NATO formally welcomed Russia as a participant - but not as a full-fledged member. The agreement signed at an extraordinary meeting of the leaders of NATO's member nations, marked another major step

NATO formally welcomed Russia as a participant - but not as a full-fledged member. The agreement signed at an extraordinary meeting of the leaders of NATO's member nations, marked another major step in its effort to lock in Moscow's shift toward the West. The accord will for the first time give Moscow a role from the outset in NATO discussions about a fixed va­riety of topics, including non-proliferation, crisis management, missile de­fence and counterterrorism. But in an indication that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's members are still not fully convinced that Russia has completely renounced aggression and cast its lot with Europe, Moscow will not be a member of the alliance or be bound by its collective defence pact, in which all members pledge to come to each other's defence if necessary. Nor will Russia have a veto over NATO decisions or a vote in the expansion of its membership, including NATO's plans to invite in new nations - almost all of them once part of the Soviet bloc. The new council does not replace the North Atlantic Council, the body where NATO usually makes its deci­sions.

The significance of this meeting is difficult to overestimate. The idea of Russia sitting at NATO councils would have been, simply, unthinkable. Two former foes are now joined as partners, overcoming decades of division and uncertainty. Co-operation with the world's second largest nuclear power is more likely to be achieved by welcoming Russia west. Some NATO officials have voiced concern that the new council is not substantive enough for Russia. Meeting with reporters this afternoon, US Secretary of State said that while Russia and the United States were reducing their nuclear arsenals drastically, and co-operating in NATO, each country was maintaining a hedge. "We'll always have a hedge against uncertainty in the future, in our military forces in the nuclear weapons that the United States will continue to retain," he said. "It's a hedge against the future, because there are other nations that possess nuclear weapons or might come to possess nuclear weapons."

United Nations (UN)

UN is an international organization established by charter on October 24, 1945, with the purposes of maintaining international peace and security, de­veloping friendly relations among nations on the principle of equal rights and self-determination, and encouraging international co-operation in solv­ing international economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems. The United Nations' headquarters are now located at the UN Building in New York City.

The General Assembly includes representatives of all members of the UN. A nation may send up to five representatives but still has only one vote. Decisions are reached either by majority or by two-thirds vote, depending upon the subject matter. The General Assembly works through the committee system and receives reports from the various councils. It is convened yearly or by special session when necessary.

The Security Council consists of 5 permanent members - United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, and China - and 10 nonperma-nent members. The council functions continuously and is mainly con­cerned with the maintenance of international security. The presidency is rotated among members each month. Nonpermanent members are chosen from groups and regions in the most equitable fashion possible. Nine votes (including those of all five permanent members) are sufficient to carry a Security Council decision, but any permanent member may exercise a veto over any substantive proposal. Any state, even if it is not a member of the United Nations, may bring a dispute to which it is a party to the notice of the Security Council.

The Secretariat is the administrative department of the UN, headed by the secretary-general, who functions in a position of political importance and is appointed for a five-year term by both the General Assembly and the Security Council. The Secretariat influences the work of the United Nations to a degree much greater than indicated in the UN Charter.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)

UNESCO is a specialised agency of the United Nations created to con­tribute to world peace by promoting international collaboration in educa­tion, science, and culture. The activities of UNESCO are mainly facilita-tive; the organisation attempts to assist, support, and complement national efforts of member states in the elimination of illiteracy and the extension of free education and seeks to encourage free exchange of ideas and knowledge among peoples and nations of the world by providing clearing-house and exchange services. The permanent headquarters of UNESCO are in Paris.

World Health Organisation (WHO)

WHO is a specialised agency of the United Nations established to pro­mote international co-operation for improved health conditions. The objec­tive of this organisation is the attainment by all people of the highest possi­ble level of health which is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The administrative headquarters of WHO are in Geneva.
International Maritime Organisation (IMO)

IMO is a United Nations specialised agency created to provide machin­ery for co-operation in establishing technical regulations and practices in international shipping, to encourage the adoption of the highest possible standards for maritime safety and for navigation, and to discourage dis­criminatory and restrictive practices in international trade and unfair prac­tices by shipping concerns. The headquarters of IMO are in London.
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)

ICAO is an intergovernmental specialised agency associated with the United Nations and dedicated to developing safe and efficient international air transport for peaceful purposes and ensuring a reasonable opportunity for every state to operate international airlines. Permanent headquarters of ICAO were established in Montreal.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

NATO is a security organisation comprised of member states from Western and Central Europe and North America. From the beginning, NATO's primary purpose was to unify and strengthen the western Allies' military response in case the Soviet Union invaded Western Europe in an ef­fort to extend communism there. After the end of the Cold War the NATO adhered more strongly to its original purpose of maintaining international stability in Europe. NATO headquarters are in Brussels.

Organisation of American States (OAS)

OAS was formed to promote economic, military, and cultural co-operation among the independent states of the Western Hemisphere. Its main goals are to prevent any outside state's intervention in the Western Hemisphere and to maintain peace between the various states within the hemisphere. OAS is based in Washington, D.C.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

ASEAN was established to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development and to promote peace and security in the Southeast Asia region. The end of the Cold War allowed the ASEAN nations to exer­cise greater political latitude in the region. As they began to implement new policies, member nations saw their influence and economies grow. A per­manent secretariat resides in Jakarta, Indonesia.
South Pacific Forum

South Pacific Forum was created to provide a forum for heads of gov­ernment to discuss common issues and problems facing independent and self-governing states of the South Pacific. The Forum is headquartered in Suva, Fiji.

1. Greenpeace - Large nongovernmental organization interested primarily in environmental issues.

2. World Council of Churches - Ecumenical organization that works for the unity and renewal of the Christian denominations and offers them a forum in which they may work together in the spirit of tolerance and mutual understanding.

3. International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) – organization aimed at promoting the widest possible mutual assistance between all the criminal police authorities within the limits of the laws existing in the affiliated countries.

4. International Association of Universities - nongovernmental educational organization founded to promote co-operation at the international level among the universities of all countries as well as among other bodies concerned with higher education and research.

5. International Ice Patrol - organization aimed at locating icebergs in the North Atlantic, following and predicting their drift, and issuing warnings to ships in the vicinity.

6. International Committee of the Red Cross -organization that acts to help all victims of war and internal violence, attempting to ensure the implementation of humanitarian rules and restricting armed violence.

7. International Organization for Information and Documentation -Association which is concerned with problems in the organization, storage, retrieval, dissemination, and evaluation of information by both mechanical and electronic means.

8. International Atomic Energy Agency -Autonomous intergovernmental organization dedicated to increasing the contribution of atomic energy to the world's peace and well-being and ensuring that agency assistance is not used for military purposes.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04