United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization established on 24 October 1945 to promote international co-operation. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was created following the Second World War to prevent another such conflict. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193. The UN Headquarters is situated inManhattan, New York City and enjoys extraterritoriality. Further main offices are situated in Geneva,Nairobi and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states. Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security, promoting human rights, fostering social and economic development, protecting the environment, and providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed conflict.
During the Second World War, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated talks on a successor agency to the League of Nations, and the United Nations Charter was drafted at a conference in April–June 1945; this charter took effect on 24 October 1945, and the UN began operation. The UN’s mission to preserve world peace was complicated in its early decades by the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union and their respective allies. The organization participated in major actions in Korea and the Congo, as well as approving the creation of the state of Israel in 1947. The organization’s membership grew significantly following widespread decolonization in the 1960s, and by the 1970s its budget for economic and social development programmes far outstripped its spending on peacekeeping. After the end of the Cold War, the UN took on major military and peacekeeping missions across the world with varying degrees of success.
The Essay on The Cause of World War II
Why was the world plunged into WWII in 1939, what is the most effective response to aggression, appeasement, or collective security? The 1920s began with a favorable outlook for peace, however towards the end of the decade, clouds of war began to form. Aggressors began to take charge and strong feelings of nationalism arose. Fascist leaders such as Benito Mussolini of Italy and Adolf Hitler of ...
The UN has six principal organs: the General Assembly (the main deliberative assembly); the Security Council (for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security); the Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC) (for promoting international economic and social co-operation and development); theSecretariat (for providing studies, information, and facilities needed by the UN); the International Court of Justice (the primary judicial organ); and the United Nations Trusteeship Council (inactive since 1994).UN System agencies include the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, UNESCO, and UNICEF. The UN’s most prominent officer is the Secretary-General, an office held by South Korean Ban Ki-moon since 2007. Non-governmental organizations may be granted consultative status with ECOSOC and other agencies to participate in the UN’s work.
The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, and a number of its officers and agencies have also been awarded the prize. Other evaluations of the UN’s effectiveness have been mixed. Some commentators believe the organization to be an important force for peace and human development, while others have called the organization ineffective, corrupt, or biased.
UN Agency And its Contributions to India:
UNESCO
Science and technology
To review the vast activities of UNESCO over five decades under the broad category of Science and Technology is a very formidable task. Nevertheless, the completion of 50 years and the entry into the 21st century is a landmark worth using for introspection and future directions. The world itself has undergone major socio-political and economic changes. not to speak of the exponential changes in scientific and technical fields. It has thus become necessary to examine what has been achieved so far under the UNESCO’s mandate for science(s) and technology and the growing demands of the society.
In the list of the reduced budgets, the Medium Term Strategy for 1996-2001 and the programme budget for 1996-97 have clearly shown a tendency for UNESCO to consolidate its Major Programme Areas and one will be seeing a `bringing together’ of exact, natural, social and human sciences in the coming years. The initial emphasis on `S’ (earlier interpreted as science and technology) is now re-emphasized to mean `Sciences in the plural’, integrating natural and the social sciences but assuring to keep their secretariat activities distinct and their budget separate.
The Essay on Effects of Science and Technology on Society
Science and technology may be partly responsible for many of the problems that face us today. The problems are the advancement of weapons, bombs, biochemical and nuclear weapon, which brought us violence amongst ourselves and others. Another problem is human dependences on technology, such as the internet, computers, cell phones etc. Yet one of the biggest problems is pollution. Three types of ...
An attempt is made in this paper to briefly review the role played by UNESCO in India’s in the field of science and technology (hereafter referred throughout the paper merely as `science’) over the last fifty years and to devise our strategy for the future participation in UNESCO’s activities in this crucial sector. In doing so, the authors are conscious of the fact that the review cannot be considered as exhaustive. The effort, therefore, is to highlight certain areas of science in UNESCO which are crucial to the problems of national development and which supplement and complement our national effort in science. The emphasis is to recognise science (basic and applied) as an essential human activity requiring support from the society and in turn demanding from it/the benefits which could accrue to the society. In this context UNESCO’s activities could be broadly categorized as follows: (a) strengthening the capabilities in science, (b) science policy related activities, (c) information systems for science and technology, and (d) science, society and development. The article will highlight UNESCO’s contribution in India’s in these four broad categories.
