Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Discuss the United Nations and its role in building world peace.

The United Nations (UN) is a global organization formed in 1945 to replace the League of Nations following the catastrophic destruction of World War II. It achieves its stated mission of maintenance of world peace by facilitating world cooperation in international security, international law, social progress, economic development, and human rights. This is attained through the provision of a platform for dialogue where various auxiliary institutions carry out its missions. Its roles include conflict prevention, peace facilitator among disagreeing parties, peacekeeping, enforcement, and creation of an ideal environment for peace and prosperity to flourish. These actions most times overlap and reinforce each other to be effective. UN has 193 member countries that include every sovereign state of the world apart from the Vatican City. The organization has various offices spread across the world where its specialized bureaus deliberate on substantive and administrative matters through regular meetings held throughout the year. Six main organs that help in this role include the General Assembly, the Security Council, The Economic and Social Council, The Secretariat, The International Court of Justice and the United Nations Trusteeship (inactive). Other prominent agencies include the World Health Organization (WHO), The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the world food Program (WFP). Of these bodies, the Security Council has the primary mandate for international peace and security. The secretary-general who is the head of UN, the General Assembly, and the Security Council together with other UN offices and bodies play a complimentary yet important role in nurturing peace and security.
Source
http://www.un.org/en/sections/what-we-do/maintain-international-peace-and-security/


Maintaining world peace was one of the reasons the United Nations was first established in the aftermath of World War II. According to the United Nations itself, it does this in several ways:
working to prevent conflict
helping parties in conflict make peace
peacekeeping
creating the conditions to allow peace to hold and flourish
The main arm of the United Nations responsible for maintaining peace is the Security Council. It is composed of fifteen nations, including China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, which are permanent members. Together, the Security Council mediates disputes, recommends solutions to crises, and sometimes supervises intervention in order to maintain peace. Sometimes this intervention is military in nature. The United Nations has the power to send in international peacekeeping forces. Usually this happens after a ceasefire has been declared in a conflict (often under UN supervision) and also accompanies efforts to provide relief to people affected by conflict. The peacekeeping forces are responsible for enforcing mandates by the Security Council that are voted on by its members. While many question these actions' effectiveness (and indeed that of the UN in general) in crises, the UN reports that there are currently fifteen peacekeeping forces deployed in various places around the world.
https://www.un.org/en/sections/what-we-do/maintain-international-peace-and-security/

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