Founded on October 24th, 1945, the United Nations has always been a controversial international organization, but a part of this: is it still relevant nowadays?
After World War I, the international community began seeking ways to prevent wars and conflicts between countries, leading to the creation of the first international organization: the League of Nations. This institution had only one objective: to prevent a war equal to or greater than WWI, but it failed 20 years later with the beginning of World War II.
After 6 years of massive war worldwide, the winners of World War 2 decided that it was time to be efficient: the League of Nations failed, so the next project should be better at protecting the world. At the San Francisco conference between April and June 1945, the winners of WW2 (USA, UK, France, China, and the Soviet Union,) along with 50 other countries, founded a new model of international organization.
Initial problematics
Since the foundation, the UN’s been on the verge of criticism, due to its form and power division: the General Assembly having almost nothing compared to the Security Council, which can interpose and approve every decision the General Assembly makes. Another problem goes inside the Security Council, for something to be approved or rejected, all 5 members (the winners of WW2) may agree or disagree.
Another big criticism revolving around the UN and other international organizations is the impact on sovereign nations. What’s decided inside the UN does not necessarily need to be imposed in a country. Based on international law, the countries have the power to decide what happens inside their borders, so a decision made by the General Assembly or the Security Council does not have a legal obligation to be implemented inside a sovereign country. Of course, we can see sanctions, like the ones imposed against Russia after the attacks on Ukraine, but even with the sanctions, countries are still capable of functioning.
The Security Council suffers from a big and constant impasse: the need for a consensus on the votes. This is especially difficult in times when we are able to see influential and economic disputes between the members. During the Cold War, the main issue was between the United States and the Soviet Union, but nowadays, the impasse also comes between the United States, Russia, and China.
The great side of the United Nations
When we see the UN only by its dark sides, the great work that’s done in the name of the organization is erased and left behind the problems. The UN’s main objective is to avoid major conflicts between nations, but it also works towards fighting climate change, maintaining human rights, creating and spreading medical information, and reinforcing the global economy.
The UN’s the organization responsible for the COPs, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, where all members (from the General Assembly and Security Council) are invited to debate only climate change. The Paris Agreement is the most well-known action from the COPs; this agreement is still used to create policies revolving around climate; it was formed in the COP21, held in 2016 in France. 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of COPs, and the Conference this year is going to be in Belem, Brazil.
The preservation of human rights is a fundamental key to the UN’s action nowadays. Humanitarian aid is something present in conflicts, where the UN sends different forms of aid: monetary funds, health inputs, and professionals, and creates a space known as a humanitarian corridor focused on the preservation of civilians in risk areas. In the human crisis, the UN’s priority is maintaining people’s safety; a great example of that is the MINUSTAH (2004-2017), United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, which started after a political crisis in the island in 2004. Throughout the years, Haiti’s been through a lot more problems, like the earthquake in 2010 that destabilized what was already unstable. MINUSTAH offered humanitarian aid for the Haitian people through the UN’s military (sent from the member military), known as the blue helmets.
During the pandemic, the World Health Organization, a UN agency, was an essential part of the crisis management. The WHO regularly provides information about how to prevent COVID-19, what the protocols are for evolving the healing process of the virus, and post-care tips and advice. WHO fought denialism governments, like Bolsonaro’s in Brazil and Trump’s in the United States, by giving true information through trustworthy sources of information. Even years after the pandemic ended, the WHO still posts information content, like the breast cancer preventive exam.
Other relevant sections from the UN are the IMF and UNESCO. The IMF is the International Monetary Fund, an organ responsible for sending money to countries in critical situations, such is Greece in 2010. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, responsible for maintaining monetarily different cultures and educational projects worldwide.
The UN is an important organization, responsible for different sections of the International System and millions of jobs around the world. It has its flaws, like every other organization, country, or firm, but in the end, it accomplished its main goal: to prevent a major international conflict. Minor military conflicts have happened throughout the years, what’s been shown to be impossible to control due to the sovereignty of the countries, but the UN has made it clear that they are part of the International System and has proved every part of their influence and importance.
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The article above was edited by Beatriz Gatz.
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