scholarly journals The bigger picture: an examination of socially conscious art and design produced by Armando Milani and John Quigley in collaboration with the United Nations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azza Abbaro
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Social Semiotics ◽  
Art And Design ◽  
Seminal Work ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Palestinian Children ◽  
Initial Research ◽  
Over Time

This thesis explores the ideology of the United Nations (UN) as manifested through external visual communications materials which have been produced in collaboration with artists and graphic designers since the organization’s inception in 1945. Initial research showed frequent usage of the symbols of the dove and olive branch, which have been known to connote “peace” over time and across a variety of cultures. A detailed examination of two specific works of socially conscious art and design, Translating War Into Peace and Pablo Picasso’s Peace Dove by Palestinian Children in Jericho, shows the multilayered and more meaningful adoption of these symbols by their respective designer Armando Milani and artist John Quigley. Using the theoretical framework of visual social semiotics and the “visual grammar” outlined by Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen in their seminal work Reading Images, this paper examines how Milani and Quigley have produced compositions that represent how the UN views peace— namely, as a process that requires not just ending wars but working to continuously build peaceful infrastructures.

scholarly journals The bigger picture: an examination of socially conscious art and design produced by Armando Milani and John Quigley in collaboration with the United Nations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azza Abbaro
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Social Semiotics ◽  
Art And Design ◽  
Seminal Work ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Palestinian Children ◽  
Initial Research ◽  
Over Time

This thesis explores the ideology of the United Nations (UN) as manifested through external visual communications materials which have been produced in collaboration with artists and graphic designers since the organization’s inception in 1945. Initial research showed frequent usage of the symbols of the dove and olive branch, which have been known to connote “peace” over time and across a variety of cultures. A detailed examination of two specific works of socially conscious art and design, Translating War Into Peace and Pablo Picasso’s Peace Dove by Palestinian Children in Jericho, shows the multilayered and more meaningful adoption of these symbols by their respective designer Armando Milani and artist John Quigley. Using the theoretical framework of visual social semiotics and the “visual grammar” outlined by Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen in their seminal work Reading Images, this paper examines how Milani and Quigley have produced compositions that represent how the UN views peace— namely, as a process that requires not just ending wars but working to continuously build peaceful infrastructures.

The Puzzle and the Project

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Central African Republic ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Guinea Bissau ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Gender And Space

This chapter outlines the motivation for undertaking the research presented here, and offers an account of the contexts for the peacebuilding-related activities in which the United Nations is involved: Burundi; Central African Republic; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Liberia; and Sierra Leone. The research design is explained, with an overview provided of both the theoretical framework supporting the research and the methodological approach taken. The methodology is a form of discourse analysis engaging both documentary and transcribed interview texts, and this chapter explains how the author uses the concepts of gender and space to structure the analysis in the rest of the book. The chapter also presents an analysis of the literature on peacebuilding to which the author seeks to make a contribution with this research.

Civil Society in UN Peacebuilding Discourse

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Political Legitimacy ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Conceptual Domain ◽  
Close Analysis ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Way

Chapter 5 outlines the ways in which civil society is largely associated with “women” and the “local,” as a spatial and conceptual domain, and how this has implications for how we understand political legitimacy and authority. The author argues that close analysis reveals a shift in the way in which the United Nations as a political entity conceives of civil society over time, from early engagement with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to the more contemporary articulation of civil society as consultant or even implementing partner. Contemporary UN peacebuilding discourse, however, constitutes civil society as a legitimating actor for UN peacebuilding practices, as civil society organizations are the bearers/owners of certain forms of (local) knowledge.

Administrative convergence in the United Nations system? Patterns of administrative reform in four United Nations organizations over time

2021 ◽  
pp. 002085232110187
Author(s):  
Stephan Grohs ◽  
Daniel Rasch
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
New Public ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
United Nations System ◽  
Nations System ◽  
Over Time

This article asks how and why United Nations organizations reform their administrative structure and processes over time. It explores whether we can observe a convergence towards a coherent administrative model in the United Nations system. Like in most nation states, reform discussions according to models like New Public Management or post-New Public Management have permeated international public administrations. Against this background, the question of administrative convergence discussed for national administrative systems also arises for United Nations international public administrations. On the one hand, similar challenges, common reform ‘fashions’ and an increasing exchange within the United Nations system make convergence likely. Yet, on the other hand, distinct tasks, administrative styles and path dependencies might support divergent reform trajectories. This question of convergence is addressed by measuring the frequency, direction and rationales for reforms, using a sample of four international public administrations from the United Nations’ specialized agencies (the Food and Agriculture Organization, International Labour Organization, International Monetary Fund and World Bank). We find that convergence depends on the area of reform (human resources or organizational matters are more harmonized than others) and time (some international public administrations are faster or earlier than others). Points for practitioners This article identifies different drivers of reforms, as well as several supporting conditions, and obstacles to reform in international public administration, which is useful for understanding and planning change management. It highlights the issues policymakers should consider when implementing reform measures, especially institutional context, administrative styles and relevant actor constellations. Among other things, it shows that: the establishment of coordination bodies clearly leads to more homogeneous administrative practices; executive heads have a decisive role in the shaping of administrative reforms and have a specific interest to foster coordination and control in public organizations; and autonomy enables organizations to pursue reform policies apt to their individual challenges.

