CATS College Canterbury

Has the United Nations outlived its usefulness and what could be done to improve its role in the International System?

Valeriya Koshevaya

CATS College Canterbury

The United Nations is an international organisation formed in 1945 to increase political and economic cooperation among member’s countries. The organisation works on economic and social development programs such as improving human rights and reduces global conflicts. (John Baylis, 2014). In another words the main goal of United Nations is to keeping peace between its member’s countries. United Nations includes 6 main parts such as: Secretariat, Trusteeship, Security Council General assembly, Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice.

The secretariat is an administrative body of UN as all paper work is producing there, it’s include 8900 staffs and based in New York.(John Baylis, 2014). Second part of the UN is a Trusteeship, which is in favour of self-determination (to make colonies or countries out of control or pressure from countries which have a high power). (John Baylis, 2014). The third part is a Security Council, the place where a power of United Nations lies. It’s made up of 15 members countries, where 5 is permanent (has a veto power/ high and powerful voice, which no one else can beat) – Russia, China, UK, USA and France, and 10 non-permanent. The SC., trying power to solve problems peacefully.(John Baylis, 2014). The next part is a General Assembly, a meeting in which debates are take place, and it’s including a world opinion. General Assembly Is a moral authority of international community of nations with a 193 members. (UN Web Services Section, 2005). Economic and Social Council –that is basically about people and money problems. ECOSOC committed an ample collection of stockholders. (John Baylis, 2014).And the last one which is an International Court of Justice including 15 Judges jointly elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council with a 9 years term they are adjudicates on conflicts between countries.(John Baylis, 2014).

As the main aim of the United Nations is a peacekeeping, they are trying to solve all of the conflicts in a peaceful way (without a weapons and violence). Until today’s days The United Nations did a lot of successful investments to keep peace and international security, they also successfully promote international development and peace in its member countries. As the major issues all over the world today is a question of a peace and development, the United Nations is an organisation, which is a best suitable way of dealing with these issues. (Nations, 2007). The United Nations has one really strong example of successful peacekeeping operation, which was in Liberia. There were 15 years old civil wars, which take souls of more than 250, 000, people and seriously injured around a one million. (Foundation, 2012). Liberia was fully destroyed. In 2003 the Security Council of United Nations make a decision of producing of a peacekeepers mission to participate in development of Liberia. The United Nations returns basic services to the Liberians population. (Foundation, 2012). This suggests that United Nations playing a really important role in todays International System. There are also a lot of advantages of their work such as Human Rights without which, world would be different now, as because of the human rights we don’t have a death penalty and a peoples life worth now more then ever before of Human Rights. (John Baylis, 2014). Another advantage of this organisation is an amount of work with a health education and buildings, which they are doing for non-development countries. In a conflict period, UN’s peacekeepers provide a good support for civilians such as foodstuffs and medicaments. They could be associate as a hope and a spirit of civilians in a hard time. However not all of their operations was as much successful as in Liberia. The main example of uselessness of the United Nations is genocide in Rwanda. This mission was only on a peacekeeping and definitely not on peace enforcement. This failure was in most because of the Secretariat, which is based in New York. UN military commander was planning to launch emotive raids on the militia’s arms caches but Annan and The Secretariat both blocked this. Everyone got promoted but military commander. He suffered a complete mental breakdown when he has returned to Canada.(Alice, 2012).

