International Peace and Security: United Nations
United Nations is an international organization which aims to maintain international peace and security, dignity, and equality globally. It was founded in the year 1945 after World War II. After the said war, nations were devastated by the destruction and wanted world peace. It consists of 193 Member States. Its mission and work are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter. Since then, maintaining international peace and security became one of the missions of the United Nations. As United Nations has a wide scope of range, it has faced numerous challenges.
The biggest challenge the United Nations has faced relates to security. Threats arise and been crucial as it affects the global peace which it concerns the UN. According to the article of Wilson Center, threats under the issue of security addressed such; threats from poverty, disease, and environmental breakdown (the threats to human security identified in the Millennium Development Goals), threats from a conflict between states, threats from violence and massive human rights violations within states, threats from terrorism, threats from organized crime, and threats from the proliferation of weapons - particularly WMD, but also conventional. Although this has been crucial to the world, the UN has a plan by working to stop this conflict by helping parties in conflict to make peace and creating the conditions to allow peace to hold and flourish. The Security Council has a primary responsibility when it comes to these challenges. In terms of poverty, the UN aims to eradicate it in all forms. According to the UN, in 2015 many people are still on the poverty line and the numbers are increasing internationally. There is around 10 percent of the world's population is living in extreme poverty and struggling to fulfill the most basic needs. According to data from the United Nations, 736 million people lived below the international poverty line of US$ 1.90 a day in 2015. In the year 2018, almost 8 percent of the world’s workers and their families lived on less than US$1.90 per person per day. Most people living below the poverty line belong to two regions: Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. High poverty rates are often found in small, fragile, and conflict-affected countries. As of 2018, 55 percent of the world’s population has no access to at least one social protection cash benefit. How much we deny it but half of the world's population experiences poverty that leads to hunger and malnutrition, and limited access to education. Ending poverty in all its forms is one of the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations. According to the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN, ending this issue is a necessity as it is a threat to human security, and this involves targeting the most vulnerable, increasing basic resources and services, and supporting communities affected by conflict and climate-related disasters. When it comes to these terms, The United Nations Development Programme can help people beyond the poverty line as it focuses on reducing poverty by providing funds and programs. It enables a reduction of inequalities and builds resilience so countries can sustain progress. By eradicating poverty, it would help us to grow as a society and it will help in improving one's health as poverty is merely associated with a host of diseases. Additional information from the article of the History newsletter, United Nations provides food to 90 million people in over 75 countries, assisting more than 34 million refugees and authorizing 71 international peacekeeping missions. The United Nations has done their job and responsibilities in assisting and helping those who are in need. Even though the UN had been criticized for its policies, bureaucracy, and spending, it has never failed and accomplished hundreds of successful peacekeeping missions. Today, the U.N. provides solutions for problems related to healthcare, the environment, criminal justice, refugee dilemmas, and more.
In terms of threats of conflict between states, violence, and terrorism, the United Nations sought to resolve a conflict that would eventually lead to war to have peace. The Security Council is primarily responsible for this kind of issue. In preventing this issue to escalate, the Security Council had strategies that include; are preventive diplomacy and preventive disarmament that would take in a form of mediation, conciliation, or negotiation. Actions like monitoring threats, and disarmament of weapons which to destroying weapons to prevent their use in wars in the future. These strategies have helped the United Nations' met their demands on maintaining peace. One of the peacekeeping operations by the United Nation is the United Nations Security Force (UNSF) in West New Guinea, it happened from October 3, 1962, to April 30, 1963. According to the United Nations, it was established in October 1962 to maintain peace and security in the territory under the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority established by an agreement between Indonesia and the Netherlands. UNSF or the United Nations Security Force monitored the ceasefire and helped ensure law and order during the transition period, pending transfer to Indonesia. They have solved 23 conflicts in Africa, a total of 8 each from America, Asia and Pacific, and Europe, and 7 accomplished missions from the Middle East, combing it all together 61 missions have already been resolved. As many as their missions, people tend not to recognize it as were pretty occupied with other things.
Over the years, the United Nations has met the demands in resolving different conflicts and it made a change in different political landscapes.
All people want to feel and experience peace, the United Nations works like a producer in economics, it provides for the demand of its people. Not general though, as leaders of each society will all also provide. As United Nations is an international organization, leaders in each country have a role to play, as leaders of a society, one must be good and have a standard in promoting and protecting peace and human security as the UN cannot do it alone. As to the United Nations, 'We need new champions to ensure the 'sustaining peace' agenda achieves tangible, transformative results for all those living in the shadow of violent conflict'.
The challenges that the United Nations have faced have played a role for them to recognize the problems of people that need to be addressed.
By directing such, the United Nations' goal will be a success. Despite these challenges, still, the United Nations have done a good job in doing their responsibility in peacekeeping. It will contribute to people all over the world feeling at peace and secure. Things may lead to occurrence but the UN will do their best to prevent it from happening or even stop it. Who could have thought that the UN helped many people even from World War II up to now? Over more than 70 years of our existence, it maintains peace and the conditions to allow peace to hold and flourish.
