{"id":215,"date":"2020-10-24T00:11:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-24T00:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/?p=215"},"modified":"2023-11-12T19:18:22","modified_gmt":"2023-11-12T19:18:22","slug":"united-nations-75th-anniversary-critical-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/index.php\/2020\/10\/24\/united-nations-75th-anniversary-critical-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"UNITED NATIONS 75TH\u00a0ANNIVERSARY: CRITICAL ANALYSIS<\/span>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe new millennium presents the most appropriate time to review the history of United Nations(UN) institution, its successes and failures, and expectations for its future.\u201d Opinions may differ about the successes and failure of the United Nations as an instrument for world peace and security. But everyone will agree that it has played a crucial role in the economic and social advancement of the people. United Nation\u2019s efforts in the early Cold War era concentrated on the relationships between nations and the issues of war and peace. The UN has confronted with the challenges arising from global interdependence and social and economic inequalities. These new realities served to broaden the scope of UN activities and chart the future course of its global involvements. With the end of the Cold War, international concerns expanded to include the increasing economic competition between developed countries, problems of development, environmental degradation, population growth, and the threat of nuclear proliferation, the violation of human rights, and political fragmentation or civil wars within national boundaries. It is the UN that is called upon to confront these new challenges and to develop solutions. Some, concerned with a potential loss of national autonomy, prefer unilateral to multilateral action. But, because of its mandated principles, many believe that the UN is the only actor capable of tackling such daunting problems, although they are aware of the UN\u2019s inadequacies in putting its principles into action. Thus in the above framework, what should be the role of the United Nations in this new global order? How must the UN be reformed to confront its new challenges? What support should the United States provide for the UN, an institution where it holds significant power? and what lessons have we learned, as an international community, to guide the UN into our future? These are the questions we seek to answer through discussions and debates with United Nations. The focus of the discussions and debates with United Nations are hope that we have for the future, peace, prosperity and a fairer more just world. It was these hopes, which led to the establishment of the United Nations following the Second War to devastate the world in the first half of the twentieth century. Today, we also discuss the topic of hope amidst the despair of the death and destruction due to a COVID-19 pandemic and the questioning of the relevance of the UN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Iraq war represents the failure to resolve an international problem through multilateral channels. For the critics of the United Nations, it  represents a failure of that organization. In fact, the UN has been buried many times by critics, but it has survived. It has survived because there would does need a multilateral forum and a framework of international rules to create an order and assist security. Whatever difficulty the UN has in trying to manage divided international opinion over the use of force against Iraq, it is the belief that the UN will be found once more to be essential in managing the post-conflict situation in Iraq. It will be essential firstly in  addressing Iraq\u2019s humanitarian needs. While the UN may have been side-lined by countries opting for unilateral action against Iraq, it is somewhat ironic that it may be called upon to pick up the pieces after the conflict. A range of UN agencies \u2013 the World Food  Programme, UNICEF, the UN High Commission for Refugees and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) needs to spring into action to alleviate hardship and suffering of the civilian population. Those challenging the relevance of the UN, also, of course, ignore the critical role it plays in wider areas of  development, human rights, refugees and the environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United Nations have involved  in Afghanistan for more than fifty years. It works through its  agencies like United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), and many more  agencies. Besides it, it also has  been functioning with  international community\/organizations. The  United Nations took much more  interest in peacekeeping process  in the 1990s. In this time, the  Taliban came to power in  Afghanistan after the civil war.  