President Donald Trump World

An excerpt from the reports from Council on Foreign Relations. The $18 trillion U.S. economy relies on a vast network of infrastructure from roads and bridges to freight rail and ports to electrical grids and internet provision. But the systems currently in place were built decades ago, and economists say that delays and rising maintenance costs are holding economic performance back. Civil engineers raise safety concerns as well, warning that many bridges are structurally deficient and that antiquated drinking water and wastewater systems pose risks to public health. Meanwhile, Americans’ international peers enjoy more efficient and reliable services, and their public investment in infrastructure is on average nearly double that of the United States. Economists argue that robust investment in infrastructure in the twentieth century set the foundation for the nation’s strong growth in the aftermath of World War II. And as engineer and historian Henry Petroski explain in his boo...

Year of entry Countries 01/01/1958 Belgium France Germany Italy Luxembourg Netherlands 01/01/1973 Denmark Ireland United Kingdom 01/01/1981 Greece 01/01/1986 Portugal Spain 01/01/1995 Austria Finland Sweden 01/05/2004 Cyprus Czechia Estonia Hungary Latvia Lithuania Malta Poland Slovakia Slovenia 01/01/2007 Bulgaria Romania 01/07/2013 Croatia

Brexit: For the time being, the United Kingdom remains a full member of the EU and rights and obligations continue to fully apply in and to the UK. The EU was not always as big as it is today. When European countries started to cooperate economically in 1951, only Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands participated. Over time, more and more countries decided to join. The Union reached its current size of 28 EU countries. The euro (€) is the official currency of 19 out of 28 EU countries of the EU. These countries are collectively known as the Eurozone. The Schengen Area is one of the greatest achievements of the EU. It is an area without internal borders, an area within which citizens, many non-EU nationals, business people and tourists can freely circulate without being subjected to border checks. Since 1985, it has gradually grown and encompasses today almost all EU countries and a few associated non-EU countries. While having abolished their inter...

The European Union is a unique economic and political union between 28 EU countries that together cover much of the continent. The predecessor of the EU was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. The first steps were to foster economic cooperation: the idea being that countries that trade with one another become economically interdependent and so more likely to avoid conflict. The result was the European Economic Community (EEC), created in 1958, and initially increasing economic cooperation between six countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Since then, 22 other members joined and a huge single market (also known as the 'internal' market) has been created and continues to develop towards its full potential. What began as a purely economic union has evolved into an organization spanning policy areas, from climate, environment and health to external relations and security, justice and migration. A name change from the Europ...

The term “human rights” was mentioned seven times in the UN's founding Charter, making the promotion and protection of human rights a key purpose and guiding principle of the Organization.  In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights brought human rights into the realm of international law.  Since then, the Organization has diligently protected human rights through legal instruments and on-the-ground activities. How does the UN promote and protect human rights? High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has lead responsibility in the UN system for the promotion and protection of human rights.  The office supports the human rights components of peacekeeping missions in several countries and has many countries and regional offices and centres. The High Commissioner for Human Rights regularly comments on human rights situations in the world and has the authority to investigate situations and issue reports o...

From the start in 1945, one of the main priorities of the United Nations was to “achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.”  Improving people’s well-being continues to be one of the main focuses of the UN. The global understanding of development has changed over the years, and countries now have agreed that sustainable development – the development that promotes prosperity and economic opportunity, greater social well-being, and protection of the environment – offers the best path forward for improving the lives of people everywhere. Close to 40 per cent of the population of the developing world lived in extreme poverty only two decades ago.  Since then, the world has halved extreme poverty, with the UN’s Millennium Development Goals gr...

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. It has 195 member states. IPCC assessments provide governments, at all levels, with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies. IPCC assessments are a key input into the international negotiations to tackle climate change. IPCC reports are drafted and reviewed in several stages, thus guaranteeing objectivity and transparency. The IPCC assesses the thousands of scientific papers published each year to tell policymakers what we know and don't know about the risks related to climate change. The IPCC id...

How does a country become a Member of the United Nations? Membership in the Organization, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, “is open to all peace-loving States that accept the obligations contained in the United Nations Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able to carry out these obligations”. States are admitted to membership in the United Nations by the decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. How does a new State or Government obtain recognition by the United Nations? The recognition of a new State or Government is an act that only other States and Governments may grant or withhold. It generally implies the readiness to assume diplomatic relations. The United Nations is neither a State nor a Government, and therefore does not possess any authority to recognize either a State or a Government. As an organization of independent States, it may admit a new State to its membership or accept the credentia...

1 January 1942 || The name "United Nations" is coined The name "United Nations", coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt was first used in the Declaration by United Nations of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when representatives of 26 nations pledged their Governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers. 24 October 1945 || The United Nations officially comes into existence In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. Those delegates deliberated on the basis of proposals worked out by the representatives of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States at Dumbarton Oaks, United States in August-October 1944. The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50 countries. Poland, which was not represented at the Conference, signed it later and became one of ...

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945.  It is currently made up of 193 Member States.  The mission and work of the United Nations are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter. The United Nations can take action on the issues confronting humanity in the 21st century, such as peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, human rights, disarmament, terrorism, humanitarian and health emergencies, gender equality, governance, food production, and more. The UN also provides a forum for its members to express their views in the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, and other bodies and committees. By enabling dialogue between its members, and by hosting negotiations, the Organization has become a mechanism for governments to find areas of agreement and solve problems together. 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. Senior Management Group Structu...

Debt - external compares the total public and private debt owed to nonresidents repayable in foreign currency, goods, or services. RANK COUNTRY DEBT - EXTERNAL DATE OF INFORMATION 1 EUROPEAN UNION $29,270,000,000,000 31 DECEMBER 2016 EST. 2 UNITED STATES $17,910,000,000,000 31 MARCH 2016 EST. 3 UNITED KINGDOM $8,126,000,000,000 31 MARCH 2016 EST. 4 FRANCE $5,360,000,000,000 31 MARCH 2016 EST. 5 GERMANY $5,326,000,000,000 31 MARCH 2016 EST. 6 NETHERLANDS $4,063,000,000,000 31 DECEMBER 2016 EST. 7 LUXEMBOURG $3,781,000,000,000 31 MARCH 2016 EST. 8 JAPAN $3,240,000,000,000 31 MARCH 2016 EST. 9 IRELAND $2,470,000,000,000 31 MARCH 2016 EST. 10 ITALY $2,444,000,000,000 31 MARCH 2016 EST. 11 SPAIN $2,094,000,000,000 31 MARCH 2016 EST. 12 AUSTRALIA $1,670,000,000,000 31 DECEMBER 2017 EST. 13 SWITZERLAND $1,664,000,000,000 31 MARCH 2016 EST. 14 CANADA $1,608,000,000,000 31 MARCH 2016 EST. 15 CHINA $1,607,000,000,000 31 DECEMBER 2...