United Nations has come a long way since its inception sixty years ago. The essence of UN is based on 3 pillars, i.e. solving an international crisis through mutual consent, in providing a platform to the weaker member-states and making a conscious effort in improving the human life by means of promoting peace. However, the events that have taken place in the contemporary period have somewhat given the impression of UN being redundant in its deeds and opinions. It appears that this world organization has not been able to adapt itself to the swift changes that have set on the international panorama. Let’s discuss them one by one.

UN had been accused in the past of deviating from its original charter and becoming a puppet in the hands of few powerful developed countries. For instance, it completely failed in its efforts in preventing the invasion of Iraq by US and its ally, even though the global opinion was against it and Security Council didn’t approved of it. Even, the UN secretary General termed US invasion as illegal and disregard for UN but still it remained as a mute spectator to America’s misdeeds and had to bow to its unjustified wishes.

Moreover, United Nations has also failed in resolving some of the gravest humanitarian crisis that has engulfed the humanity. In case of Rwanda, where the country suffered from the worst ever civil crisis in which the people were literally butchered like animals but despite all this, UN wasn’t able to muster the requisite support in putting an immediate stop the massacre because the so called guardians of humanity were busy in pursuing their own selfish interests. Same is the case in Darfur in Sudan that tops the list of worst ever humanitarian disaster. United States shipped out a token of its military thereby ignoring its responsibilities by and large. In face of such serious crisis, United Nations wasn’t able to send off a large contingent of peace keeping forces because the permanent members of the Security Council didn’t’ approve a UN resolution of military involvement only because they wanted secure trade relations with Sudan. Armed intervention sanctioned by UN was made in Somalia, Kosovo, East Timor and Sierra Leone. But it was backed by some personal motive.

UN had tarnished its reputation on the diplomatic front too as for long it has not been able to carve out a middle path of some of the political but deadly predicaments in Middle East and South-East Asia. The menace of terrorism has really shaken the foundation of an illustrious international organization. Terror campaigns have been going on in almost every part of the world; the big question that arises is why UN is not being able to convince its member-states to form uniform sensitivity on terrorism. Still in the contemporary era it has not been able to develop a spirit of mutual trust and co-operation among all the member-nations.

Nuclear disarmament has been a major concern for everyone, but here also UN has proved to be irrelevant because the global treaties such as CTBT & NPT have not been able to accommodate the views of developing nations and appears as discriminatory in character that tends to put restrictions on the countries apart from permanent members of its security council. Moreover, it has not even been able to restrict nuclear proliferation on a temporary basis which has only tended to boost the self-confidence of rouge elements. UN in all its years, proved to be a useless organization to control naked violence that are bizarrely labeled as battles for freedom.

There has been a long cry over the restructuring of the Security Council so as to give due place to the legitimate concern of the countries that are being brutally battered by acts of terrorism. Besides that, UN also needs to bring some fundamental changes in its other associated organizations; such as, Human Rights Council needs to be given punitive powers so that it can punish the alleged violators of human rights.

CONCLUSION

Though, UN is still respected as a credible and authentic organization in its efforts towards social causes but it still needs to be more flexible in its approach towards the on-going events that are prevalent in the current scenario and are threatening the human existence to a greater degree. It should try and make its general assembly as a relevant forum; the collective decision of which would be binding on all the member states be it developed or developing countries. Its other associated bodies must rise to the urgent desires and burden of the third world instead of simply being dummies in the hands of wealthier nations so as to make it more relevant & adaptable towards the varying global scenario.

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