The Taliban and Al Qaeda are  famous in Afghanistan for threatening its development and  reconstruction process for  peacebuilding. In the Cold War  era, America was funding these terrorist groups for countering the  Soviet army. After the withdrawal of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR),  the capital  was reduced by the U.S. for these  terrorist groups. They were not  getting any financial support from  outside countries. In 2001, the  terrorist attacked in the United  States. This attack made a threat  to Western nations. These  countries came to close and  supported by any means of  sources in America. In 2001, the  America attacked Afghanistan for  combating insurgency groups. It was support for removing the  Taliban from power. After the fall  of the Taliban in 2001, the global  associations\/group attempted the monstrous endeavours to help the  Afghan Government in recreating,  advancement, peacebuilding and  the social improvement  circumstance. The United States  started many programs in  Afghanistan in which the  UNAMA and UNDP play a vital  role in these fields of  reconstruction, development, and  peacebuilding. The UNDP  provided a channel and secured  transparent financial and  management oversight for funds  from a range of donors to the  fragile country because their  institutions are weak and  insufficient management capacity.  The UNDP has been dynamic in  the majority of the key fields  identified with the usage of the  Bonn Agreement understanding.  It ultimately upheld the more  great United Nation Security Council command. The extensive  recuperation and recreation  exertion in Afghanistan are  enormous and muddled. It’s due to a joint effort with the Afghan  government includes U.N. offices,  reciprocal contributors, universal  associations, and neighbourhood   and worldwide non-legislative  associations(NGOs). The related  guide projects in the United States  and its European partners  concentrate on an expansive scope  of exercises, from fortifying the  focal and nearby administrations of Afghanistan and its security  strengths to advancing non military personnel reproduction,  diminishing corruption, and helping with decisions. The scope  and geographic achieve the  UNDP’s program in Afghanistan  severely constrained by security  concerns. The approach of UNDP  had all the earmarks of  constructing less in light of an  orderly examination of the  contention and a technique  tending to the necessary  components of long haul  peacebuilding, and to a greater  extent, an administration introduction drove by the requests  of the global group and later, the  between time Afghan approves. Be that as it may, UNDP has given broad support to the UNAMA in the significant zones of state building. The United Nations accomplish through the international community in Afghanistan for reconstructing peace-building process has have little success in achieving sustainable peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Responsibility to Protect (R2P), the global commitment adopted at the 2005 United Nations World Summit had been central to the international discourse on how to respond to mass atrocity crimes in Syria. Despite the acrimonious debate surrounding the UN Security Council-mandated intervention in Libya in 2011, individual states, regional organizations and UN agencies have struggled to find ways and means of upholding their responsibility to protect the people of Syria. Public censure of atrocities committed by both government forces and armed opposition groups, as well as bilateral sanctions, investigations by the UN Human Rights Council and a Joint Monitoring Mission deployed during the failed 2012 ceasefire, stand as examples of international efforts to confront atrocities in Syria. But it has not been enough. The Responsibility to Protect is an international norm, but it does not possess independent agency. The failure to end atrocities and protect civilians in Syria is not a failure of R2P, but of the imperfect actors and institutions charged of the Syrian government to stop killing its own people. As since responsibility rests with the one body entrusted and mandated by the 193 members of the United Nations with the maintenance of international peace and security \u2013 the United Nations Security Council. Despite resolutions that led to the destruction of Syria\u2019s chemical weapons stockpile and improved access to the 12.2 million suffering Syrian civilians who remain in desperate need of humanitarian  assistance, political divisions and partisan interests within the Security Council have been an insurmountable obstacle. In particular, Russia and China had  on four separate occasions  employed their vetoes to block action in response to mass atrocity crimes in Syria, including a May 2014 draft resolution that would have referred the Syrian situation to the International Criminal Court. As this paper shows, each veto strengthened impunity and encouraged the expansion of war crimes and crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No other organization is able to confront the plethora of cross-border challenges: global diseases including HIV\/AIDS,\u00a0avian influenza viruses, swine influenza viruses, canine influenza viruses, equine