October 24 marked the 70th birthday of the United Nations. The U.N. Charter came into effect when ratified by a majority of the 50 original signatories and the five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States). The ratification process, like the U.N. itself, combined hope for a better future with a large membership and power politics. Although the U.N. is not a perfect institution, it provides enormous net benefits to the world and to the United States.
Created in the shadow of the Second World War, the purpose of the United Nations was to prevent war and sow the seeds of peace. Speaking at the conclusion of the convention that drafted the U.N. Charter in San Francisco in 1945, President Harry S Truman stressed, “Experience has shown how deeply the seeds of war are planted by economic rivalry and by social injustice. The charter recognizes this fact for it has provided for economic and social cooperation as well. It has provided for this cooperation as part of the very heart of the entire compact.”
He was right.
Although we often refer to “the U.N.,” it is not a single entity, but a web of organizations. The “U.N. system” is based on the 193 member countries in the General Assembly, the fifteen serving on the Security Council, and the programs, funds and specialized agencies which advance international cooperation on topics from public health to civil aviation. The global scale and breadth of the U.N. system means that it contains both excellence and inefficiency.
The U.N.’s work rests on three pillars: Peace and security, development and human rights. All three are necessary for long-term peace. Ultimately, the U.N. will be constrained by what its member states want and for what they are willing to pay. For decades the U.N. Security Council was frozen by Cold War superpower rivalries. Any one of the veto-wielding permanent members can block Security Council action as Russia did regarding Syria. Unlike its predecessor, the League of Nations, the United Nations explicitly included the great powers and gave them special rights to keep them in the system. The U.N. system cannot — and was not intended to — override power politics. Instead, it can provide a place to channel power in the pursuit of peace. The P5+1 negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program are an example.
As was intended, the U.N. system has evolved over time. Truman explained, “This charter, like our own Constitution, will be expanded and improved as time goes on.”
Sparked by the ingenuity of the Nobel-prize winning, African-American diplomat and U.N. Under Secretary-General Ralph Bunche, the U.N. created the first peacekeeping force. These multinational forces were not even mentioned in the charter, but they have become one of the most important U.N. tools. They have defended peace agreements and lines of demarcation. In recent years they have been sent to some of the most difficult situations where there was no peace to keep. Yet the great powers appreciate the ability to pool resources to address intractable situations mired in spirals of violence. This September President Obama hosted a summit on strengthening peacekeeping, and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged 8,000 troops as a peacekeeping standby force.
The U.N. system provides the venue and expertise to address long-term efforts to bolster sustainable development and address climate change. The Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000 provided a workable 15-year global framework for countries to reduce hunger and raise health standards. This autumn the General Assembly adopted the more ambitious successor Sustainable Development Goals.
Perhaps the most surprising contribution of the U.N. system is to human rights. Again, a visionary American, Eleanor Roosevelt, was the driving force behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948. She and a talented team drawn from several countries crafted a document that remains the bedrock reference for international human rights. Too many governments still abuse the human rights of their people; but the idea that countries should be held to account persists. One of the most important examples is the Universal Periodic Review created in 2005. This anodyne title applies to a four and a half year cycle in which every U.N. member country explains its adherence to the Universal Declaration and responds to criticisms. Also, guided by mandates adopted by member states, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights designates special rapporteurs to report on abuses in places such as Iran, North Korea and Syria.
U.N. humanitarian agencies are crucial in lessening human misery. For decades UNICEF has worked to better the lives of the youngest on the planet; while the High Commissioner for Refugees shelters some of the most vulnerable.
It would be almost impossible to create the U.N. system today. From the horror of war came the impetus to build an organization dedicated to helping states build peace. Despite its flaws, the U.N. is still crucial to the United States and the world at large.
Esther Brimmer is a professor at George Washington University and an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. She served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs ftom 2009-2013. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
