expected but it was a necessary measure to maintain peace. The United Nations also considers economic sanctions as a measure of promoting and maintaining peace among nations. The League of Nations and the United Nations were created at different time periods, with different memberships.

The League of Nations was the first sovereign states universal organization to be created in 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference. France and Britain were the only countries that could have offered the military, but after the World War 2, they had been depleted strength wise hence could not offer the league of nation with the backup it needed. Britain and France could not also pay for expanding their armies as they had been financially hit by the World War one. President Woodrow Wilson was disappointed with the fact that his country, America had refused to join the organization. This served as a huge blow to the League’s prestige since America was the most powerful country at that time. America’s decision was fitted with the desire to have isolanistic policies over the other nations around the world.

Presently there are peacekeepers in hotspots trying to avert wars and save lives. In over four hundred and fifty years, the United Nations fought for liberation of nations that were under colonial rule. This exercise has seen freedom for millions of people and eighty nations from the colonialism bondage. In 1948, the United Nations was empowered by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be a custodian for children rights, arbitrary detentions, women discrimination, missing persons and general protection of human rights that was taking place in numerous countries. Moreover, the organization engages itself in enhancing the human life aspects including health, poverty, children and women rights, and climate change among others. However, its success also go unnoticed since it has been able to solve many issues; freeing countries and people off colonization, providing medical aid in places being faced with outbreaks or shortages in medical assistance, maintaining peace in places of unrest among others.