Recognising the importance of science in providing benefits to the society in the field of industrial development, in the food and agricultural sector as well as in the health sector, UNESCO highlighted the fact that the fruits of science are unevenly distributed amongst the developed and the developing countries. The new knowledge and its application. were concentrated mainly in the developed countries. UNESCO accepted the task to help redress this imbalance. UNESCO believes that in any society, science has an intrinsic value. UNESCO places science alongside education and culture in its mandate because, besides being useful, it has a value of its; own. This is UNESCO’s way of recognising that science constitutes a seminal method of interpreting the world. This commitment of UNESCO has also been reflected in the allocations provided for science and technology over the years. Even during the last few years, when there have been serious constraints in resources, UNESCO’s outlays for science and technology have increased from about $93.5 million in 1990-91 to more than $150 million in 1996-97 and this has given a stronger justification for the `S’ in UNESCO. In the next section we will see how science is viewed in India, and highlight the common faith that UNESCO and India have in science.
The Essay on Science & Technology In India
Countries Worldwide Monitor The health of their scientific and technological activities through ‘national science reports’. These country reports are an important component in reconstructing national S&T priorities and have played a large part in funding and monitoring S&T programmes in these countries. Unfortunately, no systematic and comprehensive empirical assessment of S&T efforts ...
communication
Internationally, efforts were made to facilitate the growth and development of communication facilities, especially in new and emerging countries. In 1958 the UN General Assembly called for a “programme of concrete action” to build up press, radio broadcasting, film and television facilities in these countries as part of economic and social development. To draw up a suitable programme and assess the resources required, the General Assembly requested UNESCO to carry out a fact finding survey. Based upon the UNESCO report submitted to UN, the General Assembly, in 1962, unanimously adopted a resolution “expressing its concern that the survey disclosed 70 per cent of the population of the world lack in adequate information facilities and are thus denied effective enjoyment of the right to freedom”. The UN General Assembly also emphasised that information media have an important part to play in education and in economic and social progress generally and that new techniques of communication offer special opportunities for acceleration of the education process. Consequently, governments, especially of newly emerged developing countries, were urged to include in their economic development plans adequate provision for development of national information media. UNESCO was specially called upon to play active role and support programmes and activities leading to development of communication systems in the developing countries
The Essay on Psychology Case Studies National Institute
Psychology experiments are usually long, painstaking surveys and tests that sometimes take years to complete. They do, however, give us some insight into how the human mind works and develops from the day we are born to the day we die. Deciphering the information these experiments generate is sometimes just as hard as performing them, and to a person with no background in psychology it is almost ...
Education
It is not that we lack the intellectual or economic resources to tackle the problems. Scientific breakthroughs and technological ingenuity have given us the capacity to overcome all these challenges, but what is missing is the wisdom and compassion to apply them creatively. Knowledge proliferates, but wisdom languishes. This- yawning chasm that will need to be bridged before the end of this decade if we are ever to reverse the present trend towards disaster, and it is here that education in the broadest sense of the term assumes such a vital position, National educational systems are almost invariably postulated on beliefs that flow from pre-nuclear and pre- global perceptions, and are therefore unable to provide the new paradigm of thought that human welfare and survival now requires Outmoded orthodoxies and Obsolescent orientations continue to deprive the younger generations of an adequate awareness of the essential unity of the world into which they have been born. Indeed, by fostering negative attitudes towards other groups or nations, they hinder the growth of globalism.
culture
As a new nation, India eagerly participated in a major UNESCO project which helped the mission to take India’s rich and complex culture to the world, and receive in turn the abundance of richness in the cultures of other countries. This was the East-West Major Project, which sought to bring the cultures of the West and East closer together, to create greater understanding and appreciation. An international conference with this aim was held in Calcutta in 1961., inaugurated by the then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and attended by distinguished scholars from All over the world. It made a significant contribution to the objectives of the East-West project and pleaded for the setting up of research institutes to carry forward work in this field.
