The present order of the UN is not capable of dealing with the challenges of today
The External Affairs Minister’s address to the United Nations once again highlighted the obsolete structure of the United Nations Security Council. Time and again, we have heard about the urgency regarding the reforms at the UNO. This proposition becomes stronger during a military conflict, especially one that involves a P5 member directly or indirectly. Why is a military conflict so dependent upon the disposition of a few big powers? UNO has failed to act decisively during several military conflicts since its inception. The Russia-Ukraine conflict and Israel-Palestine conflict are a recent case in point. This was not why the UN was established. The UN was established on the principles of collective security and collective intervention to maintain peace and security. But, it seems that this post-World War multilateral institution lacks the authority to act effectively. This is a potent sign that the UN needs to be restructured to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Disproportionate Power
Out of 193 members of the UN, the Security Council has 15 amongst whom 5 are permanent with veto power. This disproportionate representation is the root cause why the UN has become a battleground for the P5 members’ agenda. Any action against a permanent member is vetoed by the member itself. This has become a joke and it’s a joke that’s not even funny. This is against the spirit of Article 2 of the UN Charter which talks about sovereign equality and cooperation.
The credibility of the UN needs to be protected and for that, it has to be restructured. More permanent & non-permanent members must be added to the Security Council and the veto power must be abolished. More members will bring more dimensions to the deliberations in the Council and make it more representative. This will also lead to better finances for the UN and make the Department of Peace Operations more effective. Moreover, this would be in line with the principle of International Equality.
Whereas, International Inequality paves way for unilateral exploitation and domination. Peace becomes a distant dream when your voice is subdued by a privileged country at the UN proceedings. Arguably, the UNSC is the most powerful UN Organ, but the International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly need to be on par with it. Judicial and Legislative empowerment of the UN will prevent arbitrary actions and give a fillip to the rights-based discourses.
Voices for Change
L69 and G4 countries have long advocated the need for reforms at the UN. But, that has not been possible because the P5 countries do not support it unanimously. Various issues arise due to the undemocratic structure of the UN. During the COVID, WHO could not act the way it should have acted. Countries like Sri Lanka do not get support from the IMF which they should in order to deal with the financial crises. Developing countries have to depend on P5 members for diplomatic support at the UN proceedings.
Signs of Declining Relevance
The news of Israel declaring the UN Secretary-General as ‘persona non grata’ does not paint a good picture of the UN. It hints towards the irrelevancy of the UN at a time when the world needs it pretty much. United Nations could be a great platform to channel global cooperation for the betterment of humanity. Domains like space, international waters, pandemics, climate change, and artificial intelligence need global cooperation to achieve substantial success.
Unilateralism and the Erosion of Collective Security
The current scenario makes the UN appear as a subservient body and unilateral sanctions are the only viable option left for the powerful States to levy. However, sanctions have limitations as they could be bypassed. Moreover, they cannot be an alternative to the institutionalized mechanism to deal with conflicts. Unilateral sanctions have also been questioned for their ethical legitimacy. Lobbying in the UN for votes is also on the rise and we have witnessed P5 members lobbying other States to vote in their favour. Non-permanent members align with the P5 members to ensure their support at the UN. This way various resolutions condemning Human Rights violations have failed to be adopted.
The only way forward
Times have changed and we are not living in the post-World War Bipolar world. The UN, which was established on the backdrop of the world wars, needs some serious reforms to deal with the present challenges to avoid a fate akin to the League of Nations. The nations are sovereign but a multilateral platform is required to maintain peace worldwide. This is possible only when the UN has substantial authority and legitimacy. International affairs have been dominated by Realism and small countries have paid the price of the same. To make things liberal, UN reform is a must and this is supported in principle by the various P5 States. But the question is can they walk the talk?
Is the United Nations Organization repeating the League of Nations mistake?
The present order of the UN is not capable of dealing with the challenges of today
The External Affairs Minister’s address to the United Nations once again highlighted the obsolete structure of the United Nations Security Council. Time and again, we have heard about the urgency regarding the reforms at the UNO. This proposition becomes stronger during a military conflict, especially one that involves a P5 member directly or indirectly. Why is a military conflict so dependent upon the disposition of a few big powers? UNO has failed to act decisively during several military conflicts since its inception. The Russia-Ukraine conflict and Israel-Palestine conflict are a recent case in point. This was not why the UN was established. The UN was established on the principles of collective security and collective intervention to maintain peace and security. But, it seems that this post-World War multilateral institution lacks the authority to act effectively. This is a potent sign that the UN needs to be restructured to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Disproportionate Power
Out of 193 members of the UN, the Security Council has 15 amongst whom 5 are permanent with veto power. This disproportionate representation is the root cause why the UN has become a battleground for the P5 members’ agenda. Any action against a permanent member is vetoed by the member itself. This has become a joke and it’s a joke that’s not even funny. This is against the spirit of Article 2 of the UN Charter which talks about sovereign equality and cooperation.
The credibility of the UN needs to be protected and for that, it has to be restructured. More permanent & non-permanent members must be added to the Security Council and the veto power must be abolished. More members will bring more dimensions to the deliberations in the Council and make it more representative. This will also lead to better finances for the UN and make the Department of Peace Operations more effective. Moreover, this would be in line with the principle of International Equality.
Whereas, International Inequality paves way for unilateral exploitation and domination. Peace becomes a distant dream when your voice is subdued by a privileged country at the UN proceedings. Arguably, the UNSC is the most powerful UN Organ, but the International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly need to be on par with it. Judicial and Legislative empowerment of the UN will prevent arbitrary actions and give a fillip to the rights-based discourses.
Voices for Change
L69 and G4 countries have long advocated the need for reforms at the UN. But, that has not been possible because the P5 countries do not support it unanimously. Various issues arise due to the undemocratic structure of the UN. During the COVID, WHO could not act the way it should have acted. Countries like Sri Lanka do not get support from the IMF which they should in order to deal with the financial crises. Developing countries have to depend on P5 members for diplomatic support at the UN proceedings.
Signs of Declining Relevance
The news of Israel declaring the UN Secretary-General as ‘persona non grata’ does not paint a good picture of the UN. It hints towards the irrelevancy of the UN at a time when the world needs it pretty much. United Nations could be a great platform to channel global cooperation for the betterment of humanity. Domains like space, international waters, pandemics, climate change, and artificial intelligence need global cooperation to achieve substantial success.
Unilateralism and the Erosion of Collective Security
The current scenario makes the UN appear as a subservient body and unilateral sanctions are the only viable option left for the powerful States to levy. However, sanctions have limitations as they could be bypassed. Moreover, they cannot be an alternative to the institutionalized mechanism to deal with conflicts. Unilateral sanctions have also been questioned for their ethical legitimacy. Lobbying in the UN for votes is also on the rise and we have witnessed P5 members lobbying other States to vote in their favour. Non-permanent members align with the P5 members to ensure their support at the UN. This way various resolutions condemning Human Rights violations have failed to be adopted.
The only way forward
Times have changed and we are not living in the post-World War Bipolar world. The UN, which was established on the backdrop of the world wars, needs some serious reforms to deal with the present challenges to avoid a fate akin to the League of Nations. The nations are sovereign but a multilateral platform is required to maintain peace worldwide. This is possible only when the UN has substantial authority and legitimacy. International affairs have been dominated by Realism and small countries have paid the price of the same. To make things liberal, UN reform is a must and this is supported in principle by the various P5 States. But the question is can they walk the talk?
Author
Anusreeta Dutta and Aakash Bajpai