1.
United Arab Emirates
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In 2013, the UAEs population was 9.2 million, of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates. The country is a federation of seven emirates, and was established on 2 December 1971, the constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. Each emirate is governed by a monarch, together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the monarchs is selected as the President of the United Arab Emirates, Islam is the official religion of the UAE and Arabic is the official language. The UAEs oil reserves are the seventh-largest in the world while its natural gas reserves are the worlds seventeenth-largest, Sheikh Zayed, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the first President of the UAE, oversaw the development of the Emirates and steered oil revenues into healthcare, education and infrastructure. The UAEs economy is the most diversified in the Gulf Cooperation Council, while its most populous city of Dubai is an important global city, nevertheless, the country remains principally reliant on its export of petroleum and natural gas. The UAE is criticised for its rights record, including the specific interpretations of Sharia used in its legal system. The UAEs rising international profile has led analysts to identify it as a regional. It appears the land of the Emirates has been occupied for thousands of years, there is no proof of contact with the outside world at that stage, although in time it developed with civilisations in Mesopotamia and Iran. This contact persisted and became wide-ranging, probably motivated by trade in copper from the Hajar Mountains, in ancient times, Al Hasa was part of Al Bahreyn and adjoined Greater Oman. Sassanid groups were present on the Batinah coast, in 637, Julfar was an important port that was used as a staging post for the Islamic invasion of the Sassanian Empire. The area of the Al Ain/Buraimi Oasis was known as Tuam and was an important trading post for camel routes between the coast and the Arabian interior. The earliest Christian site in the UAE was first discovered in the 1990s, a monastic complex on what is now known as Sir Bani Yas Island. Thought to be Nestorian and built in 600 AD, the church appears to have been abandoned peacefully in 750 AD and it forms a rare physical link to a legacy of Christianity which is thought to have spread across the peninsula from 50 to 350 AD following trade routes. Certainly, by the 5th century, Oman had a bishop named John – the last bishop of Oman being Etienne, in 676 AD. This led to a group of travelling to Medina, converting to Islam and subsequently driving a successful uprising against the unpopular Sassanids. Following the death of Prophet Muhammad, the new Islamic communities south of the Persian Gulf threatened to disintegrate, with insurrections against the Muslim leaders. The Caliph Abu Bakr sent an army from the capital Medina which completed its reconquest of the territory with the battle of Dibba in which 10,000 lives are thought to have been lost
2.
Politics of the United Arab Emirates
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Politics of the United Arab Emirates takes place in a framework of a federal, presidential, absolute monarchy. The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven constituent monarchies, the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, the UAEs judicial system is derived from the civil law system and Sharia law. The court system consists of courts and Sharia courts. Administratively, the UAE is a federation of seven emirates, each with its own ruler, the pace of local government reform in each emirate is set primarily by the ruler. Under the provisional constitution of 1971, each emirate reserves considerable powers, including control over mineral rights, in this milieu, federal powers have developed slowly as each Emirate already had its own existing institutions of government prior to the country’s official foundation. The constitution of the United Arab Emirates separates powers into executive, legislative, additionally, legislative and executive powers are divided into federal and emirate jurisdictions. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was president of the UAE from its foundation until his death on November 2,2004 and his eldest son, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the current president. The Federal Supreme Council consists of the rulers of the seven emirates. The President and Vice-President are elected by the Supreme Council every five years, although unofficial, the Presidency is de facto hereditary to the Al Nahyan clan of Abu Dhabi and the Vice-Presidency is hereditary to the Al Maktoum clan of Dubai. Decisions are made by majority vote unless relating to issues which require a two-thirds majority vote. The Supreme Council also elects the Council of Ministers, while an appointed 40-member Federal National Council, drawn from all the emirates, the Cabinet of United Arab Emirates is a collegial body presided over by the Prime Minister. It consists of 22 members and is headed by a Prime Minister. The federal cabinet is the authority for the federation. Under the supreme control of the President and supreme council, it manages all internal, the cabinet consists of cabinets chairman and two deputies and ministers. The ruler of Abu Dhabi, whose emirate is the UAEs major oil producer, is president of the UAE, the ruler of Dubai, which is the UAEs commercial center and a former oil producer, is vice president and prime minister. Since achieving independence in 1971, the UAE has worked to strengthen its federal institutions, nonetheless, each emirate still retains substantial autonomy, and progress toward greater federal integration has slowed in recent years. A basic concept in the UAE governments development as a system is that a significant percentage of each emirates revenues should be devoted to the UAE central budget. Various autonomous agencies also exist such as the Environment Agency, Tourism Authority, Authority for Culture and Heritage, and the Health Authority
3.
Human rights in the United Arab Emirates
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According to human rights organizations, the government of the United Arab Emirates violates a number of fundamental human rights. The UAE does not have democratically elected institutions and citizens do not have the right to change their government or to political parties. There are reports of forced disappearances in the UAE, many foreign nationals and Emirati citizens have been abducted by the UAE government and illegally detained in undisclosed locations. In numerous instances, the UAE government has tortured people in custody and has denied their citizens the right to a speedy trial, flogging and stoning are legal forms of judicial punishment in the UAE due to Sharia courts. The government restricts freedom of speech and freedom of the press, Freedom of association and freedom of religion are also curtailed. Journalists from overseas frequently record and document human rights abuses that occur within the UAE, the UAEs judicial system is derived from the civil law system and Sharia law. The court system consists of courts and Sharia courts. According to Human Rights Watch, UAEs civil and criminal courts apply elements of Sharia law, codified into its code and family law. Flogging is a punishment for offences such as adultery, premarital sex. Due to Sharia courts, flogging is legal with sentences ranging from 80 to 200 lashes, verbal abuse pertaining to a persons sexual honour is illegal and punishable by 80 lashes. Between 2007 and 2014, many people in the UAE were sentenced to 100 lashes, more recently in 2015, two men were sentenced to 80 lashes for hitting and insulting a woman. In 2014, an expat in Abu Dhabi was sentenced to 80 lashes for alcohol consumption, alcohol consumption for Muslims is illegal and punishable by 80 lashes, many Muslims have been sentenced to 80 lashes for alcohol consumption. Illicit sex is sometimes penalized by 60 lashes,80 lashes is the standard amount for anyone sentenced to flogging in several emirates. Sharia courts have penalized domestic workers with floggings, in October 2013, a Filipino housemaid was sentenced to 100 lashes for theft committed after her employer discovered her illegitimate pregnancy. Drunk-driving is strictly illegal and punishable by 80 lashes, many expats have been sentenced to 80 lashes for drunk-driving, in Abu Dhabi, a man has been sentenced to 80 lashes for kissing in public. Under UAE law, premarital sex is punishable by 100 lashes, stoning is a legal punishment in the UAE. In May 2014, an Asian housemaid was sentenced to death by stoning in Abu Dhabi, in 2006, an expatriate was sentenced to death by stoning for committing adultery. Between 2009 and 2013, several people were sentenced to death by stoning, abortion is illegal and punishable by a maximum penalty of 100 lashes and up to five years in prison
4.
Federal Supreme Council
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The Federal Supreme Council is the highest constitutional authority in the United Arab Emirates, being the highest legislative and executive body. It establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation, after the Union in 1971 the Federal Supreme Council consisted of the six rulers of the Emirates who signed the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates. It elected Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Emir of Abu Dhabi, as President of the United Arab Emirates, on 23 December 1971 the Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah sent a letter to the Council requesting to join the union. The Council agreed to the request and the Ras al-Khaimah joined the Union on 10 February 1972, each has one vote in the Councils resolutions. The ratification of the federal laws before they are issued, including the laws of the annual general budget of the Union. Ratification of institutions and agreements are ratified by decree, to approve the appointment of the Federal Prime Minister and the Federal Cabinet and the acceptance of their resignation and removal from office upon the proposal of the Federal President. To approve the appointment of the President and Judges of the Federal Supreme Court, high control over the affairs of the Union in general. Any other functions stipulated in this Constitution or federal laws
5.
President of the United Arab Emirates
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The President of the United Arab Emirates is the head of state of the United Arab Emirates. Officially, he is elected every five years by the Federal Supreme Council, but because the ruler of Abu Dhabi customarily also holds the presidency of the UAE, the President is also Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Supreme Council and Supreme Petroleum Council. The current President is Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, sheikh Khalifa became President on 3 November 2004, following the death of his father, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. List of Prime Ministers of the United Arab Emirates Official Website
6.