This was precisely what. UNESCO had aimed to do. In 1960 it adopted a programme for the creation of an international network of research institutions devoting themselves to establishing long term research projects for a more intimate mutual. knowledge and appreciation of Eastern and Western civilizations. These institutions, known as the Associated Institutions for the Study and Presentation of Cultural Values, would, by coordinated programmes of preparing and bringing out scholarly works and publications, pursue the study of civilizations in a broad geographical framework, and also study various cultures with reference to the way they are experienced by those who participate in them. The Research Council for Regional Cultural Studies set up in the India International Centre, New Delhi, in 1961 under the auspices of UNESCO was one of these institutes, During the sixties the Council took up a number of relevant studies with UNESCO support. Some of the subjects covered by the Council were: Attitude Towards Work, Technology, and Modernization; Images and International Understanding; Tradition of Non-Violence in the East and West;
The Term Paper on Girls’ Education: Towards A Better Future For All
Girls’ education: towards a better future for all January 2005 Foreword ‘To be educated means… I will not only be able to help myself, but also my family, my country, my people. The benefits will be many.’ MEDA WAGTOLE, SCHOOLGIRL, ETHIOPIA At the turn of the millennium, the international community promised that by 2005, there would be as many girls as boys in school. Later this year, when leaders ...
The sixties saw a broadening of the areas of cultural activity that UNESCO supported: preservation of monuments, such as the Sri Ranganathaswami Temple, Srirangam (1966-68), conservation of paintings, metal and sum at the National Museum, New Delhi (1967-68), help in setting up an Asian Theatre, Institute (1961) and later for a seminar held on the, occasion of an Asian Theatre Festival am Seminar organized jointly by the, Bharatiya Natya Sangh, the International Theatre Institute and the Ministry of Education (1966).
UNESCO helped to set up the National Book Trust, and then provided support for the National Book Fair they organized in Bombay in 1966; there was support for library studies (1960), the conservation and microfilming of paintings, an objects, important documents and books (1965) and seminars on the development of museums (1966).
Another was a project to preserve the wall paintings of Ajanta (1975- 76).
UNESCO supported a project, significant both in its size and the very specialised nature of its subject matter, Was the international Conference organised by the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, on The Role of Music and the Performing Arts in the Preservation and Presentation of Historical Monuments and Sites (1979).
A very large project, involving $197,000 was sanctioned to support the establishment of a pilot film archives to fund travels abroad to study foreign film archives and to locate Indian films abroad, and, for a seminar on the subject of film archives: this was organized by the National Film Archives of India, Pune, in 1983. Additional support was given 1984.
The Essay on India’s First Five Year Plan
At the time of India’s first Five Year Plan, the government focused primarily on the agriculture sector. A large part of capital and technology was devoted to increasing agricultural production. This was effective at the time and is now referred to as the green revolution. The success of this plan convinced the Indian Planning Commission to shift their strategy. The NM strategy drew inspiration ...
The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, (CCRT) New Delhi entered into a close relationship with UNESCO in these years, with a training workshop in 1984, the preparation of a cultural kit for the Festival of Asia and the Pacific in 1986, and a study on Traditional Motifs and Pictographs — the source of Sign Language in India, I also in 1986.