influenza viruses, etc. Influenza and best known diseases \u2013 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), COVID-19, Mad Cow,\u00a0malaria and TB\u00a0\u00a0– in the past & recent century, climate change,\u00a0\u00a0environmental degradation, refugee issues, people smuggling, human right, poverty and hunger. It is how it responds to these cross-border challenges. The UN system continues to the international norms by which every member state should abide. In today\u2019s globalizing world, no member state, no matter how powerful it is, can disengage from multilateralism entirely. The UN remains a relevant organisation\u00a0\u00a0and will continue to have a central role to play in the 21st century. Notwithstanding media criticism of the United Nations, what seems\u00a0\u00a0to be forgotten is that the\u00a0\u00a0organisation is only as strong as\u00a0\u00a0the will of its member states. The\u00a0\u00a0United Nations system relies on\u00a0\u00a0the collective will of all its\u00a0\u00a0members. It is these member states\u00a0\u00a0that set its priorities. The UN cannot act without their consent.\u00a0\u00a0It falls therefore upon us all to make the UN relevant in today\u2019s world. In this regard, the United Nations and its members are very aware of the shortcomings of the\u00a0\u00a0organisation. For the UN to meet its potential it needs to reform. It\u00a0\u00a0needs to better prioritise its work\u00a0\u00a0to meet the needs of member\u00a0\u00a0states. This was the essence of the\u00a0\u00a0Secretary General\u2019s second term\u00a0\u00a0reform initiative, which seeks to\u00a0\u00a0strengthen the organisation to\u00a0\u00a0better respond to the priorities\u00a0\u00a0established in the Millennium\u00a0\u00a0Declaration and to meet the needs\u00a0\u00a0of Member States. The United\u00a0\u00a0Nations is not a perfect\u00a0\u00a0organisation, but it remains true\u00a0\u00a0that any nation-state can achieve\u00a0\u00a0far less in isolation than it can\u00a0\u00a0working collectively with other\u00a0\u00a0states under UN auspices. The\u00a0\u00a0Secretary-General envisaged his role as an intermediary and a person who manages peace institutions and also brought about new techniques to the process of\u00a0\u00a0peacekeeping.\u00a0\u00a0The UN elucidated\u00a0\u00a0what human rights is for the international community. It\u00a0\u00a0played an important part in the\u00a0\u00a0decolonisation process by giving\u00a0\u00a0formal recognitions to the newly\u00a0\u00a0independent and formed\u00a0\u00a0countries, and also by aiding them\u00a0\u00a0in their economic and social\u00a0\u00a0development. The UN also played\u00a0\u00a0a huge role in the formation of\u00a0\u00a0international law. By conducting\u00a0\u00a0many international conferences,\u00a0\u00a0the UN progressed towards\u00a0\u00a0building an international consensus on major global\u00a0\u00a0problems such as population,\u00a0\u00a0environment, women\u2019s status,\u00a0\u00a0development, human rights and\u00a0\u00a0such other basic concerns. The\u00a0\u00a0UN specialised agencies steered\u00a0\u00a0major normative and regulatory\u00a0\u00a0arrangements in their respective\u00a0\u00a0fields of activities and also gave\u00a0\u00a0humanitarian aid in many crisis-riddled parts of the globe. More\u00a0\u00a0recently, in spite of many\u00a0\u00a0limitations on resources and\u00a0\u00a0manpower, the UN has somehow\u00a0\u00a0responded to a considerable rise\u00a0\u00a0in the demand for peacekeeping\u00a0\u00a0forces and other emergency\u00a0\u00a0operations in the world. However,\u00a0\u00a0in spite of the reasonably good\u00a0\u00a0record of the UN, it is the organisation\u2019s drawbacks that\u00a0\u00a0receive the highest attention.\u00a0\u00a0Many members have remarked\u00a0\u00a0about the UN\u2019s disappointing\u00a0\u00a0performance but without\u00a0\u00a0acknowledging the fact that the\u00a0\u00a0organisation can only be as effective as the governments\u2019\u00a0\u00a0allowance of it. No doubt the UN\u00a0\u00a0has deficiencies, but it is generally\u00a0\u00a0made a scapegoat of the pitfalls of\u00a0\u00a0the member states. Today,\u00a0\u00a0safeguarding human security in its\u00a0\u00a0broadest sense mandates a fresh\u00a0\u00a0approach both by the UN and the governments. In the context of enhancing the capacity of the UN to tackle emergencies, there is a\u00a0\u00a0need to clarify and rethink its use\u00a0\u00a0of military force. Also, the UN response to many problems like\u00a0\u00a0resource exhaustion, population\u00a0\u00a0explosion, environmental\u00a0\u00a0degradation and migration is yet\u00a0\u00a0to be completely articulated.