United Nations for kids - Episode 1

Duration: 7 minutes and 17 seconds

Country: United States

Language: English

License: Public Domain

Genre: Documentary

Producer: Andreas Sandre von Warburg

Director: Andreas Sandre von Warburg

Views: 286 (1 embedded)

Posted by: unclebabe on Oct 24, 2007

Created and directed by Andreas S. von Warburg, "United Nations for kids" is a short cartoon documentary about the UN and its mission. The first episode is a general introduction and includes a little historical background and details on the principal bodies of the UN.

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Do you guys know what the United Nations is?
Guys, let me tell you the story of the United Nations
More than 60 years ago, towards the end of the Second World War
three wise men met in the city of Yalta, on the coast of the Black Sea in Europe
Those three men where: US President Franklyn Delano Roosevelt
you know him as FDR
British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill
rarely photographed without a cigar in his mouth
and Joseph Stalin
leader of the old Soviet Union, which at the time was in control of most Easter Europe
Each of them had a different plan in mind, but they also shared a common goal
to ensure peace and stability in the world
In Yalta, the three men drew plans for the creation of the United Nations
which officially came into existence eight months after the meeting in Yalta
On October 24, 1945
representatives of fifty countries met in San Francisco
and agreed to the creation of the new Organization
The United Nations we know today has a total of a 192 member countries
and the number may even grow bigger if more countries are going to join
But what are the goals of the United Nations? Why was it created?
First and foremost, to keep peace throughout the world
But also to work together to help people in need and eliminate poverty and hunger
and to protect human rights and foster freedom
The United Nations is an international body. It is not a country
rather a venue where countries can meet and problems can be discussed
The United Nations is headquartered in New York City
with principal offices in Geneva
Vienna
and Nairobi
and other offices around the world
The UN is composed by six principal organs
Three of them are very well known
the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Secretariat
The other trhee are not so well know
the Economic and Social Council, also known as ECOSOC
the Trusteeship Council and the International Court of Justice, which is based in the Hague
The General Assembly is a sort of world parliament where every member country has one seat and one vote
big countries like the United States as well as small island countries like Fiji and Saint Lucia
All of them have one seat and one vote
Ambassadors from all around the world meet in the General Assembly hall throughout the year
and every September presidents and prime ministers of all member states
travel to New York City to open a new session of the General Assembly
and set the agenda of work for the following months
While the General Assembly is a large body with 192 seats
the Security Council is a much smaller entity
It is the executive body of the United Nations and its decisions are binding for all member states
It is composed by only 15 members
five are permanent
and they are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States
and the other 10 and non-permanent; they are elected every year by the General Assembly and have a seat for only 2 years
And finally, we have the Secretariat
which is the administrative body of the United Nations and is headed by a Secretary-General
the commander-in-chief of the United Nations
In December 2006, the United Nations elected Ban Ki-moon of South Korea as the eight Secretary-General
The Secretary-General is a symbol of the United Nations
He is the face of the United Nations in the world
He is at the same time a super-manager and a diplomat
As such, he has to remain impartial and independent in order to protect the interests of the peoples of the world
Do you know who was Secretary-General before Ban Ki-moon?
Well, the first commander-in-chief of the United Nations was Trygve Lie of Norway
He was followed by Dag Hammarskjöld from Sweden
than U-Thant from Myanmar
and Kurt Waldheim from Austria
Javier Perez de Cuellar from Peru
Boutros Boutros-Ghali from Egypt
and finally Kofi Annan from Ghana
The main duties of the Secretary-General
are related to the day-to-day work of the United Nations
The Secretary-General often meets with presidents and prime ministers and celebrities
and makes sure each member country pays its share of the UN budget
The money each country pays is used to run the UN
and finance its activities throughout the world

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United Nations for kids - Episode 1

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