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
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Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the President of the United Arab Emirates, the Emir of Abu Dhabi and the Supreme Commander of the Union Defence Force. He succeeded his father, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as Emir of Abu Dhabi on November 2,2004, as Crown Prince, he had already been acting as president since the late 1990s while his father was in ill health. Khalifa is also chairman of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which manages over $600 billion in assets, the Al Nahyan family is believed to have a fortune of $150 billion collectively. Khalifa was born to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikha Hassa bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi and he is the eldest son of Sheikh Zayed and is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. When his father, Sheikh Zayed, became Emir of Abu Dhabi he was appointed as Rulers Representative in the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi, Zayed was the Rulers Representative in the Eastern Region before he became the Emir of Abu Dhabi. A few months later the position was handed to Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, on February 1,1969, Sheikh Khalifa was nominated as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and on the next day he was appointed as the Head of the Abu Dhabi Department of Defense. In that post, he oversaw the building up of the Abu Dhabi Defense Force, which after 1971 became the core of the UAE Armed Forces. Following the establishment of the UAE in 1971, Sheikh Khalifa assumed several positions in Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister, head of the Abu Dhabi Cabinet, Minister of Defense, in May 1976, he became deputy commander of the UAE armed forces, under the President. He also became the head of the Supreme Petroleum Council in the late 1980s, and continues in this position today and he was also the chairman of the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency. He succeeded to the posts of Emir of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates on November 3,2004, replacing his father Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and he had been acting president since his father became ill prior to his passing. On December 1,2005, the President announced that half of the members of the Federal National Council, however, half of the councils members would still need to be appointed by the leaders of the emirates. The elections were set to place in December 2006. On January 4,2010, the worlds tallest man-made structure, originally known as Burj Dubai, was renamed the Burj Khalifa, in 2010, Khalifa was described in a WikiLeaks cable signed by the U. S. ambassador as a distant and uncharismatic personage. In March 2011, Khalifa sent the United Arab Emirates Air Force to support the intervention in Libya against Muammar Gaddafi, alongside forces from NATO, Qatar, Sweden. Later that year Khalifa was ranked as the worlds fourth-wealthiest monarch, in 2013, he commissioned Azzam, the longest motor yacht ever built at 590 ft long, with costs between $400–600 million. In Fall 2011, the Emirates initiated a program to promote allegiance to Khalifa, the program continues, and encourages not only Emirati nationals, but residents from any nationality to register their appreciation, recognition, and loyalty to the Emirs. In January 2014, Khalifa suffered a stroke and was reported to have been in a stable condition after undergoing an operation. Seychellois government records show that since 1995 Khalifa has spent $2 million buying up more than 66 acres of land on the Seychelles main island of Mahé, in 2008, the UAE came to the indebted Seychelles governments aid, with a $30 million injection
7.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Emir of Dubai. Since his accession in 2006, after the death of his brother Sheikh Maktoum, he has undertaken reforms in the UAEs government, in 2010 he launched the UAE vision 2021 with the aim of making the UAE one of the best countries in the world by 2021. He is responsible for the growth of Dubai into a city, as well as the launch of a number of major enterprises including Emirates Airline, DP World. Many of these are held by Dubai Holding, a company with multi-diversified businesses and he also drove the construction of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. An equestrian, he is the founder of the Maktoum family-owned Godolphin racing stable and the owner of Darley, in 2012, he rode the horse Madji Du Pont 160 km to take the FEI World Endurance Championship. He is a poet in his native Arabic. His mother was Sheikha Latifa bint Hamdan al-Nahyan, daughter of Hamdan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, from the age of four, he was privately tutored in Arabic and Islamic Studies. In 1955, he began his education at Al Ahmedia School. At the age of 10, he moved to Al Shaab School, in 1966, with his cousin Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, he attended the Bell Educational Trusts English Language School in the United Kingdom. He subsequently studied at the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot and he also travelled to Italy to train as a pilot. When the new nation of the United Arab Emirates was founded on 2 December 1971, a period of uncertainty and instability followed the Union of the United Arab Emirates, including skirmishes between tribes over property straddling new borders. On 24 January 1972, the former ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi led an insurrectionist coup against the ruler. Sheikh Khalid had been killed in the action, leading to the accession of his brother Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi as ruler of Sharjah. In 1973, he was involved in protracted negotiations with the hijackers of JAL404, led by Japanese Red Army member Osamu Maruouka, which landed in Dubai after being hijacked as it departed Schiphol. With more than 50,000 employees in over 100 cities around the globe, the group has real estate, logistics and other investments in the United States, the United Kingdom. The companys investment group operating units include Dubai Group and Dubai International Capital and he was also behind the establishment of government-owned low cost carrier FlyDubai. Through the 1970s, as well as his role as head of Dubai Defence Force and UAE Minister of Defence, the launch budget of the airline was $10 million and its inaugural flight took place on 25 October 1985. Sheikh Mohammed made his uncle, Ahmed bin Saeed chairman of the new company, in 1991, Sheikh Mohammed merged the Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone and Port Rashid to form the Dubai Ports Authority
8.
Federal National Council
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The Federal National Council is the federal authority of the United Arab Emirates formed to represent the general Emirati people. The FNC consist of 40 members with advisory tasks in the house of legislative council, twenty members are elected by the citizens of the UAE through the general election and the other half are elected by the electoral college and rulers of each emirate. The FNC assembly hall is located in the Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE, the National Election Committee conducts the election and is authorized to nominate the electoral college members. Any citizen can be selected as a member, the NEC was established in February 2011 by a consensus of the UAE Supreme Council and chaired by the Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs. The NEC have the authority to look after the election of representatives from all the emirates of the UAE to the Federal National Council, before 2006, all members of the FNC were picked by the Rulers of the emirates. Over the last 43 years, the FNC has discussed hundreds of issues and drafted laws concerning the people, according to the Constitution, federal draft laws first have to pass through the FNC for review and recommendations. Draft laws and amendments formed with help of specialized house committees are presented to the Council for discussion and later sent back to the Cabinet for consideration, throughout its history, the Council has influenced the Federal Government to draft laws. Original draft laws from the Cabinet are amended by the Council to suit the needs of the citizens which they represent, one of the main duties of the FNC is to discuss the annual budget. Specialized sub-committees and a Research and Studies Unit have been formed to assist FNC members to cope with the demands of modern government. Not all UAE nationals are allowed to vote or run for office,6,689 out of some 800,000 Emirati citizens in the country were eligible to take part in 2006 election. Those eligible were chosen by the rulers of the emirates, women are allowed to vote and run for office but there is no quota to ensure a set number of women are elected as there is in some other Arab countries. Over 14 percent of candidates are women, by the end of 2003, all forty members of the FNC were male. Election officials billed the polls as a run they hoped will pave the way for universal suffrage in the coming years. Even then, however, only half of the FNC will be elected, in late 2006, half of the organization was elected. These elections were seen as the first steps toward Emirati democracy, in 2011, parliamentary elections had an expanded electoral college with 129,274 members, nearly 20 times more than in 2006. The new Electoral College includes about 12 per cent of UAE nationals, approximately 35 per cent of the members were under 30 years of age and 46 per cent were women. In all,468 candidates, including 85 women, stood for the elections, many candidates pledged to provide better education and health care and more housing for young UAE nationals. They also promised to strengthen the UAE identity and culture, several candidates used social media networks such as Facebook to present their plans
9.
Elections in the United Arab Emirates
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Politics of the United Arab Emirates takes place in a framework of a federal, presidential, absolute monarchy. The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven constituent monarchies, the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, the UAEs judicial system is derived from the civil law system and Sharia law. The court system consists of courts and Sharia courts. Administratively, the UAE is a federation of seven emirates, each with its own ruler, the pace of local government reform in each emirate is set primarily by the ruler. Under the provisional constitution of 1971, each emirate reserves considerable powers, including control over mineral rights, in this milieu, federal powers have developed slowly as each Emirate already had its own existing institutions of government prior to the country’s official foundation. The constitution of the United Arab Emirates separates powers into executive, legislative, additionally, legislative and executive powers are divided into federal and emirate jurisdictions. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was president of the UAE from its foundation until his death on November 2,2004 and his eldest son, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the current president. The Federal Supreme Council consists of the rulers of the seven emirates. The President and Vice-President are elected by the Supreme Council every five years, although unofficial, the Presidency is de facto hereditary to the Al Nahyan clan of Abu Dhabi and the Vice-Presidency is hereditary to the Al Maktoum clan of Dubai. Decisions are made by majority vote unless relating to issues which require a two-thirds majority vote. The Supreme Council also elects the Council of Ministers, while an appointed 40-member Federal National Council, drawn from all the emirates, the Cabinet of United Arab Emirates is a collegial body presided over by the Prime Minister. It consists of 22 members and is headed by a Prime Minister. The federal cabinet is the authority for the federation. Under the supreme control of the President and supreme council, it manages all internal, the cabinet consists of cabinets chairman and two deputies and ministers. The ruler of Abu Dhabi, whose emirate is the UAEs major oil producer, is president of the UAE, the ruler of Dubai, which is the UAEs commercial center and a former oil producer, is vice president and prime minister. Since achieving independence in 1971, the UAE has worked to strengthen its federal institutions, nonetheless, each emirate still retains substantial autonomy, and progress toward greater federal integration has slowed in recent years. A basic concept in the UAE governments development as a system is that a significant percentage of each emirates revenues should be devoted to the UAE central budget. Various autonomous agencies also exist such as the Environment Agency, Tourism Authority, Authority for Culture and Heritage, and the Health Authority
10.
