international organizations, Venezuela participates in a large number of organizations, including the United Nations (U.N.) of which it is a founding member. Venezuela also participates in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, UNESCO, UNCTAD, and the World Health Organization (WHO) among many others. Venezuela has encountered difficulties with the IMF and World Bank of late, mainly due to its lack of willingness to institute economic reforms mandated by these organizations. With respect to the U.N., Venezuela is a founding member and enjoys solid relations with the organization. For example, it was instrumental in negotiations conducted at the Johannesburg Summit and it has ratified the Kyoto Protocol with respect to environmental guidelines. However, it has also been censored by the U.N. with respect to human rights abuses against women. We will now look at the relationships between Venezuela and the U.N., the World Bank, and the IMF, including various organizations that fall under the umbrella of the U.N. with respect to human rights and the environment.
Venezuela enjoys solid relations with the United Nations. Ignacio Arcaya, the Ambassador who is the permanent representative of Venezuela, recently said in his welcome message “As one of its founding members, Venezuela is an active participant on the work of the Organization” (Permanent 1). From economics and disarmament to terrorism and human rights, Venezuela actively participates in many U.N. programs. For example, with respect to globalization and trade, Venezuela has worked diligently with the U.N. where the implementation of the Program of Action for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) for the Decade 2002-2010 is concerned. However, Venezuela has recently complained that this program is being jeopardized because of economic disparity in the international community. According to the American Model United Nations (AMUN) International position...