The history of the United Nations - Essay Example

The history of the United Nations The Second World War II claimed more than 100 million lives, while millions others were wounded or disabled, including both civilian and soldiers. Thereafter, discussions on the formation of a world organization by the allied powers began. The aim of the world organization would be to unite nations, which would prevent the emergence of another world war (United Nations, N.d, .p1). Moreover, a series of meetings followed, which included the Teheran conference held in 1943, followed shortly by the Dumbarton Oaks conference held in Washington D.C in 1944. In 1945, President Franklin Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, who were referred to as the big three, met in Yalta where an agreement to form the United Nations was made. Interestingly, 51 countries signed the United Nations charter, signifying that they were the founding members of the United Nations in June 1945 (United Nations, N.d, p.1). Some of these countries included United States, china, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, United Kingdom, Czechoslovakia, and France, among others. According to Shaw (N.d, p.1), the main concern of the United Nations has been the human welfare. The United Nations was divided into sub-divisions, which included the general assembly, the Security Council, the economic and social council, the international justice court and the secretariat. In addition, each of these divisions serves a specific task in promoting the United Nation’s goals. The United Nations was formed with several aims; for instance, ensuring that peace prevailed worldwide and developing strong relationships among nations, among others. This essay will discuss the various objectives of the United Nations and whether it lives up to the ideals of its founders to date. The main objectives of the United Nations The main aim of the United Nations was to ensure that peace prevailed throughout the world, that nations would develop friendly relationships, working together to assist people in living better lives through elimination of poverty, illiteracy, and diseases globally. In addition, the UN aims at bringing to a stop environmental degradation, as well as fostering democracy and respect for each other’s rights (United Nations publications, 2000). Therefore, the United Nations is the main organization that assists countries in achieving the above aims. Generally, the UN has several principles that guide its operations; first, member states are expected to obey the United Nations charter, and must have sovereign equality. In addition, the member states are expected to settle their differences peacefully and amicably; nation should also avoid use of force, however, the United Nations does not interfere with the affairs of any country. Needless to say, these countries are expected to assist the United Nations in fostering a peaceful world (United Nations publications, 2000). Nevertheless, the initial aim of the formation of the United Nations in 1945 was to foster peace among nations by ending wars between countries. Has the UN lived up to the ideal of it founders? Today, the united nation has grown from the initial 57 states to 193 member states, fostering human rights and peace, which are its main focus globally. In 1945, the founders of United Nations responded to the effects of World War II, by emphasizing on the human rights in their charter, which was signed in June the same year (United Nations, 1996). As a result, respect for human rights is a major concern for the United Nations; therefore, this organization has formed an international criminal court that examines human rights issues. In addition, the United Nations has fostered awareness of human rights via mass communications; among the issues handled include rapes, torture, labor, and lack of health services among others. Moreover, “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights; they are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood “(United nations declaration of human rights, N.d). This is a universal declaration in article 1 of the United Nations charter, which proves the organization’s seriousness on the issue of human rights today. Nevertheless, the sub-divisions of the United Nations aids in promoting the goals of the UN charter. The general assembly, according to the United Nations (2012), is a policy-making division, which gives members the rights to recommend any international concerns that are pressing such as, political issues in certain countries. On the other hand, the Security Council is mainly responsible for the peaceful interventions, whereby, military actions may be enforced when necessary. The economic and social council has the role of gathering data and information, which assist in the economic development of a country, hence fostering growth of fledgling economies. The secretariat is responsible on reporting of the progress of nations at meetings. Additionally, the international court of justice is responsible for legal complaints, especially concerning violation of human rights (International Court of Justice, 2012). This court is headed by 15 judges and is based in Hague, Netherlands. Some of the major achievements of the United Nations in Africa include the prosecution of the four suspects involved in the violation of human rights following the post election violence in Kenya. According to the UN news center (2012), the international criminal court ruled that four suspects among the six in the prosecutor Ocampo’s list should stand for trial against crimes of humanity following 2007 general elections. Following the Kenya’s 2007 general elections, the four suspects are accused of fueling violence, which led to displacement, rapes, and inhumane acts in Kenya. This is a clear indication of how the United Nations is keen on protecting human rights and fostering peace in nations, which was the idea of the founders of the UN. In addition, the United Nations former chief secretariat, Koffi Annan, was among the key mediators in solving the instability issues in Kenya in 2008, after the general elections. The United Nations secretariat’s efforts were