There were other agencies which benefited from UNESCO support, such as the National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLCC), National Council of Science Museums, but the eighties will be remembered for one historic event, or , more correctly, several historic events which formed part of a major milestone in India’s cultural history. This was the entry into the, UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites of the Taj Mahal (1983); Agra Fort (1983); Ajanta Caves (1983); Ellora Caves (1983); Sun Temple of Konarak (1984); Mahabalipuram Group of Monuments (1984); Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (1985); Kaziranga National Park (1985); Hampi (1986); Goa Churches and Convents (1986);
India has always regarded UNESCO as a noble endeavour and is deeply committed to its aims and objectives. India has been its founder member and attended the Conference to set it up in November 1946, It ratified the constitution in. June 1945. It is therefore not surprising that India has made available many of its leading educationists, scientists and specialists in other fields to serve this Organization. Not only has India been represented on the Executive Board of UNESCO since its establishment but Indians have also served as its Chairmen. Among them have been two of its former Presidents S. Radhakrishnan and Zakir Hussain. New Delhi also hosted the Ninth General Conference in 1956. Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, India’s then Minister of Education was the President of the Conference
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) of the United Nations declared that “Every one. has the right to education. Education will be free at leat in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory”. UNESCO was first among the UN bodies to focus efforts of nations at this significant declaration. It sponsored several regional meetings: in Lima (1956), in Santiago (1963), in Karachi (1960), in Tokyo (1962), and in Addis Ababa (1961).
It was due to this untiring efforts of UNESCO that primary education became an important focus of attention.
UNESCO assisted the Institute by provision of international staff members, fellowships for trainees, equipment, books and publications. This Institute organised regional seminars on important topics such as educational planning, educational statistics, life long education, modern management techniques and their relevance to education, etc. This was possible because of the cooperation and support that the Institute received from UNESCO.
After the direct funding by UNESCO to the Asian Institute ended in 1972, the Government of India decided to continue the important work started by it and did not let it close down. National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) took shape and continues to function with full support from Government of India. The idea of planning and management of education as an important tool for improving educational performance was clearly established. NIEPA has continued to get support from UNESCO and particularly from its International Institute of Educational Planning (IIEP).
Paris which has collaborated with it in various programmes and activities. Over the years it has come to be recognised as a premier institution in India as well as in Asia.
UNESCO should take on. such activities of an international character, in its areas of competence, which are not taken up by any other agency. To illustrate, while many international agencies are vying with each other to acquire visibility in primary education, secondary education is an orphan. Yet with countries advancing towards universal elementary education, universal secondary education is the next frontier in many developing countries.
http://www.teindia.nic.in/
Unep
UNEP Transport Unit in Kenya, UNEP Risoe Centre in Denmark and partners in India have embarked on a new initiative to support a low carbon transport pathway in India. The three-year 2.49 million Euro project is funded under the International Climate Initiative of the German Government, and is designed in line with India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
Key local partners include the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and CEPT University, Ahmedabad. The cooperation between the Government of India, Indian Institutions, UNEP, and the Government of Germany will assist in the development of a low carbon transport system and showcase best practices within India, and for other developing countries.
Overall Context
India is currently the fourth largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter in the world, with its transport sector being the second largest contributor of CO2 emissions. The sector also aggravates road congestion, local air pollution, noise and accidents, particularly in urban areas.
Opportunities exist to make India’s transport growth more sustainable by creating an enabling environment for building transport systems which will help in reducing climate risks through mitigation within the transport sector, and by building adaptation capacity.
The project will contribute to the efforts of the Indian Government in realizing a low-carbon transport system, through its NAPCC that recognizes the need to reduce transport emissions through adoption of a sustainability approach.
Project Overview
The project combines transport and development whilst addressing the overarching issues of climate change, by catalyzing the development of a low carbon transport action plan at the national level and low carbon mobility plans for up to four cities.
Expected Outcomes
1. A National Transport Action Plan;
2. Low-Carbon Mobility Plans for up to four (4) cities;
3. An information sharing and co-ordination website.
Comprehensive Mobility Plans (CMP):
Sustainable mobility with lower carbon emissions
UNEP is collaborating with the Institute of Urban Transport (IUT) to revise the existing Comprehensive Mobility Plans (CMP) toolkit. The session will provide an introduction to the revised CMP toolkit and implementation experiences from the three cities namely, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot and Udaipur, that are participating in the project by developing Low Carbon Comprehensive Mobility Plans (LCMPs).