\u00a0\u00a0Many grave social problems such\u00a0\u00a0as women\u2019s position, unemployment of youth, cultural\u00a0\u00a0diversity, education and\u00a0\u00a0technology impact are being\u00a0\u00a0addressed only now. The UN has\u00a0\u00a0not as yet been able to deal\u00a0\u00a0effectively with such global economic issues as currency\u00a0\u00a0instability, indebtedness,\u00a0\u00a0protectionism, and inequitable\u00a0\u00a0commercial relations. It the\u00a0\u00a0Organization is to realize its potential in the world of the\u00a0\u00a0twenty-first century. It\u2019s members\u00a0\u00a0must recognize and resolve a\u00a0\u00a0paradox caused by the altered\u00a0\u00a0condition of the world. The\u00a0\u00a0association of sovereign states set\u00a0\u00a0up seventy five years ago to \u201csave succeeding generations from the\u00a0\u00a0scourge of war\u201d is now expected to function as the public service sector of a world community that\u00a0\u00a0does not exist as a political entity.\u00a0\u00a0In virtually all of its activities,\u00a0\u00a0from peacekeeping to\u00a0\u00a0development, from human rights\u00a0\u00a0to environmental accords, the\u00a0\u00a0United Nations is being asked to play a larger role and to assume fresh responsibilities at a time\u00a0\u00a0when governments are increasingly anxious to reduce their financial contributions, and\u00a0\u00a0increasingly reluctant to provide the necessary political, military\u00a0\u00a0and material support.\u00a0\u00a0Governments will only give the\u00a0\u00a0needed support if they see the\u00a0\u00a0United Nations as essential for\u00a0\u00a0advancing their interests in an\u00a0\u00a0effective and appropriate manner.\u00a0\u00a0Grappling with their current\u00a0\u00a0concerns, governments can not be expected to invest in totally new formulas of international organization or world\u00a0\u00a0government. The Independent\u00a0\u00a0Working Group on the Future of\u00a0\u00a0the United Nations was convened\u00a0\u00a0by the Ford Foundation in late\u00a0\u00a01993 at the request of former Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali\u00a0\u00a0to reassess the role, mission, and\u00a0\u00a0function of the United Nations.\u00a0\u00a0The Working Group\u2019s Report,\u00a0\u00a0The United Nations in Its Second\u00a0\u00a0Half \u2013 century was presented to\u00a0\u00a0the Secretary-General and\u00a0\u00a0released to the public in 1995.\u00a0\u00a0The working group was chaired\u00a0\u00a0by Moeen Qureshi, former Prime\u00a0\u00a0Minister of Pakistan, and Richard\u00a0\u00a0von Weiszacker, former President\u00a0\u00a0of Germany. Throughout these\u00a0\u00a0Report, it has been repeatedly stressed the need for the Member\u00a0\u00a0States to provide the leadership,\u00a0\u00a0common will and purpose which\u00a0\u00a0are necessary to create a more\u00a0\u00a0effective United Nations as it\u00a0\u00a0enters its next fifty years. The\u00a0\u00a0future United Nations System\u00a0\u00a0Change will not come easily. A\u00a0\u00a0great gulf often exists between\u00a0\u00a0what is ideal and what is politically possible. For now, the key to progress is to understand\u00a0\u00a0the paradox which confronts the\u00a0\u00a0UN, and to work more effectively\u00a0\u00a0through existing mechanisms or,\u00a0\u00a0where further change is necessary,\u00a0\u00a0to improve those mechanisms. The UN\u2019s galaxy of organizations\u00a0\u00a0must be made to operate as an\u00a0\u00a0integrated system within the framework of agreed policies. Its activities, including peacekeeping,\u00a0\u00a0development and social programs,\u00a0\u00a0must complement each other. Its\u00a0\u00a0work has to gain a greater\u00a0\u00a0understanding among the private and nongovernmental sectors, the\u00a0\u00a0public and the media. These goals\u00a0\u00a0are reachable. Indeed, they must be reached soon, if the United Nations is the fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the peoples of the\u00a0\u00a0world whom it was set up to serve. What might a successful UN system look like some decades hence, when our children and\u00a0\u00a0grandchildren confront these global challenges? Such a vision need not imply a total transformation of today\u2019s world.\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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OBSERVERTIMES GLOBAL NEWSNETWORK PRIVATE LIMITED reserves the rights to all content contained within its official website: www.observertimes.in<\/a> \/ Online Magazine\/ Publications<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe new millennium presents the most appropriate time to review the history of United Nations(UN) institution, its successes and failures, and expectations for its future.\u201d Opinions may differ about the successes and failure of the United Nations as an instrument for world peace and security. But everyone will agree that it has played a crucial role in the economic and social advancement of the people. United Nation\u2019s efforts in the early Cold War era concentrated on the relationships between nations and the issues of war and peace. The UN has…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,6,11,17,13,14,4,7,16,12,5,8,9,19,18,20,3],"tags":[],"gutentor_comment":23,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":216,"href":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215\/revisions\/216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/observertimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}