Emirati passport
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The Emirati passport is issued to citizens of the United Arab Emirates for international travel. The UAE also issues temporary passports, which can be used by non-citizens, however these cannot be used to claim right of abode in the UAE. The UAE Ministry of Interior began to issue biometric passports on 11 December 2011, prior to the formation of the UAE in 1971, the constituting states were responsible for issuing their own passports or travel documents. Such documents were printed in Arabic and English and often made a reference to United Kingdom, many natives had failed to obtain passports in 1971 and this resulted in subsequent generations being denied the right to hold UAE passports or citizenship. These people, also known as bidun, have found it difficult to live in the country and have faced trouble leaving the country. An Emirati passport is one of 5 passports with the most improved rating globally since 2006 in terms of number of countries that its holders may visit without a visa. The first page contains an outline of the outer frame of Sheikh Zayed Mosque. The passport identity page has all the printed and laminated. The new passports contain data to resolve name duplication, which is one of the biggest issues that existed with old passports, all international airports have been informed of the new passports so that UAE nationals can start using their new passports in their travel abroad. In 2016, Emirati citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 122 countries and territories, Visa requirements for United Arab Emirates citizens Emirati nationality law Trucial Coast Bidun
11.
Visa requirements for Emirati citizens
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Visa requirements for Emirati citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of the United Arab Emirates. Emirati citizens do not need a visa to enter other member states of the GCC and they also have the right to take up jobs in those countries. Similarly, citizens of other GCC states do not need a visa to enter UAE, the Emirati passport had the most improved rating in the 2006-2016 time period. The United Kingdom introduced electronic visa waiver on 1 January 2014, visa requirements for Emirati citizens were lifted by New Zealand, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, the Schengen Area countries, Belarus, Moldova. Some other countries require vaccination if the passenger is coming from an infected area. Many countries require passport validity of no less than 6 months, visa policy of the United Arab Emirates Emirati passport
12.
Flag of the United Arab Emirates
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The flag of the United Arab Emirates contains the Pan-Arab colors red, green, white, and black, which symbolize Arabian unity. It was adopted on December 2,1971, merchant ships may fly the alternative civil ensign, a red flag with the national flag in the canton. Each of the seven emirates within the United Arab Emirates has its own flag, except for Fujairah, the flags are derived from the red flags traditionally used by the different Arab emirates around the Persian Gulf. Under the protection of the British Empire from 1820, it was decided to add a field at the hoist of the flag. The same basic pattern can be seen in the flag of Bahrain, the flag of Abu Dhabi is an otherwise plain-red flag with a white canton, i. e. a small white rectangle in the upper hoist of the flag. The flags of Ajman and Dubai are identical and they are both plain red with a white bar at the hoist, i. e. closest to the flag staff. Before 1952, the flag of Fujairah was plain red, in 1952, the emirates name was added to the flag, and a red flag with a white border was adopted as an ensign. This continued to be the flag until Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi abolished the red flag. The flags of Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah are identical as they are ruled by two branches of the same house. They show a red rectangle on a white background. The Flag of Umm al-Quwain consists of a red background, a bar at the hoist similar the flags of Ajman and Dubai. Emblem of the United Arab Emirates Trucial States First raising of the flag on 2 December,1971 United Arab Emirates at Flags of the World
13.
Armed Forces of UAE
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The Union Defence Force is the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates and has primary responsibility for the defence of all seven emirates. It consists of 65,000 personnel, and is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The Trucial Oman Scouts, long the symbol of order on the coast. France opened the Abu Dhabi Base in May 2009, in March 2011, the UAE agreed to join the enforcement of the no-fly-zone over Libya by sending six F-16 and six Mirage 2000 multi-role fighter aircraft. During the Gulf war, the US had troops and equipment stationed in the UAE as well as parts of the Persian Gulf. There are two distinct military organizations in the UAE, the military force is called the Union Defence Force. As part of the military of the United Arab Emirates Ground Force is responsible for land operations, the United Arab Emirates Air Force has about 4,000 personnel. The air force agreed in 1999 to purchase 80 US F-16 multirole fighter aircraft, other equipment includes 60 Mirage 2000s, British Hawk aircraft, and French helicopters. The air defense has a Hawk missile program for which the United States has been training, the UAE has taken delivery of two of five Triad I-Hawk batteries. United Arab Emirates Air Defence Force Responsible for aircraft, the United Arab Emirates Navy is growing, with more than 2,000 personnel and 72 vessels. United Arab Emirates Marines – The UAE maintains a battalion sized marine force called the UAE Marines. Federal Police Force Four Emirates maintained their own prior to the unification of the defence forces. Three were theoretically merged into the Union Defence Force in 1976, the officer corps were mainly British and Jordanian. The ADDF became the Western Command of the UDF in 1976, dubai Defence Force – Formed in 1971, by 1975 the DDF had 3,000 men with Ferret and Saladin armoured cars. It later expanded to 20,000 men in one infantry brigade group, Aermacchi MB-326 ground attack aircraft, the DDF became the Central Command of the UDF in 1996. Ras al-Khaimah Mobile Force – Formed in 1969, it initially had 300 men with Ferret and Saladin armoured cars, organised into one armored squadron and it eventually expanded to 9,000 men. It became the Northern Command of the UDF in 1996, in addition, the Sharjah National Guard was formed in 1972. It was essentially a paramilitary force of 500–600 men with Shorland armoured cars and it merged with the Federal Police in 1976
14.
History of the United Arab Emirates
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The United Arab Emirates is a country on the Arabian Peninsula located on the southeastern coast of the Persian Gulf and the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Oman. The UAE consists of seven emirates and was founded on 2 December 1971 as a federation, six of the seven emirates combined on that date. The seventh, Ras Al Khaimah, joined the federation on 10 February 1972, the seven sheikhdoms were formerly known as the Trucial States, in reference to the treaty relations established with the British in the 19th Century. Artifacts uncovered in the UAE show a history of human habitation. The area was settled by a number of tribes along both the coast and interior and was Islamised in the seventh century, a number of incursions and bloody battles took place along the coast when the Portuguese, under Albuquerque, invaded the area. A British decision, taken in early 1968, to withdraw from its involvement in the Trucial States and this was agreed between two of the most influential Trucial Rulers, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum of Dubai. The two invited other Trucial Rulers to join the Federation, at one stage it seemed likely Bahrain and Qatar would also join the Union, but both eventually decided on independence. In 2011 primitive hand-axes, as well as several kinds of scrapers and perforators, were excavated at the Jebel Faya archaeological site in the United Arab Emirates and these tools resemble the types used by early modern humans in East Africa. Through the technique of Thermoluminescence dating the artifacts were placed between 100,000 and 125,000 years old and this is the earliest evidence of modern humans found anywhere outside Africa and implies modern humans left Africa much earlier than previously thought. Umm an-Nar was a bronze age culture that existed from 2600-2000 BC in modern-day United Arab Emirates, the etymology derives from the island of the same name which lies adjacent to Abu Dhabi. The key site is protected, but its location between a refinery and a sensitive military area means public access is currently restricted. The UAE authorities are working to improve access to the site. One element of the Umm an-Nar culture is circular tombs typically characterized by well fitted stones in the outer wall, the Umm an-Nar culture, as indicated from inland 3rd millennium BC, covers no more than seven centuries. The arrival of envoys from Muhammad in 632 heralded the conversion of the region to Islam, after Muhammads death, one of the major battles of the Ridda Wars was fought at Dibba, in present-day Fujairah. The defeat of the non-Muslims in this battle resulted in the triumph of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula, in 637, Julfar was used as a staging post for the conquest of Iran. Over many centuries, Julfar became a port and pearling center from which dhows traveled throughout the Indian Ocean. Portions of what is now the UAE came under the influence of the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century. Portuguese expansion into the Indian Ocean in the early 16th century following Vasco da Gamas route of exploration resulted in the sacking of many towns by the Portuguese
15.