Discussions will focus on the following issues:
• Land use scenario modeling in CMP and implications for the master plan;
• Air quality and CO2 emissions;
• Inclusive transport for all socio economic groups and genders; and
• Data requirements.
Low-carbon Comprehensive Mobility Plans (LCMPs) Training on Modeling Air Pollution and Health Impacts
29-30 March 2013, New Delhi, India
A training on modeling air pollution and health impacts from the transport sector took place on 29-30 March 2013, in New Delhi, India. The modeling of air quality has been done using the SIM AIR Model platform . The model has been set up for the three Indian cities of Vishakhapatnam, Rajkot and Udaipur, to assist consultants working towards developing Low-carbon Comprehensive Mobility Plans (LCMPs) in these cities in understanding the implication of transport emissions on local air quality and health. During the training, the consultants working in the three cities were introduced to the SIM Air model, which can be used to account for local pollutants and CO2, and for analysing future scenarios. The SIM AIR model allows for the establishment of the connection between emissions from vehicles and air concentrations, which can be further used to assess impacts on health, and therefore enable consultants to estimate indicators on environment and health. The training also involved handover of models for the three cities to consultants who will use them for their scenario work, and covered the following topics:
1. Emission inventory for the cities,
2. Modelling emissions to pollutant concentrations,
3. Estimating health impacts, and
4. Analysing Scenarios – Baseline and Alternative Scenarios for Low-carbon mobility.
Low Carbon Mobility Strategy for Cities
One of the key components of the project is the preparation of Low-carbon comprehensive Mobility Plans (LCMPs) for up to four major cities across India. The process of developing LCMPs involves a step-by-step approach that includes:
• Analsing the existing situation and current mobility trend in each city;
• Understanding future mobility demand and how it will be met if
business-as-usual policies are applied;
• Articulating alternative scenarios by applying four sustainable strategies—public transport, non-motorised transport, urban structure, and technological change—to simultaneously meet mobility needs and improve the environment, equity and safety; and
• Evaluating if these sustainable strategies help achieve the goals of India’s overall climate strategy. If these sustainable strategies fall short of this vision, then a backcasting approach is used to identify additional necessary measures.
Three cities, namely Visakhapatnam, Rajkot and Udaipur are developing LCMPs.
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam is a city located on the southeastern coast of India. Vizag, as it is popularly referred to, is the seventh largest city in India and has a population that is growing even faster than other Indian cities. As a result, there is an urgent need to expand urban infrastructure to meet residents’ mobility needs.
Rajkot
Rajkot is a city located in the west of India. The city has a strong industrial base and is experiencing rapid growth. Lead by Commissioner Sh. Ajay Bhadoo, the municipal authorities organised a meeting of city stakeholders in December 2011. URC and the CEPT University in Ahmedabad made a presentation on the LCMP approach and answered questions from the audience. The stakeholders had already approved the MoU, which was then signed by the commissioner.
Udaipur
After meeting with representatives from the UNEP Risoe Centre (URC) and a local partner organization, Udaipur’s Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) agreed to collaborate with URC via a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The memorandum has been sent to the state government for endorsement.
Known as the “City of Lakes,” Udaipur lies in western India, in the state of Rajasthan. Founded in 1559, the capital of the Princely State of Mewar is strategically located in a saucer-shaped basin in the Ahar River Valley, surrounded by the hills of Aravali Range. With its many lakes and picturesque setting, it is a major destination for both domestic and international tourists.
Organized by UIT, the meeting provided an opportunity for URC to share details of the project with key stakeholders and line departments. While the Udaipur Municipal Council (UMC) is the main civic body, UIT is responsible for Udaipur’s overall development, implementing projects and plans in both rural and urban areas. In addition to UMC and UIT, a number of line departments are involved in delivering urban services and developing infrastructure.
