Policy-Making and Secretariat Influence in the U. N. General Assembly: The Case of Public Information

1960 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leon Gordenker
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Expert Committee ◽  
Great Weight ◽  
Professional Expertise ◽  
The Many ◽  
Internal Balance

During the annual sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations the policy and budget of the Office of Public Information (OPI) of the organization have been the perennial center of a complex debate. Instructions first given the Secretariat in 1946 provide some elements of this debate, while others depend on the professional expertise of the international civil service and on its influence and support in a General Assembly divided several ways. As a whole, the outcome demonstrates once more both the durable force of an attractive idea and the truth of the maxim that secretariats have great weight in the policy processes of international, as of other, organizations. For despite repeated debate and attack OPI has proved enduring and resilient.During the last 15 years the many-faceted program of the agency has shrunk somewhat, to be sure, under the economizer's knife. In particular, it was under unusually severe criticism in 1957, when the General Assembly established an expert committee to investigate UN public information activities, and also in 1958, when the results of the inquiry were discussed. This committee, appointed with the unenthusiastic concurrence of the Secretary General, and made up of six governmental nominees not all of whom had experience with public information, directly challenged some of the working assumptions of OPI and called attention to difficulties with others. Their report struck a blow, too, at the internal balance of OPI, accused it of substantive failures and urged it to design new programs.

United Nations Experts on Mission and their Privileges and Immunities

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Miller
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
Third Party ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Professional Expertise ◽  
The Status ◽  
The United Nations

AbstractPersons, other than officials of the Organization, who are entrusted with tasks requiring professional expertise by the Secretary-General, or by an organ of the United Nations, may be accorded the status of experts on mission under the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. Such tasks may be entrusted to experts on mission by treaty organs not part of the United Nations. Whether this requires an explicit or implied decision of the General Assembly and whether such treaty organs are limited to those without their own Secretariats is open to question. The privileges and immunities enjoyed by experts on mission are quasi-diplomatic in nature because it was foreseen that they would often operate away from UN premises, which are inviolable. However, these privileges and immunities are enjoyed in the interests of the United Nations. If immunity is asserted against a third party alleging damage by the expert, a remedy must be provided by the United Nations to finally dispose of the substance of the claim. This ensures that the United Nations is accountable for such acts. The General Assembly has promulgated regulations to govern the conduct of experts and to ensure that they are held to account for their activities.

Improving the Operation and Functioning of the International Criminal Tribunals

2000 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 759-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daryl A. Mundis
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
International Criminal Tribunal ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Expert Group ◽  
International Criminal Tribunals ◽  
International Tribunals ◽  
The United Nations

Since the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, both International Tribunals have grown tremendously in terms of resources. Despite this growth, the International Tribunals have rendered judgments in only fifteen cases and conducted inordinately long trials—a fault for which, perhaps more than any other, they can be justly criticized. The Secretary- General of the United Nations recently appointed an expert group to review the efficiency of the operation of the International Tribunals and make recommendations for improvement. Following the release of the group's report, the General Assembly requested that the Secretary-General obtain comments from the International Tribunals on the experts’ recommendations. The ICTYjudges, for their part, considered these recommendations in a report to the United Nations setting forth a long-term strategy for improving the operation of the Tribunal.

Media

2018 ◽  
pp. 369-380
Author(s):  
Barbara Crossette
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information System ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Fast Moving ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
Media Attention ◽  
The Media ◽  
Catch Up ◽  
The United Nations

With a new Secretary-General, António Guterres, installed in 2017, the United Nations is in a position to hasten changes to its public information system and functions, which were slow to catch up with a fast-moving social media age. As the former head of UNHCR, he understands the importance of good relations with the media, which often have felt shut out by UN officials and member nations reluctant to expand the organization’s information outreach. Media attention had atrophied, at a time when the UN was coming under greater pressure and criticism for its handling of peacekeeping scandals and slow responses to crises, even when these were not the fault of the Secretariat.

Final Clauses

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denza Eileen
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
The Other ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Vienna Convention ◽  
Diplomatic Relations ◽  
International Court Of Justice ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
International Court ◽  
Article 50

This chapter looks into Articles 48 to 53 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Article 48 states that the Convention shall be open for signature by all States Members of the UN or any of the specialized agencies or Parties to the Statute of the International Court of Justice, and by any other State invited by the General Assembly of the United Nations to become a Party to the Convention. Article 49 on the other hand states that the present Convention is subject to ratification, while Article 50 expresses that the Convention shall remain open for accession by any State. Article 51 enumerates the date of the enforcement of the ratifications submitted to the UN, and Article 52 states that the Secretary-General shall inform all States the deposit of instruments of ratification and the date of enforcement. Lastly, Article 53 states that the original texts of the Convention shall be deposited with the Secretary-General, who shall send certified copies thereof to all States.