United Nations Charter
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The Charter of the United Nations of 1945 is the foundational treaty of the United Nations, an intergovernmental organization. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, as a charter, it is a constituent treaty, and all members are bound by its articles. Furthermore, Article 103 of the Charter states that obligations to the United Nations prevail over all other treaty obligations, most countries in the world have now ratified the Charter. The Charter consists of a preamble and a series of articles grouped into chapters, the preamble consists of two principal parts. The first part contains a call for the maintenance of peace and international security. Chapter I sets forth the purposes of the United Nations, including the important provisions of the maintenance of international peace, Chapter II defines the criteria for membership in the United Nations. Chapters III–XV, the bulk of the document, describe the organs and institutions of the UN, Chapters XVI and Chapter XVII describe arrangements for integrating the UN with established international law. Chapters XVIII and Chapter XIX provide for amendment and ratification of the Charter, all Members, in order to ensure to all of them the rights and benefits resulting from membership, shall fulfill in good faith the obligations assumed by them in accordance with the present Charter. All Members shall settle their disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security. Such subsidiary organs as may be found necessary may be established in accordance with the present Charter, the Security Council shall consist of fifteen Members of the United Nations. The non-permanent members of the Security Council shall be elected for a term of two years, a retiring member shall not be eligible for immediate re-election. Each member of the Security Council shall have one representative, FUNCTIONS and POWERS Article 241. In discharging these duties the Security Council shall act in accordance with the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations, the specific powers granted to the Security Council for the discharge of these duties are laid down in Chapters VI, VII, VIII, and XII. The Security Council shall submit annual and, when necessary, special reports to the General Assembly for its consideration, Article 25 The Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the present Charter. Each member of the Security Council shall have one vote, decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members. The Security Council shall be so organized as to be able to function continuously, each member of the Security Council shall for this purpose be represented at all times at the seat of the Organization. The Security Council may hold meetings at places other than the seat of the Organization as in its judgment will best facilitate its work. Article 29 The Security Council may establish such subsidiary organs as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions, Article 30 The Security Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure, including the method of selecting its President
16.
United Nations
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The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization to promote international co-operation. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was established on 24 October 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict, at its founding, the UN had 51 member states, there are now 193. The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan, New York City, further main offices are situated in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states, the UNs 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 actions in Korea and the Congo. After the end of the Cold War, the UN took on major military, the UN has six principal organs, the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Trusteeship Council. UN System agencies include the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, UNESCO, the UNs most prominent officer is the Secretary-General, an office held by Portuguese António Guterres since 2017. Non-governmental organizations may be granted consultative status with ECOSOC and other agencies to participate in the UNs 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 UNs 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. Following the catastrophic loss of life in the First World War, the earliest concrete plan for a new world organization began under the aegis of the US State Department in 1939. It incorporated Soviet suggestions, but left no role for France, four Policemen was coined to refer to four major Allied countries, United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and China, which emerged in the Declaration by United Nations. Roosevelt first coined the term United Nations to describe the Allied countries, the term United Nations was first officially used when 26 governments signed this Declaration. One major change from the Atlantic Charter was the addition of a provision for religious freedom, by 1 March 1945,21 additional states had signed. Each Government pledges itself to cooperate with the Governments signatory hereto, the foregoing declaration may be adhered to by other nations which are, or which may be, rendering material assistance and contributions in the struggle for victory over Hitlerism. During the war, the United Nations became the term for the Allies. To join, countries had to sign the Declaration and declare war on the Axis, at the later meetings, Lord Halifax deputized for Mr. Eden, Wellington Koo for T. V. Soong, and Mr Gromyko for Mr. Molotov. The first meetings of the General Assembly, with 51 nations represented, the General Assembly selected New York City as the site for the headquarters of the UN, and the facility was completed in 1952. Its site—like UN headquarters buildings in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi—is designated as international territory, the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Trygve Lie, was elected as the first UN Secretary-General
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Arab League
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The Arab League, formally the League of Arab States, is a regional organization of Arab countries in and around North Africa, the Horn of Africa and Arabia. It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members, Kingdom of Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, Transjordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen joined as a member on 5 May 1945. Currently, the League has 22 members, but Syrias participation has been suspended since November 2011, the League has served as a platform for the drafting and conclusion of many landmark documents promoting economic integration. One example is the Joint Arab Economic Action Charter, which outlines the principles for economic activities in the region, each member state has one vote in the League Council, and decisions are binding only for those states that have voted for them. Furthermore, the signing of an agreement on Joint Defence and Economic Cooperation on 13 April 1950 committed the signatories to coordination of military defence measures. In March 2015, the Arab League General Secretary announced the establishment of a Joint Arab Force with the aim of counteracting extremism, the decision was reached while Operation Decisive Storm was intensifying in Yemen. Participation in the project is voluntary, and the army intervenes only at the request of one of the member states. The growing militarization of the region and the increase in violent civil wars as well as terrorist movements are the reason behind the creation of the JAF, financed by the rich Gulf countries. In the early 1970s, the Economic Council of the League of Arab States put forward a proposal to create the Joint Arab Chambers of Commerce across the European states and that led, under the decree of the League of Arab States no. Following adoption of the Alexandria Protocol in 1944, the Arab League was founded on 22 March 1945 and it aimed to be a regional organisation of Arab states with a focus to developing the economy, resolving disputes and coordinating political aims. Other countries later joined the league, each country was given one vote in the council. It was followed by the creation of a defence treaty two years later. A common market was established in 1965, the Arab League member states cover over 13,000,000 km2 and straddles two continents, Africa and Asia. The area largely consists of deserts, such as the Sahara. The area comprises deep forests in southern Arabia and parts of the worlds longest river, the Charter of the Arab League, also known as the Pact of the League of Arab States, is the founding treaty of the Arab League. Adopted in 1945, it stipulates that the League of Arab States shall be composed of the, starting with only six members in 1945, the Arab League now occupies an area spanning around 14 million km² and counts 22 members, and 4 observer states. The 22 members today include three of the largest African countries and the largest country in the Middle East, there was a continual increase in membership during the second half of the 20th century, with an additional 15 Arab states being admitted. Syria was suspended following the 2011 uprising, as of 2016, there are a total of 22 member states
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China
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China, officially the Peoples Republic of China, is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia and the worlds most populous country, with a population of over 1.381 billion. The state is governed by the Communist Party of China and its capital is Beijing, the countrys major urban areas include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Hong Kong. China is a power and a major regional power within Asia. Chinas landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes, the Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third and sixth longest in the world, respectively, Chinas coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas. China emerged as one of the worlds earliest civilizations in the basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. For millennia, Chinas political system was based on hereditary monarchies known as dynasties, in 1912, the Republic of China replaced the last dynasty and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949, when it was defeated by the communist Peoples Liberation Army in the Chinese Civil War. The Communist Party established the Peoples Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, both the ROC and PRC continue to claim to be the legitimate government of all China, though the latter has more recognition in the world and controls more territory. China had the largest economy in the world for much of the last two years, during which it has seen cycles of prosperity and decline. Since the introduction of reforms in 1978, China has become one of the worlds fastest-growing major economies. As of 2016, it is the worlds second-largest economy by nominal GDP, China is also the worlds largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. China is a nuclear weapons state and has the worlds largest standing army. The PRC is a member of the United Nations, as it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council in 1971. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM, the English name China is first attested in Richard Edens 1555 translation of the 1516 journal of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa. The demonym, that is, the name for the people, Portuguese China is thought to derive from Persian Chīn, and perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit Cīna. Cīna was first used in early Hindu scripture, including the Mahābhārata, there are, however, other suggestions for the derivation of China. The official name of the state is the Peoples Republic of China. The shorter form is China Zhōngguó, from zhōng and guó and it was then applied to the area around Luoyi during the Eastern Zhou and then to Chinas Central Plain before being used as an occasional synonym for the state under the Qing
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South Korea
