Материал: Гольцева О.Ю. Международное право в официальных документах. Под ред. И.А. Горшеневой

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States and a majority of other signatories. United Nations Day is celebrated on 24th October each year.

The Charter is the constituting instrument of the Organization, setting out the rights and obligations of member states, and establishing the United Nations organs and procedures.

The purposes of the United Nations, as set forth in the Charter, are to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and selfdetermination of peoples; to cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; and to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these ends.

The Charter established six principal organs of the United Nations, are the: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice and Secretariat. The United Nations family, however, is much larger, encompassing 15 funds and programs (such as UNICEF and UNDP), the specialized agencies (such as UNESCO and WHO) and related organizations. The funds and programs are subsidiary bodies of the General Assembly. Together, the organizations of the UN system address all areas of economic and social endeavour.

The main source of funds for the UN budget is the contributions of member states.

The fundamental criterion on which the scale of assessments is based is the capacity of countries to pay. This is determined by considering their relative shares of total gross national product, adjusted to take into account a number of factors, including their per capita incomes. In addition to the regular budget, member states are assessed for the costs of the international tribunals and, for the costs of peacekeeping operations.

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Exercise 2. Find in the text above the English equivalents for these word combinations.

Хартия (Устав) ООН, выработать проект устава, ратифицировать устав, стороны, подписавшие документ, устанавливать права и обязанности, цели ООН, поддержание мира и безопасности во всем мире, основываясь на принципах, равноправие и самоопределения народов, достижение целей, включать в себя, дочерние организации, экономические и социальные усилия, источники финансирования, платежеспособность, основной критерий, взимать плату за, внутренний валовой продукт, доход на душу населения.

Exercise 3. Say whether these statements are true or false. Correct the wrong ones.

1.The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1955.

2.The Charter set out the rights and obligations of member states, and established the United Nations organs and procedures.

3.The purposes of the United Nations are to maintain peace and security; to prevent international crime.

4.The UN Charter established six principal organs of the United Nations.

5.The United Nations family encompasses the: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice and Secretariat.

6.The contributions of member states are determined by considering their total gross national product, their per capita incomes.

7.The costs of the international tribunals and peacekeeping operations are included into the contributions of member states…

Exercise 4. Answer these questions.

1. How was the United Nations Charter drawn up?

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2.When did the United Nations officially come into existence?

3.What did the Charter set out?

4.What are the purposes of the United Nations?

5.What are the six principal organs of the United Nations?

6.What other agencies and programs belong to the UN family?

7.What is the main source of funds for the UN budget?

8.What is the fundamental criterion the scale of assessments is based on?

Exercise 5. Fill in the gaps using the verbs in the box. Put the verbs into the appropriate tense form.

The International Law Commission

The International Law Commission ________ by the

General Assembly in 1947 to promote the progressive development of international law and its codification. The Commission, which meets annually, ________ of 34 members who _______ by the General Assembly for five year terms and who serve in their individual capacity, not as representatives of their Governments.

Most of the Commission’s work _________ the preparation of drafts on topics of international law. Some topics

__________ by the Commission and others referred to it by the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council. When the Commission __________ draft articles on a particular topic, the General Assembly usually _________

an international conference of plenipotentiaries to

___________ the draft articles into a convention which is then open to States _________ parties. Since 1949 the Commission ________ final drafts or reports with respect to the topics, as follows:

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Regime of the High Seas

Regime of territorial Waters

Diplomatic intercourse and immunities

Arbitral procedure

Draft declaration on rights and duties of States

Question of defining aggression

Draft Code of Crimes against the peace and security of mankind

Relations between States and international organizations

The law of the non-navigational uses of international watercourses

Question of the protection and inviolability of diplomatic agents and other persons entitled to special protection under international law

Status of the diplomatic courier and the diplomatic bag not accompanied by diplomatic courier and many others.

Exercise 6. Comment on the role and functions of the International Law Commission.

Exercise 7. Translate the text into Russian and answer these questions.

1.What is WTO?

2.What do WTO and the Marrakech Agreement provide?

WTO and the Committee on Trade and Environment

The World Trade Organization, established on 1 January

1995, is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). As the legal and institutional foundation of the multilateral trading system, the WTO provides the principal contractual obligations that determine how governments frame and implement domestic trade legislation and regulations. The WTO provides the platform on which trade relations among Members evolve through collective debate, negotiation and adjudication.

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The WTO provisions include several references to the environment, such as the Preamble to the Marrakech

Agreement, which notes the importance of “allowing for the optimal use of the world's resources in accordance with the objective of sustainable development, seeking both to protect and preserve the environment and to enhance the means for doing so in a manner consistent with their respective needs and concerns at different levels of economic development”.

Exercise 8. Read the following text and speak on the composition, responsibilities and the routine of the organization described.

The International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established in June 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations and began work in April 1946.

The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands).

The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. It is assisted by a Registry, its administrative organ. Its official languages are English and French.

Article 33 of the United Nations Charter lists the following methods for the pacific settlement of disputes between States: negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, and resort to regional agencies or arrangements; good offices should also be added to this list. Among these methods certain ones involve appealing to third parties.

For example, mediation places the parties to a dispute in a position in which they can themselves resolve their dispute thanks to the intervention of a third party. Arbitra-