Good debaters know their stuff. This is some stuff you should definitely know if you’re debating the UN resolution.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and that’s on purpose, because ya’ll feel like reading through pages of acronyms exactly as much as I feel like compiling them. Not much. There’s another reason though, that’s smarter sounding and almost as honest. These are the terms everybody needs to know. So start here and expand your knowledge into specific areas depending on what cases you run or expect to hit. Somalia case = learn UNCLOS, etc.
UN – United Nations.
EU – European Union
AU – African Union
NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
UNHQ – UN Headquarters.
UNSC – UN Security Council (or SC – Security Council). 15 members, 5 permanent and 10 nonpermanent. Permanent members are China, France, Russia, UK, and the US. Nonpermanent members are appointed by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms.
UNSCR – UN Security Council Resolutions. Resolutions passed by the UN Security Council and legally binding on member countries.
ECOSOC – Economic and Social Council. One of the five “branches” of the UN, composed of 54 member countries. Deals with issues pertaining to the international economy and some social work.
ICJ – International Court of Justice. The judicial branch of the UN, composed of 15 judges with 9 year terms. 5 new judges appointed every 3 years. General Assembly and Security Council determine judge appointments. ICJ rulings are not legally binding unless backed by a UNSCR.
WHO – World Health Organization. UN agency tasked with setting international norms and providing global leadership on health issues.
UNDP – United Nations Development Programme.
WFP – World Food Programme.
WTO – World Trade Organization.
WB – World Bank.
IMO – International Maritime Organization.
DPKO – Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
C-34 – Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. Reviews any issues related to peacekeeping activities, reports to the General Assembly.
MOU – Memorandum of Understanding.
CIMIC – Civil Military Coordination.
CIVPOL – Civilian Police.
WMD – Weapons of Mass Destruction.
MAD – Mutually Assured Destruction.
NGO – Non-Governmental Organization.
MOSS – Minimum Operating Security Standards.