United Nations is one of the most reputed organisations in the world and it has been in action since 1945, the agency was formed to meet any unwanted circumstances that may lead to war like situation but the question at hand is whether the United Nations has been successful in achieving its intended goals. First, let’s understand why the UN was established. In response to the damages of World War I, powerful nations created an organization called the League of Nations. However, this organization failed to prevent World War II, leading to widespread devastation once again. Following this, countries like the USA, Russia, UK, and France came together to form an institution aimed at creating a peaceful and secure world and promoting negotiations between nations. We know this organization as the United Nations. The purpose I mentioned earlier is enshrined in Article 1 of the UN Charter. However, the big question is why the UN did not take action when Russia attacked Ukraine, when there were major terrorist attacks in Israel followed by Israeli attacks on Gaza, a military coup in Myanmar, and ongoing unrest in the Middle East for many years. Before understanding the failure of the UN, we need to understand its functioning. The UN has many departments, but the most important are the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. In the UN General Assembly, each member state sends a representative who has the right to propose any resolution. On the other hand, there is the UN Security Council, which consists of 15 members, including 5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. The problem here is that whenever a matter related to peace and security is to be brought to the UN, approval must be obtained from the UN Security Council. Approval from at least 9 out of 15 members is required, but if any of the permanent members (The permanent members include the USA, the UK, France, Russia and China) opposes, they can veto the decision, and the matter is closed. In recent years, the world has paid the price for the fight between the West and the East. In most cases, Russia and China unite, while the USA, UK, and France form another group, and there is often no consensus, so the UN, whose responsibility is world peace, silently watches the spectacle unfold. The UN also has its own court, known as the International Court of Justice, but it does not handle criminal cases; for that, there is a separate International Criminal Court. Even the rulings of International criminal court is not binding on the countries and for action International criminal court again depends on the security council. It would not be wrong to say that the UN has become merely an agency that distributes relief supplies worldwide and where global policies are discussed and guidelines related to those policies are determined. Currently, the UN is unable to do much more. Trust in the UN is declining worldwide, and if the UN is to survive in the coming days, it will need to make significant changes. Decisions should not be based solely on personal opinions but on the impact on the world.
