Violent conflict is one of the challenges that the world faces today. From Syria to Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo, there are dozens of nations that are rocked by armed conflicts which have left thousands dead and displaced many more. These conflicts and the devastation that they have caused have raised questions about the effectiveness and relevance of the United Nations (UN). Formed primarily to promote world peace, the UN appears unable to persuade the world to join it in pursuing lasting peace. However, a broader evaluation of this organization shows that it still matters. The evaluation examines the role that the UN continues to play in protecting human rights, the mediatory role that it serves in global conflicts and the influence that it has on tackling climate change.
Summary
To understand why the UN has not lost its relevance, one needs to begin with an exploration of the organization’s creation, purpose and functions. The UN was established in 1945 in response to the pain and devastation that the world had witnessed as a result of the Second World War (UN, n.d). At the time of its establishment, the UN was charged with the mandate of promoting world peace. In addition to being expected to pursue peace, the UN is also involved in initiatives to safeguard human rights and responding to humanitarian crises by providing aid (UN, n.d). Furthermore, this organization strives to boost sustainable economic development across the globe while securing commitments from its member countries to respect international law. In performing its responsibilities, the UN is guided by its charter. Essentially, the charter outlines such issues as the purpose and principles that govern the organization, its membership and organs, among others. The UN has a rather complex structure. This structure is composed of various agencies that are assigned different responsibilities. They include the General Assembly which serves as the decision making body for the whole organization and various smaller agencies that perform more specific functions. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Unite Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO), among others. Currently, there are 193 states that have signed up to become members of the UN.
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Evaluation of the UN
In the following section, using three criteria, an evaluation of the UN’s effectiveness is performed.
Protection of Human Rights
As noted earlier, one of the key functions of the UN is to insulate vulnerable populations against human rights abuses. An analysis of this organization shows that for the most part, it has been effective in tackling human rights violations. There are various instances where the UN has demonstrated its dedication to protecting human rights. For example, through its top leadership, this organization has challenged such nations as Brazil to do more to protect the rights of environmental activists (Chavez, 2019). Furthermore, the UN has established bodies and agencies that are tasked with the specific mandate of securing human rights. For example, the Human Rights Council and the High Commissioner for Human Rights are among the agencies with the obligation of preventing human rights violations. Another example where the UN has become involved in protecting human rights was recently when its top leaders criticized China for violating the basic rights of the Uighur Muslim community (Cumming-Bruce, 2018). This organization has also issued statements condemning civilian deaths in such war-torn countries as Syria. One could argue that the UN merely issues condemnations that have little effect. While this argument is true, it should be remembered that the UN is a complex body that has to balance competing interests. The mere fact that human rights abuses are still prevalent does not mean that the UN is ineffective and has lost all relevance. It simply means that this organization acts in good faith and should be strengthened so that it can pursue violators of human rights.
UN as Mediator in Conflicts and as Peacemaker
There are multiple cases where the UN has successfully mediated in violent conflicts. For example, recently, the UN sent a mediation team to resolve the conflict that has rocked the Western Sahara region. While this effort did not result in a peace agreement, it managed to persuade the warring parties to cease hostilities and to engage in talks aimed at finding lasting peace (Schlein, 2019). Currently, the UN is involved in efforts to restore peace in such unstable nations as Yemen and Libya. Another critical role that the UN has played in promoting peace involves persuading nations to embrace peaceful resolution of conflicts and to terminate programs for building highly destructive weapons. For example, as Spencer (2015) reported, the UN successfully convinced South Africa and Kazakhstan to give up their nuclear weapons initiatives. These successes are strong indications that UN is an effective peacemaker and mediator.
UN Tackling Climate Change
The UN recognizes that climate change is among the most pressing challenges that humanity faces today. It has taken steps to reverse the damage that the planet has suffered as a result of climate change. Among the steps that the UN has taken to combat climate change involves supporting nations to insulate themselves against the damaging impacts of climate change. For instance, in the Asia Pacific region, the UN is involved in programs aimed at facilitating the sharing of information, promoting the adoption of technologies and providing finance that nations use to combat climate change (UNEP, n.d). Issuing warnings about the danger that climate change poses and urging its members to take urgent action is another way through which the UN fights climate change (Besheer, 2019). It is rather soon to determine the effectiveness of the programs that the UN has adopted. However, it can be expected that as it rallies its members to dedicate resources and effort to the war on climate change, the UN will achieve progress.
In conclusion, the United Nations represents the efforts by the global community to pursue peace. Established decades ago, this organization has been successful in reducing the levels of armed conflict. Furthermore, it has taken steps to promote human rights. Climate change is another area where the UN has had an impact. For the UN to register even greater success, it needs the full and unconditional support of all of its member states.
References
Besheer, M. (2019). UN chief urges ‘greater ambition’ in tackling climate change. Voice of America. Retrieved March 31, 2019 from https://www.voanews.com/a/un-chief-urges-greater-ambition-in-tackling-climate-change/4852746.html
Cumming-Bruce, N. (2018). U.N. rights officials criticize China over Muslim internments. The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2019 from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/13/world/asia/un-china-xinjiang-muslim-internments.html
Schlein, L. (2019). UN: no quick, easy solution to Western Sahara conflict. Voice of America. Retrieve March 31, 2019 from https://www.voanews.com/a/un-no-quick-easy-solution-to-western-sahara-conflict/4843193.html
Spencer, R. (2015). UN at 70: five greatest successes and failures. The Telegraph. Retrieved March 31, 2019 from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/switzerland/11700969/UN-at-70-Five-greatest-successes-and-failures.html
United Nations. (n.d). What we do. UN. Retrieved March 31, 2019 from https://www.un.org/en/sections/what-we-do/
United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). (n.d). Helping countries tackle climate change. UN Environment. Retrieved March 31, 2019 from https://www.unenvironment.org/pt-br/node/18266
