Before the two world wars, due to the intense rivalry between the great powers, the people of the world had no choice other than actively participating in warfare and the distribution of booty.
However, after two bloody world wars, the victorious nations decided to devise a mechanism to guarantee international peace and security. And thus it was that the idea of establishing the United Nations was discussed during the Moscow, Cairo, and Tehran conferences in 1943 and was further developed with the active participation of the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, France, and China. At last, the United Nations was officially established in October 1945.
The General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, International Court of Justice, and organizations like UNESCO were established to help address shortcomings in international affairs, and the efforts of these organizations focused on finding solutions to international problems within the framework of the new international system.
After suffering two devastating world wars, humanity sought peace, security, human dignity, freedom, and human rights.
Of course, the victors of World War II tried to comprehensively include these ideas in United Nations policies and statements.
Yet, unfortunately, in the six decades since the establishment of the UN, except in a few cases, the organization has failed to take positive steps for its member nations.
A glance at the 62 years of UN activities reveals structural shortcomings which will doom the United Nations to the same fate as its predecessor, the League of Nations, if they are not identified and rectified.
The United Nations was established based on the interests of the victors of World War II, which was the only option at the time. However, the world has radically changed since then, but these changes have not been institutionalized in the United Nations.
The United Nations currently has over 190 member states, each one with an independent vote. But the organization is still under the control of the major powers, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the U.S., Russia, China, France, and Britain) that possess a veto, and this is the way international affairs are managed.
As long as countries cannot make proper use of their UN membership and liberate themselves from the atmosphere of pressure and intimidation, the United Nations will just be a gathering place for representatives of nations.
In recent years, voices have arisen calling for reforms like adding new permanent members to the Security Council and dropping others; revising the structure of UN peacekeeping missions; increasing and improving participation in environmental issues, natural disaster relief, the UN budget plan, and UN mediation in regional conflicts; and effectively addressing poverty and terrorism.
In conclusion, we can say that although the United Nations was the creation of the victors of World War II, the UN should now be turned into a real manifestation of the entire international community’s will.
The path to this goal is long and steep, but there is no alternative.
(Sept. 25 Tehran Times Opinion Column, by Hassan Lasjerdi)
PA/HG
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MNA