Does the UN have a continued role in promoting global unity?

Suffering from the two world wars, many nations knew that they could not experience battle anymore. Since then, the United Nations was established. Compared to the League of Nations, the United Nations is more realistic and more reliable. Nowadays, even though China has been seen as a revisionist country, Chinese leaders always assert their actions based on the framework of the United Nations. From 1945 to now, the United Nations has contributed to global unity by maintaining international peace and security, which is its purpose. To pursue this goal, United Nations try to balance (the) major powers, integrate international standards, and aid developing countries, all to unite the international society.

First of all, the United Nations realized that international peace can only be pursued through balancing powerful countries, and this is the reason the Security Council and veto rule were established. The Security Council provides an area for stakeholders on negotiating, and veto displays how powerful they are. Because of this area, the US and the Soviet Union can understand each other’s intentions to prevent escalating conflict. In the Security Council, the “Permanent Five” would use their vetoes to restrict each other’s power to maintain the peace.

Second, the United Nations established specialized agencies to cope with different categories of international rules. With advancing technology, global unity is closer than before, and some rules needed to be set to facilitate communication. The specialized agencies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organization (ICAO and IMO) contribute to flight rules and marine rules, respectively. Members of those specialized agencies can discuss and set regulations together to protect their rights and foster easier communication, and decrease the chance of conflict by following those rules.

Third, besides the previous agencies, the United Nations also use international aid to decrease the wealth gap between rich and poor countries. The UN cooperates with the IMF and World Bank to help the third countries develop their infrastructure, while the WHO uses its resources to improve their health environment. Together, these organizations aim to improve global prosperity and make the world harmonious.

In conclusion, the UN’s purpose is to maintain world peace, so it first set a regime institutionalizing the balance of power, then integrated some international standards to decrease conflicts through specialized agencies, and last diminish the gap between rich and poor countries.  

 

Written by Eddie C.

Edited by Ari B.