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South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a sovereign state in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The earliest Korean pottery dates to 8000 BC, with three kingdoms flourishing in the 1st century BC and its rich and vibrant culture left 19 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity, the third largest in the world, along with 12 World Heritage Sites. Annexed into Imperial Japan in 1910, Korea was divided after its surrender in 1945, peace has since mostly continued with the two agreeing to work peacefully for reunification and the South solidifying peace as a regional power with the worlds 10th largest defence budget. South Koreas tiger economy soared at an average of 10% for over 30 years in a period of rapid transformation called the Miracle on the Han River. A long legacy of openness and focus on innovation made it successful, today, it is the worlds fifth largest exporter with the G20s largest budget surplus and highest credit rating of any country in East Asia. It has free trade agreements with 75% of the economy and is the only G20 nation trading freely with China, the US. Since 1988, its constitution guarantees a liberal democracy with high government transparency, high personal freedoms led to the rise of a globally influential pop culture such as K-pop and K-drama, a phenomenon called the Korean Wave, known for its distinctive fashionable and trendy style. Home of the UN Green Climate Fund and GGGI, South Korea is a leader in low carbon growth, committed to helping developing countries as a major DAC. It is the third least ignorant country in the Index of Ignorance, ranking eighth highest for peaceful tolerance. It is the worlds largest spender on R&D per GDP, leading the OECD in graduates in science, the name Korea derives from the name Goryeo. The name Goryeo itself was first used by the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo in the 5th century as a form of its name. The 10th-century kingdom of Goryeo succeeded Goguryeo, and thus inherited its name, the modern spelling of Korea first appeared in the late 17th century in the travel writings of the Dutch East India Companys Hendrick Hamel. After Goryeo was replaced by Joseon in 1392, Joseon became the name for the entire territory. The new official name has its origin in the ancient country of Gojoseon, in 1897, the Joseon dynasty changed the official name of the country from Joseon to Daehan Jeguk. The name Daehan, which means great Han literally, derives from Samhan, however, the name Joseon was still widely used by Koreans to refer to their country, though it was no longer the official name. Under Japanese rule, the two names Han and Joseon coexisted, there were several groups who fought for independence, the most notable being the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Following the surrender of Japan, in 1945, the Republic of Korea was adopted as the name for the new country. Since the government only controlled the part of the Korean Peninsula
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Japan
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Japan is a sovereign island nation in Eastern Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asia Mainland and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea, the kanji that make up Japans name mean sun origin. 日 can be read as ni and means sun while 本 can be read as hon, or pon, Japan is often referred to by the famous epithet Land of the Rising Sun in reference to its Japanese name. Japan is an archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, the country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions. Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one, the population of 127 million is the worlds tenth largest. Japanese people make up 98. 5% of Japans total population, approximately 9.1 million people live in the city of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period, the first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly China, followed by periods of isolation, from the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shoguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a period of isolation in the early 17th century. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan is a member of the UN, the OECD, the G7, the G8, the country has the worlds third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the worlds fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the worlds fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer, although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the worlds eighth-largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. Japan is a country with a very high standard of living. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world, in ancient China, Japan was called Wo 倭. It was mentioned in the third century Chinese historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms in the section for the Wei kingdom, Wa became disliked because it has the connotation of the character 矮, meaning dwarf. The 倭 kanji has been replaced with the homophone Wa, meaning harmony, the Japanese word for Japan is 日本, which is pronounced Nippon or Nihon and literally means the origin of the sun. The earliest record of the name Nihon appears in the Chinese historical records of the Tang dynasty, at the start of the seventh century, a delegation from Japan introduced their country as Nihon
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Pakistan
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Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a federal parliamentary republic in South Asia on the crossroads of Central Asia and Western Asia. It is the sixth-most populous country with a population exceeding 200 million people, in terms of area, it is the 33rd-largest country in the world with an area covering 881,913 square kilometres. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistans narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, Pakistan is unique among Muslim countries in that it is the only country to have been created in the name of Islam. As a result of the Pakistan Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and it is an ethnically and linguistically diverse country, with a similarly diverse geography and wildlife. Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic, an ethnic civil war in 1971 resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh. The new constitution stipulated that all laws were to conform to the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Quran. Pakistan has an economy with a well-integrated agriculture sector. The Pakistani economy is the 24th-largest in the world in terms of purchasing power and it is ranked among the emerging and growth-leading economies of the world, and is backed by one of the worlds largest and fastest-growing middle classes. The post-independence history of Pakistan has been characterised by periods of military rule, the country continues to face challenging problems such as illiteracy, healthcare, and corruption, but has substantially reduced poverty and terrorism and expanded per capita income. It is also a member of CERN. Pakistan is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, the name Pakistan literally means land of the pure in Urdu and Persian. It is a play on the word pāk meaning pure in Persian and Pashto, the letter i was incorporated to ease pronunciation and form the linguistically correct and meaningful name. Some of the earliest ancient human civilisations in South Asia originated from areas encompassing present-day Pakistan, the earliest known inhabitants in the region were Soanian during the Lower Paleolithic, of whom stone tools have been found in the Soan Valley of Punjab. The Vedic Civilization, characterised by Indo-Aryan culture, laid the foundations of Hinduism, Multan was an important Hindu pilgrimage centre. The Vedic civilisation flourished in the ancient Gandhāran city of Takṣaśilā, the Indo-Greek Kingdom founded by Demetrius of Bactria included Gandhara and Punjab and reached its greatest extent under Menander, prospering the Greco-Buddhist culture in the region. Taxila had one of the earliest universities and centres of education in the world. At its zenith, the Rai Dynasty of Sindh ruled this region, the Pala Dynasty was the last Buddhist empire, which, under Dharampala and Devapala, stretched across South Asia from what is now Bangladesh through Northern India to Pakistan. The Arab conqueror Muhammad bin Qasim conquered the Indus valley from Sindh to Multan in southern Punjab in 711 AD, the Pakistan governments official chronology identifies this as the time when the foundation of Pakistan was laid
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Russia
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Russia, also officially the Russian Federation, is a country in Eurasia. The European western part of the country is more populated and urbanised than the eastern. Russias capital Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world, other urban centers include Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod. Extending across the entirety of Northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe, Russia spans eleven time zones and incorporates a range of environments. It shares maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, the East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants, in 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Rus ultimately disintegrated into a number of states, most of the Rus lands were overrun by the Mongol invasion. The Soviet Union played a role in the Allied victory in World War II. The Soviet era saw some of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century, including the worlds first human-made satellite and the launching of the first humans in space. By the end of 1990, the Soviet Union had the second largest economy, largest standing military in the world. It is governed as a federal semi-presidential republic, the Russian economy ranks as the twelfth largest by nominal GDP and sixth largest by purchasing power parity in 2015. Russias extensive mineral and energy resources are the largest such reserves in the world, making it one of the producers of oil. The country is one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states and possesses the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, Russia is a great power as well as a regional power and has been characterised as a potential superpower. The name Russia is derived from Rus, a state populated mostly by the East Slavs. However, this name became more prominent in the later history, and the country typically was called by its inhabitants Русская Земля. In order to distinguish this state from other states derived from it, it is denoted as Kievan Rus by modern historiography, an old Latin version of the name Rus was Ruthenia, mostly applied to the western and southern regions of Rus that were adjacent to Catholic Europe. The current name of the country, Россия, comes from the Byzantine Greek designation of the Kievan Rus, the standard way to refer to citizens of Russia is Russians in English and rossiyane in Russian. There are two Russian words which are translated into English as Russians
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India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
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Nepal
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Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked central Himalayan country in South Asia. Nepal is divided into 7 provinces and 75 districts and 744 local units including 4 metropolises,13 sub-metropolises,246 municipal councils and 481 village and it has a population of 26.4 million and is the 93rd largest country by area. Bordering China in the north and India in the south, east, Nepal does not border Bangladesh, which is located within only 27 km of its southeastern tip. It neither borders Bhutan due to the Indian state of Sikkim being located in between, Nepal has a diverse geography, including fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the worlds ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. It is a nation with Nepali as the official language. The territory of Nepal has a history since the Neolithic age. The name Nepal is first recorded in texts from the Vedic Age, the era which founded Hinduism, in the middle of the first millennium BCE, Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in southern Nepal. Parts of northern Nepal were intertwined with the culture of Tibet, the Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal became known as Nepal proper because of its complex urban civilization. It was the seat of the prosperous Newar confederacy known as Nepal Mandala, the Himalayan branch of the ancient Silk Road was dominated by the valleys traders. The cosmopolitan region developed distinct traditional art and architecture, by the 18th century, the Gorkha Kingdom achieved the unification of Nepal. The Shah dynasty established the Kingdom of Nepal and later formed an alliance with the British Empire, the country was never colonized but served as a buffer state between Imperial China and Colonial India. In the 20th century, Nepal ended its isolation and forged ties with regional powers. Parliamentary democracy was introduced in 1951, but was suspended by Nepalese monarchs in 1960 and 2005. The Nepalese Civil War resulted in the proclamation of a republic in 2008, modern Nepal is a federal secular parliamentary republic. Nepal is a nation, ranking 144th on the Human Development Index in 2016. The country struggles with the transition from a monarchy to a republic and it also suffers from high levels of hunger and poverty. Despite these challenges, Nepal is making progress, with the government declaring its commitment to elevate the nation from least developed country status by 2022