The Clash of Security and Sovereignty in Quasi-Alliance

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Kil Joo Ban
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Korean War ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Power Growth ◽  
The Korean War ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Which is needed more: sovereignty or security? The autonomy–security trade-off model sees this as a trade-off between a client and a patron. A client surrenders some measure of autonomy to a patron and, in turn, receives security. This paper explores whether the underlying logic is applicable to quasi-alliances between a state and a multinational regime, such as the United Nations Command (UNC). South Korea has maintained a quasi-alliance with the UNC since the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. The level of trade-off between South Korea and the UNC, however, has been changing over time, particularly while being affected by the power growth of South Korea, a client, and the preference changes of the US, the most important actor of the UNC, a patron. This paper attempts to explain why South Korea is much more enthusiastic in seeking full sovereignty and more autonomy in the 2018–2019 détente era.

Part II Sources, Ch.10 The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milner James ◽  
Ramasubramanyam Jay
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
The Political ◽  
Voluntary Contributions ◽  
Refugee Convention ◽  
United Nations High Commissioner ◽  
Refugee Law ◽  
High Commissioner ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
International Refugee Law ◽  
Over Time

This chapter addresses the role played by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the making and implementation of international refugee law. It begins by considering UNHCR’s mandate responsibilities and operational functions to better understand the structures that condition the scope of UNHCR’s engagement with the functioning of international law. While UNHCR’s 1950 Statute and the Refugee Convention both mandate UNHCR to serve particular functions, such as its supervisory responsibility relating to the Refugee Convention, its Statute also places particular constraints on UNHCR, especially in terms of the scope of its activities and its reliance on voluntary contributions from States to perform its mandated functions. The chapter then looks at how the roles UNHCR has played in the making and implementation of refugee law at the global, regional, and national levels, through its operations, and how these functions have evolved over time. By illustrating the various instances where UNHCR has demonstrated power, along with those instances where UNHCR has exhibited pathologies and has been constrained by the interests of States, the chapter points to the importance of understanding international refugee law within the political environment in which it functions.

WPS and Adopted Security Council Resolutions

2018 ◽  
pp. 97-109
Author(s):  
Laura J. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Security Council ◽  
Security Council Resolution ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Representational Practices ◽  
Un Security Council ◽  
Peace And Security ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Over Time

This chapter outlines the architecture of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda at the United Nations. Building on the explanation of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 provided earlier in the volume, it explores the meanings of “women,” “peace,” and “security” that are constructed through the WPS policy framework. The chapter traces the continuities and changes to the central concepts in the resolutions and reflects on the implications of these representational practices as they affect the provisions and principles of the WPS agenda in practice. Moreover, the chapter draws out the key provisions of each resolution to explore the tensions that have arisen over time regarding the types of energy and commitment that have become manifest in the architecture supporting WPS implementation. This in turn enables a brief analysis of likely future directions of WPS practice and a comment on the ways in which Security Council dynamics might affect and effect certain possibilities while excluding or proscribing others.

scholarly journals Why do states change positions in the United Nations General Assembly?

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Brazys ◽  
Diana Panke
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
United Nations General ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
United Nations General Assembly ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Change Position ◽  
Over Time

Many international organizations deal with repeated items on their agendas. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is no exception as many of its resolutions reoccur over time. A novel dataset on UNGA voting on repeated resolutions reveals considerable, but variable, amounts of change on resolutions by states over time. To shed light on underlying causes for voting (in)consistency, this paper draws on IR literature on negotiations and foreign policy changes to develop hypotheses on the role of domestic and international constraints. Our findings suggest that states with limited financial capacity cannot develop their own, principled, voting positions on all norms on the negotiation agenda. Consequently, these states can be more flexible in adjusting their voting position for reoccurring IO norms and are more prone to change their positions over time. Moreover, states with constrained decision-makers change position less frequently due to pluralistic gridlock. Finally, while large and rich states make a small number of purposive vote shifts, poor and aid-recipient states engage in ‘serial shifting’ on the same resolutions, a finding suggestive of vote-buying. The prevalence of position changes suggests that the international norm environment may be more fragile and susceptible to a revisionist agenda than is commonly assumed.

Global Economic and Social Governance and the United Nations System

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Antonio Ocampo
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Present System ◽  
Social Governance ◽  
Social Council ◽  
System P ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
United Nations System ◽  
Management Capabilities ◽  
Nations System ◽  
Over Time

This chapter considers the objectives of transnational economic and social governance and the system designed, initially in 1945, to advance these objectives. Despite evolving over seven decades in response to growing global economic interconnectedness and the need for expanded management capabilities, the system for global economic and social governance, anchored within the United Nations, falls woefully short in promoting a vision and practical policies for achieving “just security,” as introduced in this volume. The chapter proposes a remedy for the inadequacies in the present system by tackling head-on issues of effectiveness, representativeness, and legitimacy, including through the creation of a new Global Economic Coordination Council (that, over time, absorbs the current functions and mandate of the G20) and specific UN Economic and Social Council reforms.

Non-governmental Organizations

2018 ◽  
pp. 345-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Schroeder ◽  
Paul Wapner
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

What is the relationship between the United Nations and civil society? Has the relationship changed over time? This chapter demonstrates how both the UN and civil society benefit from sustained interaction. It investigates civil society’s role in the UN’s struggle to gain legitimacy, assert its authority, and carry out its missions. Similarly, it explores how civil society actors engage the UN as they work to garner credibility, support, and governing authority. It argues that the limitations of statism—the overriding power of states in world affairs—inspire the UN to work with civil society and encourage both the UN and civil society to make claims to be representatives of the world’s peoples. It starts by defining civil society and then describes the cooperative and conflictual interactions between the UN and civil society. The chapter concludes by analyzing these interactions in the context of questions of legitimacy, accountability, and good governance.

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