Does the UN still deliver for the Global South?

THE UN has stood as a bastion for peace, human rights, and the protection of human dignity considering tumultuous conditions countries face in times of war, unrest and poverty.

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This reflection looks at the UN from a pragmatic point of view, identifying issues specific to the current circumstance of war and its impact on the Global South. The UN is often associated as an organisation that is powerless and idealistic to its own detriment. Pro-Global South groupings, like BRICS, identifies the UN and its goals as important regarding verall developinent like its sustainable development goals. However, the process and capacity of the UN is problematised.

The formation of the UN

As the Second World War drew to a close in 1945, much of the globe lay in devastation, and there was a shared determination to secure lasting peace. Between April 25 and June 26 that year, delegates from 50 nations convened in San Francisco at the UN Conference on International Organisation. Over two months, they drafted and signed the Charter that would establish a new body, the UN, intended to prevent a repetition of the catastrophic conflict they had just endured.

The UN formally came into being on October 24, 1945, four months after the San Francisco gathering concluded, once the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the UK, the US, and a majority of other signatories.

More than three-quarters of a century later, the UN continues to play a central role in international peace and security, humanitarian aid, human rights, and international law; particularly when it comes to global policy discourse regarding these issues. Its remit has also expanded beyond the original vision of 1945: today, the UN spearheads the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and coordinates global climate action to curb warming, reflecting its evolving mission in a changing world.

Struggles of the UN