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United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
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Western Europe
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Western Europe, or West Europe, is the region comprising the western part of Europe. Below, some different geographic and geopolitical definitions of the term are outlined, prior to the Roman conquest, a large part of Western Europe had adopted the newly developed La Tène culture. This cultural and linguistic division was reinforced by the later political east-west division of the Roman Empire. The division between these two was enhanced during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages by a number of events, the Western Roman Empire collapsed, starting the Early Middle Ages. By contrast, the Eastern Roman Empire, mostly known as the Greek or Byzantine Empire, survived, in East Asia, Western Europe was historically known as taixi in China and taisei in Japan, which literally translates as the Far West. The term Far West became synonymous with Western Europe in China during the Ming dynasty, the Italian Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci was one of the first writers in China to use the Far West as an Asian counterpart to the European concept of the Far East. In his writings, Ricci referred to himself as Matteo of the Far West, the term was still in use in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Post-war Europe would be divided into two spheres, the West, influenced by the United States, and the Eastern Bloc. With the onset of the Cold War, Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain, behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Although some countries were neutral, they were classified according to the nature of their political. This division largely defined the popular perception and understanding of Western Europe, the world changed dramatically with the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. The Federal Republic of Germany peacefully absorbed the German Democratic Republic, COMECON and the Warsaw Pact were dissolved, and in 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Several countries which had part of the Soviet Union regained full independence. Although the term Western Europe was more prominent during the Cold War, it remains much in use, in 1948 the Treaty of Brussels was signed between Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It was further revisited in 1954 at the Paris Conference, when the Western European Union was established and it was declared defunct in 2011, after the Treaty of Lisbon, and the Treaty of Brussels was terminated. When the Western European Union was dissolved, it had 10 member countries, six member countries, five observer countries. The CIA divides Western Europe into two smaller subregions, regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from different regional groups. The European Union is an economic and political union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe, some Western and Northern European countries of Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are members of EFTA, though cooperating to varying degree with the European Union
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OPEC
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Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is an intergovernmental organization of 13 nations, founded in 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members, and headquartered since 1965 in Vienna. The organization is also a significant provider of information about the oil market. As of January 2017, OPECs members are Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Two-thirds of OPECs oil production and reserves are in its six Middle Eastern countries that surround the oil-rich Persian Gulf, the effect can be particularly strong when wars or civil disorders lead to extended interruptions in supply. In the 1970s, restrictions in oil production led to a rise in oil prices and OPECs revenue. In December 2014, OPEC and the oil men ranked as #3 on Lloyds list of the top 100 most influential people in the shipping industry. As of January 2017, OPEC has 13 member countries, six in the Middle East, five in Africa, in October 2015, Sudan formally submitted an application to join, but it is not yet a member. Similar concerns prompted Gabon to suspend membership in January 1995, it rejoined in July 2016. In May 2008, Indonesia announced that it would leave OPEC when its membership expired at the end of year, having become a net importer of oil. It rejoined the organization in January 2016, but announced another suspension of its membership at year-end. Some commentators consider that the United States was a de facto member of OPEC during its occupation of Iraq. But this is not borne out by the minutes of OPEC meetings, since the 1980s, representatives from Egypt, Mexico, Norway, Oman, Russia, and other oil-exporting nations have attended many OPEC meetings as observers. This arrangement serves as a mechanism for coordinating policies. The OPEC Conference is the authority of the organization. The chief executive of the organization is the OPEC Secretary General, the Conference ordinarily meets at the Vienna headquarters, at least twice a year and in additional extraordinary sessions when necessary. It generally operates on the principles of unanimity and one member, one vote, at various times, OPEC members have displayed apparent anti-competitive cartel behavior through the organizations agreements about oil production and price levels. OPEC members strongly prefer to describe their organization as a modest force for market stabilization, despite popular sentiment against OPEC, legislative proposals to limit the organizations sovereign immunity, such as the NOPEC Act, have so far been unsuccessful. Indeed, over the course of market cycles, oil reserves can themselves become a source of conflict and instability
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Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries
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The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries is a multi-governmental organization headquartered in Kuwait which coordinates energy policies among oil-producing Arab nations. Such use of the weapon of oil embargo in the struggle against Israel had been regularly proposed at Arab Petroleum Congresses. However Saudi Arabias oil production was up by 9% that year, and this organizational exclusivity was bolstered by an additional rule in the organizations charter requiring the three founders approval all new members. The original aim was to control the weapon of potential oil embargo. Iraq initially declined to join, preferring to work under the umbrella of the Arab League, equally the three founders considered Iraq too radical to be desirable as a member. Consequently, the OAPEC became a more activist organization, contrary to the original intention. The 1973 oil crisis was a point for the organization. In October of that year, the forces of Egypt and Syria attempted to overwhelm the state of Israel in an offensive known as the Yom Kippur War. On 16 October, ten days after the start, Kuwait hosted separate meetings of both OAPEC and the Persian Gulf members of OPEC, including Iran. OAPEC resolved to cut oil production 5% monthly until the Israeli forces are completely evacuated all the Arab territories occupied in the June 1967 war. The embargo would last for five months before it was lifted in March 1974 after negotiations at the Washington Oil Summit. The embargos aftereffects would linger through the rest of the decade, for the oil-exporting countries, the embargo was the first experience of leveraging their collective production for political gains. A number of the nations would use this sense of control to renegotiate the contracts they had made with the companies that had discovered and exploited their resources. Ironically, the increased revenues would prove addictive, and a unified OAPEC oil embargo was never again possible. In 1979, Egypt was expelled from OAPEC for signing the Camp David Accords, in 1982, the Arab Leagues Arab Petroleum Congress merged into OAPECs Arab Energy Conference, which has continued to meet periodically through at least 2014. OAPEC is regarded as a regional, specialized international organization focusing on organizing cooperation in oil development, collective projects, one senior official from each member state serves on the Executive Bureau. It is important to note that the Economics Department and the Technical Affairs Department form the Arab Center for Energy Studies that was constructed in 1983, the Judicial Tribunal must unevenly consist of at least seven and no more than eleven judges from Arab countries. The tribunals judgments are final and binding, and will be enforceable within the territories of residing members, the Making of a Petro-State by Michael T. Klare, The Huffington Post,14 July 2009
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Gulf Cooperation Council
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Its member states are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Charter of the Gulf Cooperation Council was signed on 25 May 1981, all current member states are monarchies, including three constitutional monarchies, two absolute monarchies, and one federal monarchy. There have been regarding the future membership of Jordan, Morocco. Objections have been raised against the proposal by other countries, in 2014, Bahrain prime minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa said that current events in the region highlighted the importance of the proposal. In order to reduce their dependence on oil in the future, the original union comprised the 1,032, 093-square-mile Persian Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The unified economic agreement between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council was signed on 11 November 1981 in Abu Dhabi and these countries are often referred to as the GCC states. Following the announcement that the bank for the monetary union would be located in Riyadh and not in the UAE. The name Khaleeji has been proposed as a name for this currency, if realised, the GCC monetary union would be the second largest supranational monetary union in the world, measured by GDP of the common-currency area. In an effort to build a tax base and economic foundation before the run out. Other regional funds also have hundreds of billions of dollars of assets under management. The region is also a hotspot for events, including the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. Doha also submitted an application for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Qatar was later chosen to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the logo of the GCC consists of two concentric circles. On the upper part of the circle, the Bismillah phrase is written in Arabic. The inner circle contains a hexagonal shape that represents the Councils six member countries. The inside of the hexagon is filled by a map encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, on which the areas of the countries are borderless. On the edge of the hexagon are colors representing the flags of the six member countries, a common market was launched on 1 January 2008 with plans to realise a fully integrated single market. It eased the movement of goods and services, however, implementation lagged behind after the 2009 financial crisis
30.
