The dysfunctional nature of the United Nations (UN) has been most evident in the past two years as the world community has turned fruitlessly to the nearly 80-year-old body to find solutions to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. There is a lot of good the UN has done over the decades, including in peacekeeping and humanitarian situations, but it has become clear in the past decade that the organisation has not kept pace with a rapidly changing
The dysfunctional nature of the United Nations (UN) has been most evident in the past two years as the world community has turned fruitlessly to the nearly 80-year-old body to find solutions to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. There is a lot of good the UN has done over the decades, including in peacekeeping and humanitarian situations, but it has become clear in the past decade that the organisation has not kept pace with a rapidly changing world order. It is in this context that external affairs minister S Jaishankar recently called for the urgent reform of the UN to better prepare it to take on the dual challenges of peace and development. The world, Jaishankar said while addressing the UN General Assembly last week, “cannot be fatalistic” about violence on a large scale or impervious to its broader consequences. About the ongoing conflicts, he said those who seek to lead must show respect for international law and commitments. India has also for long called for the UN to be made more representative so that large parts of the world are not left behind in deciding on key issues.
The UN’s inability to deal with the Russia-Ukraine conflict was largely the reason why the war became such a central issue at the G20, a forum created to deal with economic matters. In more recent months, the UN has watched silently as Israel thumbed its nose at numerous resolutions related to the conflict in Gaza and the issue of Palestine. There was also the ignominy of the Israeli prime minister ordering a strike on Lebanon while attending the UN General Assembly. Then there are challenges such as terrorism, on which the UN is yet to find common ground or where even a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council can hold up terrorist designations. For years, member States have not even agreed on text-based negotiations for UN reforms.
While countries such as India must find a place in a reformed and expanded Security Council, reform of the UN has to be much more than that. The reforms must ensure that the UN has the wherewithal to make sure that member States abide by its resolutions and that the world body is equipped to deal with matters such as terrorism, digital issues, climate crisis, and conflict resolution.
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