International organizations have and play a critical role in maintaining world peace and security, given this world is confronted with conflict, instability, and threats to human security. The United Nations has stood at the front line of international organizations practicing peacekeeping, conflict resolution, and assisting with democratic governance. The paper, along the same line of thought, looks at the immense contributions the international organizations, in particular the UN, have been able to offer and how these organizations have provided for the human need for peace, security, and democracy around the globe.
The United Nations: A Pillar of Global Peace and Security
1. The Foundation and Mandate of the United Nations
The United Nations was formed in 1945, just upon the conclusion of World War II, with the primary goals of preventing other wars and promoting peace between nations. The UN Charter articulates the objectives, which are mainly aimed at maintaining international peace and security, fostering social progress, and better standards of living as well as human rights. The articulated goals place the United Nations at the center of global governance.
2. Peacekeeping Operations
Among the most distinctive human face and an embodiment of a high-impact role of the United Nations is seen in peacekeeping operations. UN peacekeepers, in most colloquial terms "Blue Helmets," are deployed within conflict zones to aid in maintaining peace and security, monitor the situations of ceasefires, protect civilians, and assist in the process of disarmament, demobilization, and the reintegration process of the former combatants.
A. Major Missions of Peacekeeping
- The Congo, 1960-1964: ONUC is amongst the earliest and most challenging of the peacekeeping missions embarked on by the UN. Taking place shortly after gaining independence from Belgium, it concerns stabilizing the country at times of very serious political crisis and conflict.
- Cambodia, 1991-1993: The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) helped put an end to the years of fighting by signing a ceasefire, then turning attention to the disarming of soldiers and holding the first democratic elections in the country.
- Rwanda, 1993-1996: While it failed to stop the genocides that racked the country, the UN mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) nevertheless highlights some of the problems and weaknesses of the peacekeeping scenario. Still, it shows at the same time to be an omen for necessary reform in the way the UN manages its theory of operations in the field of peacekeeping.
- South Sudan, 2011-present: The United Nations Mission in South Sudan aims to assist the newest nation in the world, torn by internal war since its independence.
B. Peacekeeping Challenges
Although UN peacekeeping operations have been quite effective in preventing and postponing the resumptions of conflicts, they still have many challenges to overcome—
- Inadequate Resources: Peacekeeping Missions often experience a shortage of resources, and this does not allow them to work in full swing according to their mandates.
- Complex political environments: Peacekeepers operate in highly volatile and politically complex environments where the line between peacekeeping and peacemaking gets blurred.
- Host nation cooperation: The cooperation of the host nation towards the peacekeeping operations remains an issue more often than not.
- Limitations of the mandate: The mandates of peacekeeping missions are usually very limited, sometimes constraining its use of force or intervention.
3. Conflict Resolution and Mediation
Aside from peacekeeping, the United Nations plays a crucial role in settling conflicts through mediation, diplomacy, and negotiations. The United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs leads such efforts to prevent or resolve such conflicts before they erupt into hostilities.
A. Mediation Initiatives
- Good Friday Agreement (1998): The United Nations, along with other foreign interests, played a supra role during the negotiation phase in finalizing the Good Friday Agreement signed in Northern Ireland, which peacefully ended years of sectarian violence by setting up political power-sharing.
- Peace talks in Syria: The UN, in this case, has been playing an active role in being a mediator of the peace talks regarding the Syrian conflict, though nothing seems to be working out for the best in this conflict. Efforts included the gathering in Geneva for peace talks and support of delivery of humanitarian aid.