Treaty-Making at the United Nations

2019 ◽  
pp. 50-68
Author(s):  
Stephen Mathias
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Multistage Process ◽  
Its Analysis ◽  
Un General Assembly ◽  
Multilateral Treaty ◽  
Multilateral Treaties

Beginning in the mid-1970s, the UN General Assembly conducted a review of the multilateral treaty-making process. A 1980 Report of the Secretary-General on this review concluded that there was “extensive diversity” among the various procedures that had been utilized in treaty-making processes, including whether such processes made use of established entities or were ad hoc in nature, the extent to which this involved expert or representative bodies, and the extent of the involvement of the General Assembly. The only generalization that was seen to be possible was that such processes almost always involved a multistage process. This chapter assesses the conclusions of the Secretary-General’s 1980 Report in light of the practice of the intervening years, focusing, in particular, on the role of the Secretariat in the treaty-making process, and adopting for the purposes of its analysis the five stages in the multilateral treaty-making process as identified in the Secretary-General’s 1980 Report: initiation of treaty-making, formulation of multilateral treaties, adoption of multilateral treaties, post-adoption concerns, and supplementing and updating treaties. This chapter also briefly discusses other treaty-making activities of the Secretariat.

Secretariat: Annual Report of the Secretary-General

1966 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Article 59 ◽  
Rules Of Procedure ◽  
History Of ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Direct Concern

In his Introduction to the Annual Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization, 16 June 1964–15 June 1965 Secretary-General U Thant noted that the ten months under review had without doubt been difficult ones in the history of the United Nations. The opening date of the nineteenth session of the General Assembly had been postponed several times and, when it did meet, it had been unable to follow the normal rules of procedure due to the controversy over the applicability of Article 59 of the UN Charter. Another regrettable development of direct concern to the UN had been the announcement by Indonesia of its decision to withdraw from the Organization as from January 1, 1965.

Some Notable Developments in the Practice of the UN Secretary-General as Depositary of Multilateral Treaties: Reservations and Declarations

2005 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 433-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Palitha T. B. Kohona
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
The Political ◽  
Vienna Convention ◽  
Human Rights Treaties ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Many ◽  
Multilateral Treaties

This Note will examine developments in the practice of the United Nations secretary-general on reservations and declarations to treaties, particularly since 1994 when the Summary of Practice of the Secretary-General as Depositary of Multilateral Treaties was last updated. This period was marked by some notable developments in the previous practice, especially in connection with human rights treaties.The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 1969 (Vienna Convention) provides the framework for the functions of the secretary-general in his role as depositary of multilateral treaties. Most aspects of the law relating to reservations and declarations to treaties are also codified in the Vienna Convention.Over five hundred multilateral treaties are deposited with the secretary-general. The complex requirements relating to these treaties and the concerns of the many disparate states that may undertake treaty actions with regard to them have significantly influenced his practice. He is also conscious of the political sensitivities surrounding his decisions and the need to protect his own integrity and impartiality.

The Moon Treaty Enters Into Force

1985 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Q. Christol
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
United Nations ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Celestial Bodies ◽  
The United Nations

On July 11, 1984, the 1979 Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies entered into force following the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the fifth instrument of ratification. The Agreement, following its adoption by the General Assembly, was opened for signature on December 18, 1979. In the intervening years, it has been signed by Austria, Chile, France, Guatemala, India, Morocco, the Netherlands, Peru, the Philippines, Romania and Uruguay. The fifth state to deposit its ratification was Austria, which followed Chile, the Philippines, Uruguay and the Netherlands.

4. Resolution of the General Assembly Concerning Conditions on which Switzerland may become a Party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice, December 10, 1946.

1947 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-410
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Security Council ◽  
Constitutional Law ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
International Court Of Justice ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
International Court ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
The Government

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY THEREFORE DETERMINES, in pursuance of Article 93 paragraph 2 of the Charter, and upon the recommendation of the Security Council, the conditions on which Switzerland may become a party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice, as follows:Switzerland will become a party to the Statute of the Court on the date of the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of an instrument, signed on behalf of the Government of Switzerland and ratified as may be required by Swiss constitutional law, containing:(a) Acceptance of the provisions of the Statute of the Court;(b) Acceptance of all the obligations of a Member of the United Nations under Article 94 of the Charter;

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