The UK and International Institutions

The United Nations (UN)

• Set up after World War II to promote international peace and security
• The UK is one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council
  • Other permanent members: USA, France, Russia, China
• The UK plays an active role in UN peacekeeping operations

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

• A military alliance for collective defence
• Set up to resist the perceived threat of invasion by the Soviet Union
• The UK has been a member since NATO's founding in 1949
• An attack on one member is considered an attack on all

The Commonwealth

• An association of approximately 54 countries
• Many were once part of the British Empire
• The monarch is the head of the Commonwealth
• Member countries work together on issues like democracy, development, and trade
• Membership is voluntary

The European Union

• The UK was a member of the EU (previously the EEC) from 1973
• The UK used the pound sterling, not the Euro
• The UK voted to leave the EU in 2016 (Brexit)

The Council of Europe

• Not part of the EU — a separate organisation
• Created the European Convention on Human Rights
• The UK helped to draft the convention