on the conduct of the election.
Since 1992, the UN has provided technical assistance in the
preparation and holding of elections to over 70 countries. Such assistance,
which may involve coordination and support, advisory services and short-
term observation, is instrumental in building the capacity of countries to
run their elections in the future.
Apartheid.
Apartheid applies to all aspects of life. Socially, blacks had to live
apart from the other races. Politically, they could not vote. Economically,
they could work only in the lowest paying occupations.
The UN helped to bring an end in 1994 to South Africa's apartheid
(racial segregation) system. For more than three decades, the UN carried
out a sustained campaign against apartheid. The campaign, which ranged from
an arms embargo to a convention against segregated sports events, helped to
bring about a democratically elected Government in 1994, through elections
in which, for the first time, all South Africans could vote. The UN
Observer Mission in South Africa assisted in the transition and observed
the election. With the installation of a non-racial and democratic
government, the apartheid system came to an end.
International law.
The UN has made major contributions towards expanding the rule of law
among nations through its development and codification of international
law. The International Court of Justice has assisted countries in solving
important legal disputes and has issued advisory opinions on UN activities.
The UN has initiated hundreds of conventions and treaties covering
virtually all areas of international law - from international trade to
environmental protection. Action has been particularly strong in human
rights law.
For instance, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women is the main international legal instrument to
further women's equality. The Convention against Illicit Traffic in
Narcotic Drugs is the key international treaty against drug trafficking.
The Convention on the Law of the Sea seeks to ensure equitable access by
all countries to the riches of the oceans, protect them from pollution and
facilitate freedom of navigation and research.
4.3 UN Humanitarian Assistance to Developing Countries
When countries are stricken by war, famine or natural disaster, the UN
helps provide humanitarian aid. Part of this aid is in the form of direct
assistance from the UN operational agencies and programs: The Office of the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the UN (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the
World Food Program (WFP), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN
Development Program (UNDP).
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is
responsible for the protection and assistance of over 26 million people
around the world who have fled war or persecution, seeking at the same time
durable solutions to their plight. In early 1997, UNHCR's major operations
were in the Great Lakes region of Africa, with over 1.4 million people in
need; the former Yugoslavia (over 2 million people); and western Asia (some
2.3 million Afghan refugees).
All UN emergency relief is coordinated by the UN Emergency Relief
Coordinator, who heads the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs.
In 1996, the UN raised $1.3 billion for emergency assistance to over
22 million people around the world.
5. DISARMAMENT
5.1 UN Activity in the Sphere of Disarmament
Halting the arms race and reducing and eventually eliminating all
weapons of war are major concerns of the UN. The UN has been a permanent
forum for disarmament negotiations, making recommendations and initiating
studies. Negotiations have been held bilaterally and through international
bodies such as the Conference on Disarmament, which meets regularly in
Geneva.
The General Assembly adopted in 1996 the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, a
landmark agreement that aims at banning all nuclear-weapon tests.
In a major step in advancing non-proliferation, States parties in 1995
extended indefinitely the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT). Under this Treaty, nuclear-weapon States agree not to
provide nuclear weapons to other countries and to pursue nuclear
disarmament; non-nuclear weapon States agree not to acquire nuclear
weapons. Concluded under UN auspices, the Treaty has been ratified by over
170 countries.
Other treaties have been concluded to prohibit the development,
production and stockpiling of chemical weapons (1992) and bacteriological
weapons (1972); reduce conventional armed forces in Europe (1990); ban
nuclear weapons from the seabed and ocean floor (1971) and outer space
(1967); and ban or restrict other classes of weapons
The United Nations proposed another disarmament agreement in 1972. The
100 nations that signed this Seabed Agreement agreed never to place nuclear
weapons on the ocean floor. Both the Soviet Union and the United States
were among the signers.
In 1996, States parties strengthened a Protocol restricting the use,
production and transfer of landmines – “silent killers” that slay or maim
some 20,000 people each year. According to the UN, there are some 110
million landmines in over 70 countries, and 2 million new landmines are
laid every year.
Mine Clearance
The subject of mine clearance is one of critical importance that has
recently taken center stage in the forum of pressing world issues. As
regards the work of the United Nations, the process of demining is
fundamental to the UN's ability to deliver programs effectively in war-torn
countries or post-war environments, whether such undertakings be related to
peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance or rehabilitation.
Over the past seven years, the need for mine clearance has grown
significantly in a number of regions around the world. As a result, the UN
is increasingly called upon to operate mine clearance programs in areas
that are completely infested with landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO).
Consequently, prior to any large deployment of personnel or equipment to a
given area, the UN must prepare for a safe working environment by
initiating preliminary mine clearance activities in localized areas. Once
this has been completed, a broader operation can be accommodated to conduct
mine clearance activities on a more comprehensive scale.
The clearance of areas for use by a supported nation is undertaken
only when specially mandated by the Security Council. It is standard
procedure for the UN to not only performs mine clearance but also to assist
a supported nation in the development of its own sustainable clearance
capacity. The UN program may include such topics as mine awareness, mine
marking, mine survey, mine clearance as well as unexploded ordinance
disposal. Additionally, the program's overall efforts may go beyond mine-
specific issues to cover related areas, such as management and logistics,
training and support.
The UN may vary its approach to each situation as there are currently
no standardized templates or universal procedures established for mine
clearance activities world-wide.
Mine Clearance in the United Nations is presently divided into two
areas of responsibility :
. which plans and advises on mine clearing activities carried out
under United Nations auspices as well as maintains contact with
Governments and organizations that participate in or contribute to
these activities.
. which serves as the focal point for coordinating all humanitarian
mine clearance and related activities.
These two units work together to ensure a seamless approach to United
Nations Mine Clearance Activities.
5.2 The Problem of Iraqi Military Arsenal
One of the last UN operations on eliminating all weapons was connected
with the investigation of Iraqi arsenal, as there were some data proving
that Iraq possesses very dangerous weapons that might be lethal to the
mankind.
The nation of Iraq is relatively young; the country achieved
independence in 1932. Since then, Iraq has been almost perpetually at war
with its neighbors. Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, leading to the
1991 Persian Gulf War. Iraq has been under international sanctions since
the invasion and the United Nations refused to lift them until it is
convinced that Iraq has eliminated its weapons of mass destruction. The
United States and Britain threatened air strikes in 1998 over Iraq's
refusal to allow UN weapons inspectors' free access to all sites. The
United States and its allies patrol a no-fly zone over northern Iraq to
protect Kurds from attack and in the south to protect Shiite Muslims.
Almost all countries are concerned with Iraq's unwillingness to allow
UN inspectors investigate its military arsenal. For example Swedish
diplomat Rolf Ekeus - who led the UN investigations from the cease-fire
through the summer of 1997 and headed to Baghdad for talks, said that they
had declared everything. Iraq stated that no documents existed in Iraq
because they had been destroyed. That was exploded totally, because Iraq
itself admitted in writing even that it had been lying. Cheating