International organization
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An international organization is an organization with an international membership, scope, or presence. There are two types, International nongovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations that operate internationally. The UN has used the term intergovernmental organization instead of organization for clarity. The first and oldest intergovernmental organization is the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine, International organizations also define the salient issues and decide which issues can be grouped together, thus help governmental priority determination or other governmental arrangements
31.
International Civil Aviation Organization
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The International Civil Aviation Organization, is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of air transport to ensure safe. Its headquarters are located in the Quartier International of Montreal, Quebec, ICAO defines the protocols for air accident investigation followed by transport safety authorities in countries signatory to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The Air Navigation Commission is the body within ICAO. The Commission is composed of 19 Commissioners, nominated by the ICAOs contracting states, Commissioners serve as independent experts, who although nominated by their states, do not serve as state or political representatives. The development of Aviation Standards and Recommended Practices is done under the direction of the ANC through the process of ICAO Panels. Once approved by the Commission, standards are sent to the Council, the forerunner to ICAO was the International Commission for Air Navigation. It held its first convention in 1903 in Berlin, Germany, at the second convention in 1906, also held in Berlin,27 countries attended. The third convention, held in London in 1912 allocated the first radio callsigns for use by aircraft, ICAN continued to operate until 1945. Fifty-two countries signed the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, in Chicago, Illinois, on 7 December 1944. Under its terms, a Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization was to be established, accordingly, PICAO began operating on 6 June 1945, replacing ICAN. The 26th country ratified the Convention on 5 March 1947 and, consequently PICAO was disestablished on 4 April 1947 and replaced by ICAO, in October 1947, ICAO became an agency of the United Nations linked to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. In April 2013 Qatar offered to serve as the new permanent seat of the Organization, according to the Globe and Mail, Qatars move was at least partly motivated by the pro-Israel foreign policy of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Approximately one month later, Qatar withdrew its bid after a proposal to the ICAOs governing council to move the ICAO triennial conference to Doha was defeated by a vote of 22–14. The 9th edition of the Convention on International Civil Aviation includes modifications from 1948 up to year 2006, ICAO refers to its current edition of the Convention as the Statute, and designates it as ICAO Document 7300/9. The Convention has 19 Annexes that are listed by title in the article Convention on International Civil Aviation, as of March 2016, there are 191 ICAO members, consisting of 190 of the 193 UN members, plus the Cook Islands. Liechtenstein has delegated Switzerland to implement the treaty to make it applicable in the territory of Liechtenstein, Taiwan attended the 38th Session of the ICAO Assembly in 2013, but in 2016 was denied such an invitation, despite expressions of support from the United States for Taiwan to participate. However, the Republic of China under the name of Chinese Taipei is a member of International Air Transport Association, the Council of ICAO is elected by the Assembly every 3 years and consists of 36 members elected in 3 categories
32.
International Labour Organization
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The International Labour Organization is a United Nations agency dealing with labour problems, particularly international labour standards, social protection, and work opportunities for all. The ILO has 187 member states,186 of the 193 UN member states plus the Cook Islands are members of the ILO, the ILO registers complaints against entities that are violating international rules, however, it does not impose sanctions on governments. Unlike other United Nations specialized agencies, the International Labour Organization has a governing structure – representing governments, employers. The rationale behind the structure is the creation of free and open debate among governments. The ILO secretariat is referred to as the International Labour Office, juan Somavía was the ILOs director-general from 1999 until October 2012, when Guy Ryder was elected as his replacement. This governing body is composed of 28 government representatives,14 workers representatives, ten of the government seats are held by member states that are nations of chief industrial importance, as first considered by an impartial committee. The nations are Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the terms of office are three years. The ILO organizes the International Labour Conference in Geneva every year in June, also known as the parliament of labour, the conference also makes decisions about the ILOs general policy, work programme and budget. Each member state has four representatives at the conference, two government delegates, a delegate and a worker delegate. All of them have individual voting rights, and all votes are equal, the employer and worker delegates are normally chosen in agreement with the most representative national organizations of employers and workers. Usually, the workers delegates coordinate their voting, as do the employers delegates, all delegate have the same rights, and are not required to vote in blocs. Through July 2011, the ILO has adopted 189 conventions, if these conventions are ratified by enough governments, they become in force. However, ILO conventions are considered international labour standards regardless of ratification, when a convention comes into force, it creates a legal obligation for ratifying nations to apply its provisions. Every year the International Labour Conferences Committee on the Application of Standards examines a number of alleged breaches of international labour standards, governments are required to submit reports detailing their compliance with the obligations of the conventions they have ratified. Conventions that have not been ratified by member states have the legal force as do recommendations. In 1998, the 86th International Labour Conference adopted the Declaration on Fundamental Principles, the ILO asserts that its members have an obligation to work towards fully respecting these principles, embodied in relevant ILO Conventions. The ILO Conventions which embody the principles have now been ratified by most member states. Recommendations do not have the force of conventions and are not subject to ratification
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Universal Postal Union
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The Universal Postal Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration, the Postal Operations Council and it also oversees the Telematics and EMS cooperatives. Each member agrees to the terms for conducting international postal duties. The UPUs headquarters are located in Bern, Switzerland, french is the official language of the UPU. English was added as a language in 1994. The majority of the UPUs documents and publications – including its flagship magazine, prior to the establishment of the UPU, each country had to prepare a separate postal treaty with other nations it wished to carry international mail to or from. In some cases, senders would have to calculate postage for each leg of a journey, to simplify the complexity of this system, the United States called for an International Postal Congress in 1863. This led Heinrich von Stephan, Royal Prussian and later German Minister for Posts and it is currently the third oldest international organization after the Rhine Commission and the ITU. The UPU was created in 1874, initially under the name General Postal Union, four years later, the name was changed to Universal Postal Union. The UPU provides that stamps of nations are accepted for the entire international route. Toward the end of the century, the UPU issued rules concerning stamp design. After the foundation of the United Nations, the UPU became an agency of the UN in 1948. In 1969, the UPU introduced a new system of payment where fees were payable between countries according to the difference in the weight of mail between them. These fees were called terminal dues, ultimately, this new system was fairer when traffic was heavier in one direction than the other. As a matter of example, in 2012, terminal dues for transit from China to the USA was 0.635 SDR/kg, as this affected the cost of the delivery of periodicals, the UPU devised a new threshold system, which it later implemented in 1991. The system sets separate letter and periodical rates for countries which receive at least 150 tonnes of mail annually, for countries with less mail, the original flat rate is still maintained. The United States has negotiated a separate terminal dues formula with thirteen European countries that includes a rate per piece plus a rate per kilogram, the UPU also operates the system of International Reply Coupons and addresses concerns with ETOEs. Standards are important prerequisites for effective operations and for interconnecting the global network
34.