There are several numbers of disadvantages of the United Nations organisation. First of all is a UN structure, specifically Security Council. The main problem there is a veto power which only 5 permanent countries has. Unfortunately not all of the countries are carry peace and some of them are likely to use a veto power for their own goods.(John Baylis, 2014) For example nowadays there are a war between the Russia and Ukraine, and in this case if Ukraine will ask the United Nations for help, and Russia would not accept it, nothing will changes even if the higher amount of members countries will accept it, because Russia has a veto power and aloud to make a final decision. Furthermore it is unfair for the same level development countries, which will newer get a veto power. The second weakness within the structure is a General Assembly. The major problem with it is that every country has an equal voice here, therefore it is also unfair that country with a really huge population and good development such as China has an equal voice as Tahiti with a really small population and non that good development infrastructure.(John Baylis, 2014)

Another disadvantages, which are basically related to the UN effectiveness in a conflicts - is blindness about terrorism and inability to create a secure environment for the citizens of the country. First of all UN is not recognising any terroristic actions as their goal is to carry peace. (Foundation, 2012)Furthermore terrorists are not really likely to debate before an action as UN do. Therefore UN is not involved in any terrorist’s political actions, and as a result they are completely blind about terrorism. Secondly, peacekeepers are non effective in case of an armed conflict, as they are not aloud to open the fire in all the ways even if a civilian were killed in front of them, they are aloud to open fire if someone trying to shoot them. Therefore non of civilians can feel safe nearly the UN peacekeepers as the UN are not aloud to take a specific side of the conflict, their aim is to stay neutral. (UN Web Services Section, 2005)

To sum up all advantages and disadvantages of the United Nations, in my opinion it is clear that they outlived their usefulness and if they will continue working with the same structure and not trying to improve it, they would not probably exciting for a long time. However what exactly they could improve or even change to make the United Nations more helpful organisation for everyone?

In my opinion United Nations might improve their usefulness and the structure by reducing a veto power from at least aggressive countries in cases if there are a conflicts included this particular countries. Therefore in case of conflict both of the sides will have an equal voice power and therefore it will be fair for everyone. For example Russia and Ukraine then will have an equal voices and United Nations would probably put a peacekeepers in the Ukraine to support its civilians.

Secondly there is a problem in the General Assembly as I mentioned before. Giving more power to better development countries as they have a higher population and more responsibilities could solve this.

Another improvement could be the right for peacekeepers to use military sources for civilian’s protection, in emergency situations such was in Ruanda genocide. In this case UN will be more powerful and useful for the whole society and for civilian, which is the most important.

The process of debates and a voting process is also taking so long and therefore it would be helpful to reduce a debates time and to do their work faster and as a suggestion, they could increase the number of workers which will lead of increasing the speed of all processes.

However in my personal believe this organisation does not have a future at all because in todays world it would be impossible to change anything as the most powerful countries with a veto power would not like it at all and therefore will reject any changes. The only one future for the United Nations which I can see, it is a volunteer workers which will rebuild cities, teach undulation people, but in case of an armed conflicts and protection, the United Nations are definitely useless. Therefore the main question is, does the International system need Global Governance at all?

First of all Global Governance is a ways in which institutions, businesses and other organisations manage with their occasions. Governance itself is an act of leading and this could include law regulations and also some moral and ethical norms. To have a good Governance means to regulate everything well, to have a good organisation. And it is not about that this rules or law good in general it is more how you organise and control it. (World health organisation, 2012)

References:

Alice. (23 05 2012). Rwanda and United Nations. taken on 30 03 2015, from United Nations: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=534055

Foundation, U. N. (01 01 2012.). UN PEACEKEEPING IS A SUCCESS IN LIBERIA. taken on the 30 03 2015, from United Nations Foundation: http://www.unfoundation.org/who-we-are/impact/our-impact/a-stronger-united-nations/supporting-un-peacekeeping.html

John Baylis, S. S. (2014). The Globalisation of World Politics. England, Oxford, UK: Oxford University press.

Nations, U. (12 04 2007). The Role of the United Nations. taken on the 30 03 2015, from United Nations: http://www.china-un.org/eng/zghlhg/zzhgg/t29436.htm

UN Web Services Section, D. o. (02 08 2005). General Assembly of the United Nations. taken on the 30 03 2015, from United Nations: http://www.un.org/en/ga/

World health organisation. (08 04 2012). Trade, foreign policy, diplomacy and health. taken on the 31 03 2015., from World health organisation: http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story038/en/

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