successful, which led to the formation of a coalition government, and end violence. Moreover, the suspects involved in the violation of human right are expected to stand trial later this year. The aim of the United Nations’ international justice court is providing justice to the victims of human violation, and as a result, discouraging any acts that violate human rights globally. Therefore, the UN, international justice court is not intimidated by a suspect’s status in politics or in the society; the suspect is tried and if found guilty sentenced depending on the level of his/her crime. According to the United Nations radio (2011), the United Nations expressed its concern over the harsh sentencing of Chinese human rights activists in China. For instance, a pro-democracy activist Chen Xi was sentenced to 10 years for his online publications. Ravina Shamdasani, who is a United Nations spokesperson for human rights, identified that such actions by the Chinese government are a setback for human rights protection in China. Therefore, the UN called on the Chinese government to reverse such measures, which hinder human freedom (United Nations radio, 2011). In early March 2012, the United Nations human rights body condemned Syria for the widespread human violations acts (Boston. com news, 2012). The United Nations is currently pleading with Syria to stop attacking civilians and grant access to human aid organizations. Currently, several journalists have been wounded, and the Syrian troops are engaging in massacres in Baba Amro district, which opposes President Bashar Al- Assad. As a result, Red Cross aid has been denied by the government from entering this district, which is a form of human violation for the victims who need emergency assistance (Reuter’s news, 2012). As a result, the UN has criticized the Syrian government’s actions; it is rather evident that the UN is striving to live up to its founders’ ideas. Failures The United Nations delay in acting during the 1994 Rwandan genocide is highly criticized, and contradicts its founders’ ideal. The United Nations responded when it was too late, and irreversible damage was evident. This ordeal was greatly regretted by the United Nations’ officials during the 17th commemoration of the Rwandan genocide in 2011; Ban Ki- moon promised that the United Nations would never allow a recurrence of such events in the future (lessons from Rwanda, 2011). Needless to say, the United Nations has been criticized time and again for its inability to handle international conflicts; for instance, in Bosnia, the United Nations is accused of suggesting safe regions for Muslims to vacate, however, the UN did not secure them, leading to thousands of them being killed (Boot, 2000). Evidently, the United Nations tries to foster peace in nations; however, at times, it is torn between the protection of human rights and using force to calm the situation. Boot (2000) add that, in some incidents, when the UN declines to use force, the situation worsens; therefore, the UN peace keeping operations differs and are influenced by the current state of a nation at the time of crisis. Conclusion One of the positive effects of the United Nations today is its ability to declare the importance of human rights, which states that all human beings are equal in rights and dignity. The founders of the United Nations’ aim was to foster peace worldwide, and prevent World War III occurring. This would include ensuring that people are free and their rights are not violated. Today, the United Nations continues to promote peace among countries, and emphasizes on human rights globally. Their seriousness has been evident in the prosecutions of persons suspected to violate human rights, for instance, in Kenya and Liberia. In addition, the UN is currently trying to find ways to stop the continuous killing in Syria; however, its efforts have not been successful, especially in offering aid to the victims. Needless to say, the UN has had flaws especially in the Rwanda genocide of 1994, which it is globally criticized for its delay to respond, leading to continuous loss of lives. However, the UN is committed to foster peace and promote human rights at all costs. Therefore, this organization is committed to living up to its founder’s ideals, despite several challenges. Reference List Boot, M., 2000. Paving the Road to Hell: The Failure of U.N. Peacekeeping, foreign affairs. Foreign relation publisher. (Online). Available at: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/55875/max-boot/paving-the-road-to-hell-the-failure-of-u-n-peacekeeping Boston. Com news. 2012. UN rights body slams Syria, calls for aid access. (Online). Available at: http://articles.boston.com/2012-03-01/news/31114504_1_anti-assad-damascus-security-council International court of justice. 2012. Charter of the United Nations. (Online). Available at: http://www.icj-cij.org/documents/index.php?p1=4&p2=1&p3=0 Lessons from Rwanda. 2011. The United Nations and the prevention of genocide.message from secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on the 17th commemoration of the genocide in Rwanda, 7 April 2011. (Online). Available at: http://www.un.org/preventgenocide/rwanda/sg_message_2011.shtml United Nations radio. 2011. News & media, UN concerned about clampdown on human rights activities in China. (Online). Available at: http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/2011/12/un-concerned-about-clampdown-on-human-rights-activities-in-china/ Reuters news. 2012. U.N. chief speaks of "grisly reports" from Syria. (Online). Available at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/03/us-syria-idUSL5E8DB0BH20120303 Shaw, J., N.d. Powerhouse of Ideas: The United Nations Intellectual History Project. (Online). Available at: http://www.unhistory.org/reviews/shaw_powerhouse.pdf UN news center. 2012. ICC sends prominent Kenyans to trial for crimes related to post-election violence. (Online). Available at: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41004&Cr=kenya&Cr1 United Nations. 2012. General Assembly of the United Nations. The department of public information, United Nations. (Online). 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