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“We must move forward in a time-bound manner on reforms in global institutions such as the UN Security Council, multilateral development banks, and the WTO,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia.
The Prime Minister’s call for reforms in global institutions is especially relevant on UN Day, celebrated every year on October 24 to mark the founding of the United Nations in 1945. The day serves as an opportunity to reflect on the role and effectiveness of the UN in addressing contemporary challenges and promoting fairness and equality in global governance.
Prelude to the birth of the UN
The devastation of WWI (1914-1918) persuaded former US President Woodrow Wilson that establishing firmer institutional structures would help make the world safe to live in. He articulated his vision for a peaceful and cooperative world order in his famous Fourteen Points speech in January 1918.
His liberal internationalism wanted to move beyond the balance of power politics of anarchical international relations. Wilson’s vision found concrete shape in the form of the League of Nations at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. The Covenant of the League of Nations was incorporated into the Treaty of Versailles, the peace treaty that officially ended WWI.
However, after the outbreak of WWII in 1939, the League of Nations was seen as a failure and disbanded in 1946. Nevertheless, the League of Nations laid the groundwork for the establishment of a stronger international organization with a unique institutional structure.
The UN: A vision for peace in the post-war world
The leaders of the Allied powers started consultations about the formation of a new international organization during the war itself. In 1941, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during a secret meeting envisioned an international organization aimed at maintaining peace and order in post-war international politics.
They issued the Atlantic Charter outlining their vision of a free and peaceful future. This document laid the foundation for international collaboration during the war and a permanent system for general security.
On 1 January 1942, 26 countries signed the declaration of the United Nations. The document contained the official use of the name United Nations which was originally coined by Roosevelt to identify those countries which were allied against the Axis powers – Germany, Italy and Japan.
Eventually, representatives of fifty countries signed the UN Charter on 26 June 1945 at the San Francisco Conference. India was also among these nations.
Thus, the United Nations finally came into existence on 24 October 1945, after being ratified by 51 nations, which included five permanent members or P5 (France, the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the UK and the US) and 46 other signatories. . The first meeting of the General Assembly took place on January 10, 1946. At present, 193 countries are members of the UN.
Sustainable peace and challenges
The founding mission of the United Nations is the maintenance of international peace and security in the post-war world. The United Nations carries out this central mission through conflict prevention, helping parties in peacemaking, deploying peacekeeping forces, and creating conditions for long-term peace.
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter empowers the Security Council to take actions, ranging from economic sanctions to military intervention. The General Assembly is also bestowed with deliberative functions to intervene in international security issues.
Notably, peacekeeping is one of the United Nations’ most effective tools in mitigating conflicts. The Security Council provides the mandate for peacekeeping forces, and member countries provide troops. UN peacekeeping forces received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988 for their efforts.
The UN currently oversees 11 peacekeeping operations, including the United Nations Military Observer Group on India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which was set up in 1949. The UN also focuses on peacebuilding in post-conflict nations and addresses terrorism and disarmament to promote lasting peace. . The UN Summit for Future (2024) included nuclear disarmament as one of its commitments while calling for urgent reforms in various fields.
Criticisms and demand for reforms
One of the criticisms of UN peacekeeping is that permanent members of the Security Council often appropriate its tools for their narrow political gains. For instance, in the absence of the USSR, the United States secured a Security Council resolution authorizing force against North Korea.
The veto power held by the permanent members often prevents the United Nations from effectively implementing peacekeeping measures, undermining the body’s neutrality and collective spirit in global security.
The United Nations’ inability to mitigate conflicts in which the interests of P5 are involved stems from its structure, which reflects the post-1945 power dynamics. The structure of the United Nations is no longer seen as representing the current global realities, with limited representation of countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America in the Security Council.
Therefore, calls for reform center on expanding the number of permanent members of the Security Council, with the G4 countries (Brazil, Germany, India, Japan) pushing for permanent seats. Abolishing or limiting the veto power is also seen as essential for democratizing the structure of the United Nations.
India’s push for Security Council reform
India, a founding member of the UN, has been an active contributor to UN peacekeeping missions since their inception. As the world’s largest democracy and an emerging global power, India advocates strongly for UN Security Council reforms, seeking a permanent seat to ensure greater inclusivity in global governance.
At the United Nations Summit of the Future in September 2024, India welcomed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ support for reforms in the Security Council structure. India continues to be a vocal proponent of an equitable and inclusive global governance mechanism.
Non-western institutional and regional arrangements like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization or SCO and BRICS could challenge the legitimacy of the United Nations’ collective security mechanisms unless the latter becomes more inclusive and representative of other rising political powers.
Hence, reforms of the United Nations should primarily aim at addressing the issues of inequity and underrepresentation of regions in its organizational structure. It would ensure the United Nations reflects the aspirations of emerging political powers like India and continues to be relevant in addressing global conflicts.
Post Read Questions
Discuss the key events leading up to the formation of the United Nations after World War II.
What role has India as a founding member of the UN played in UN peacekeeping missions since their inception?
How does India’s status as the world’s largest democracy influence its advocacy for UN Security Council reforms?
In what ways could expanding the Security Council enhance global governance and address contemporary challenges, and what are the potential obstacles in it?
In what ways could non-western organizations like SCO and BRICS challenge the legitimacy of the United Nations’ collective security mechanisms?
(Dileep P Chandran is Assistant Professor at the department of Political Science in University of Calicut, Kerala.)
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