World Health Organization
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The World Health Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, headquartered in Geneva, the WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Its predecessor, the Health Organization, was an agency of the League of Nations, the constitution of the World Health Organization had been signed by 61 countries on 22 July 1946, with the first meeting of the World Health Assembly finishing on 24 July 1948. It incorporated the Office international dhygiène publique and the League of Nations Health Organization, since its creation, it has played a leading role in the eradication of smallpox. The WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, an international publication on health, the worldwide World Health Survey. The head of WHO is Margaret Chan, the 2014/2015 proposed budget of the WHO is about US$4 billion. About US$930 million are to be provided by member states with a further US$3 billion to be from voluntary contributions, after failing to get a resolution passed on the subject, Alger Hiss, the Secretary General of the conference, recommended using a declaration to establish such an organisation. Dr. Sze and other delegates lobbied and a declaration passed calling for a conference on health. The use of the world, rather than international, emphasised the truly global nature of what the organisation was seeking to achieve. The constitution of the World Health Organization was signed by all 51 countries of the United Nations and it thus became the first specialised agency of the United Nations to which every member subscribed. Its constitution formally came into force on the first World Health Day on 7 April 1948, the first meeting of the World Health Assembly finished on 24 July 1948, having secured a budget of US$5 million for the 1949 year. Andrija Stampar was the Assemblys first president, and G. Brock Chisholm was appointed Director-General of WHO and its first priorities were to control the spread of malaria, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections, and to improve maternal and child health, nutrition and environmental hygiene. Its first legislative act was concerning the compilation of statistics on the spread. The logo of the World Health Organization features the Rod of Asclepius as a symbol for healing, in 1947 the WHO established an epidemiological information service via telex, and by 1950 a mass tuberculosis inoculation drive using the BCG vaccine was under way. In 1955, the eradication programme was launched, although it was later altered in objective. 1965 saw the first report on diabetes mellitus and the creation of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In 1958, Viktor Zhdanov, Deputy Minister of Health for the USSR, called on the World Health Assembly to undertake an initiative to eradicate smallpox. At this point,2 million people were dying from smallpox every year, in 1966, WHO moved into its headquarters building
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World Intellectual Property Organization
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The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of property throughout the world. WIPO currently has 189 member states, administers 26 international treaties, the current Director-General of WIPO is Francis Gurry, who took office on October 1,2008. 186 of the UN Members as well as the Cook Islands, Holy See, non-members are the states of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, South Sudan and East Timor. WIPO was formally created by the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, under Article 3 of this Convention, WIPO seeks to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world. WIPO became an agency of the UN in 1974. Unlike other branches of the United Nations, WIPO has significant financial resources independent of the contributions from its Member States and this proposal was well supported by developing countries. A number of civil society bodies have been working on a draft Access to Knowledge treaty which they would like to see introduced. In December 2011, WIPO published its first World Intellectual Property Report on the Changing Face of Innovation, WIPO is also a co-publisher of the Global Innovation Index. WIPO has established WIPOnet, an information network. The project seeks to link over 300 intellectual property offices in all WIPO Member States, in addition to providing a means of secure communication among all connected parties, WIPOnet is the foundation for WIPOs intellectual property services. The Economics and Statistics Division is responsible for collecting statistics on IP activity worldwide, in addition, the Division carries out economic analysis on how IP and innovation policy choices affect economic performance
36.
World Bank
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The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to countries of the world for capital programs. It comprises two institutions, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Development Association, the World Bank is a component of the World Bank Group, which is part of the United Nations system. The World Banks stated official goal is the reduction of poverty, the president of the World Bank is, traditionally, an American. The World Bank and the IMF are both based in Washington, D. C. and work closely with each other, although many countries were represented at the Bretton Woods Conference, the United States and United Kingdom were the most powerful in attendance and dominated the negotiations. Before 1974 the reconstruction and development loans provided by the World Bank were relatively small, the Banks staff were aware of the need to instill confidence in the bank. Fiscal conservatism ruled, and loan applications had to meet strict criteria, the first country to receive a World Bank loan was France. The Banks president at the time, John McCloy, chose France over two other applicants, Poland and Chile, the loan was for US$250 million, half the amount requested, and it came with strict conditions. France had to agree to produce a budget and give priority of debt repayment to the World Bank over other governments. World Bank staff closely monitored the use of the funds to ensure that the French government met the conditions. In addition, before the loan was approved, the United States State Department told the French government that its members associated with the Communist Party would first have to be removed, the French government complied with this diktat and removed the Communist coalition government - the so-called tripartisme. Within hours, the loan to France was approved, when the Marshall Plan went into effect in 1947, many European countries began receiving aid from other sources. Faced with this competition, the World Bank shifted its focus to non-European countries, in 1960, the International Development Association was formed, providing soft loans to developing countries. From 1974 to 1980 the bank concentrated on meeting the needs of people in the developing world. The size and number of loans to borrowers was greatly increased as loan targets expanded from infrastructure into social services and these changes can be attributed to Robert McNamara, who was appointed to the presidency in 1968 by Lyndon B. Johnson. McNamara implored bank treasurer Eugene Rotberg to seek out new sources of capital outside of the banks that had been the primary sources of funding. Rotberg used the bond market to increase the capital available to the bank. One consequence of the period of poverty alleviation lending was the rise of third world debt. From 1976 to 1980 developing world debt rose at an annual rate of 20%
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International Monetary Fund
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The International Monetary Fund is an international organization headquartered in Washington, D. C. It now plays a role in the management of balance of payments difficulties. Countries contribute funds to a pool through a system from which countries experiencing balance of payments problems can borrow money. As of 2016, the fund had SDR477 billion, the rationale for this is that private international capital markets function imperfectly and many countries have limited access to financial markets. The IMF provides alternate sources of financing and this assistance was meant to prevent the spread of international economic crises. The IMF was also intended to help mend the pieces of the economy after the Great Depression. As well, to provide investments for economic growth and projects such as infrastructure. The IMFs role was altered by the floating exchange rates post-1971. It shifted to examining the economic policies of countries with IMF loan agreements to determine if a shortage of capital was due to economic fluctuations or economic policy, the IMF also researched what types of government policy would ensure economic recovery. Rather than maintaining a position of oversight of only exchange rates and their role became a lot more active because the IMF now manages economic policy rather than just exchange rates. In addition, the IMF negotiates conditions on lending and loans under their policy of conditionality, nonconcessional loans, which include interest rates, are provided mainly through Stand-By Arrangements, the Flexible Credit Line, the Precautionary and Liquidity Line, and the Extended Fund Facility. The IMF provides emergency assistance via the Rapid Financing Instrument to members facing urgent balance-of-payments needs, the IMF is mandated to oversee the international monetary and financial system and monitor the economic and financial policies of its member countries. This activity is known as surveillance and facilitates international cooperation, the responsibilities changed from those of guardian to those of overseer of members’ policies. In 1995 the International Monetary Fund began work on data dissemination standards with the view of guiding IMF member countries to disseminate their economic and financial data to the public. The executive board approved the SDDS and GDDS in 1996 and 1997 respectively, the system is aimed primarily at statisticians and aims to improve many aspects of statistical systems in a country. It is also part of the World Bank Millennium Development Goals, some countries initially used the GDDS, but later upgraded to SDDS. The IMF does require collateral from countries for loans but also requires the government seeking assistance to correct its macroeconomic imbalances in the form of policy reform, if the conditions are not met, the funds are withheld. The concept of conditionality was introduced in a 1952 Executive Board decision, conditionality is associated with economic theory as well as an enforcement mechanism for repayment
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Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
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Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an international organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states, with a collective population of over 1.6 billion as of 2008. The OIC has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union, the official languages of the OIC are Arabic, English, and French. Since the 19th century, some Muslims had aspired to ummah to serve their political, economic. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Caliphate after World War I left a vacuum for a pan-Islamic institution, the al-Aqsa fire is regarded as one of the catalysts for the formation of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in 1972. Leaders of Muslim nations met in Rabat to establish the OIC on 25 September 1969, the emblem of the OIC contains three main elements that reflect its vision and mission as incorporated in its new Charter. These elements are, the Kaaba, the Globe, and the Crescent, in June 2008, the OIC conducted a formal revision of its charter. The revised charter set out to promote human rights, fundamental freedoms, the revisions also removed any mention of the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam. Within the revised charter, the OIC has chosen to support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, according to the UNHCR, OIC countries hosted 18 million refugees by the end of 2010. Since then OIC members have absorbed refugees from conflicts, including the uprising in Syria. In May 2012, the OIC addressed these concerns at the Refugees in the Muslim World conference in Ashgabat, on 28 June 2011 during the 38th Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan the organisation changed its name from Organisation of the Islamic Conference to its current name. The OIC also changed its logo at this time, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has 57 members,56 of which are also member states of the United Nations. Some, especially in West Africa, are – though with large Muslim populations – not necessarily Muslim majority countries. A few countries with significant Muslim populations, such as Russia and Thailand, sit as Observer States, while others, the collective population of OIC member states is over 1.6 billion as of 2008. The Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States was established in Iran in 1999, only OIC members are entitled to membership in the union. On 27 June 2007, then-United States President George W. Bush announced that the United States would establish an envoy to the OIC. Bush said of the envoy, Our special envoy will listen to and learn from representatives from Muslim states, as of June 2015, Arsalan Suleman is acting special envoy. He was appointed on 13 February 2015, the OIC, on 28 March 2008, joined the criticism of the film Fitna by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, which features disturbing images of violent acts juxtaposed with alleged verses from the Quran. In March 2015, the OIC announced its support for the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen against the Shia Houthis, the OIC supports a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Algeria
Egypt
Eritrea
Kenya
Senegal
Somalia
Tanzania
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Mexico
Peru
United States
Uruguay
Afghanistan
Armenia
Bahrain
Bangladesh
China
Georgia
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Japan
Kuwait
Malaysia
North Korea
Oman
Pakistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
South Korea
Albania
Denmark
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Kosovo
Poland
Russia
Serbia
Spain
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Australia
New Zealand
Solomon Islands
Tuvalu