“If we do not want to die together in war, we must learn to live together in peace. With firm faith in our hearts, to sustain us along the hard road to victory, we will find our way to a secure peace, for the ultimate benefit of all humanity. We must build a new world–a far better world–one in which the eternal dignity of man is respected.”

The US President at the time, Harry S. Truman, spoke at the United Nations Conference in San Francisco on April 25, 1945. As a result, on June 26, 1945, a Charter was approved and signed, establishing the ‘United Nations’. In the aftermath of the Second World War and the failure of the League of Nations, the United Nations was born out of the sheer necessity to prevent devastating conflicts and to maintain international peace and security. However, fast-forward to today, the UN is being criticised for its ineffectiveness in addressing global issues, particularly in preventing armed conflicts and insufficient climate action.

 The UN so far..

The term ‘United Nations’ was first used by former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Since then, the UN has continued to be the major international organization dealing with problems that transcend national boundaries and are unlikely for one country to resolve on its own. International conferences hosted all around the world have served a variety of important purposes. They have offered a forum for conversation and information sharing. The conferences evaluate what is already known and contribute to its growth by generating policy assessments. A significant accomplishment in establishing and upholding all of our fundamental rights is the 1948 UN adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since 1947, the World Bank has funded several thousand projects in more than 170 countries and offers grants and loans to developing nations. Numerous initiatives to combat poverty, promote good governance, handle crises, and protect the environment have received funding from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In addition, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been the world’s nuclear inspector for more than 50 years.

The UN has made significant strides in promoting international collaboration on a variety of topics. The proliferation of nuclear weapons, decolonization, trafficking in small arms, racism, overpopulation, hunger, crime, access to safe drinking water, the environment, the role of women, and human rights are just a few of the issues that have been discussed at UN global conferences.

Is its relevance declining?

While the UN has made substantial progress in areas such as peacekeeping and global aid, it has also been criticized for failing to prevent or resolve long-standing disputes, as well as for its structure and decision-making procedures. For instance, both Russia and Israel have continued in their military operations despite resolutions approved by the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) demanding an immediate ceasefire.

Additionally, the NCQG (New Collective Quantified Goal) failed to mobilize the $1.3 trillion in global investment required for climate action in developing markets and underdeveloped nations, despite the fact that COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, concluded with several significant agreements.

India and other developing nations criticized the climate financing agreement reached at COP29 over insufficient funds. The UN’s lack of enforcement authority, the overall composition of the Security Council, and the veto power of the permanent members (viz. the US, UK, France, Russia, and China) have all been criticized by a number of individuals who claim that these factors reflect and reinforce current power imbalances in the world.

BRICS and other

The ‘Rio de Janeiro Declaration,’ which was issued at the end of the 17th BRICS summit in Brazil, emphasized the bloc’s commitment to multilateralism, membership expansion, and elevating the voice of the Global South. Despite its remarkable accomplishments, the summit sparked speculation, owing partly to the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, given the vital role China and Russia play in an evolving global landscape.

The world was bipolar, war-torn, and extremely unequal in terms of development when the majority of the major international institutions formed. Many important organizations in the 21st century, including the World Bank, IMF, and WTO, have come under scrutiny for failing to adequately represent developing nations and for failing to reflect the new global power structure. The global trade system and multilateral frameworks have been disrupted by the rise of protectionist policies like tariffs and trade barriers (such as the US-China trade war), which also threaten the post-World War II principles of free trade and economic integration.

Rethinking global institutions

Our current global institutional model needs to be revised. To offer developing nations more representation and a voice, organizations like the UN Security Council need to be reorganized. Stronger enforcement and conflict resolution with strict regulation and oversight are required for agreements and rules made through international organizations. To effectively monitor global issues including climate change, disarmament, and human rights, financing should be diversified and technology like artificial intelligence (AI), satellite monitoring, and digital data collection should be adopted.

The decisions made in the upcoming years will determine whether these bodies can rise to face the challenges and find a means to “secure peace for the ultimate benefit of all humanity,” as aforesaid by Harry Truman.