Can the United Nations Still Keep the Peace? By NMCL Paper | June 29, 2025

🌐 Can the United Nations Still Keep the Peace?

By NMCL Paper | June 29, 2025

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🔎 Lead: The UN at a Crossroads

Seventy-eight years after its founding, the United Nations stands at a critical moment in history. With wars raging in Europe and the Middle East, global south nations demanding reform, and superpowers sidelining multilateral talks, the world is asking: Is the UN still effective — or has it become obsolete?

Designed as a guardian of global peace and justice after the catastrophic World War II, the UN's role is now being tested by a changing geopolitical order, fractured alliances, and growing disillusionment among emerging powers. In 2025, many feel that the organization is struggling to keep up with modern crises.

🏛️ What the UN Was Built For

Founded in 1945, the UN was created to prevent another world war by promoting peace, collective security, and human rights. Throughout the Cold War, it provided a forum for diplomacy during tense times between the U.S. and USSR. It played significant roles in:

• Peacekeeping in Cambodia, Kosovo, and Sierra Leone
• Humanitarian aid during disasters in Haiti and Nepal
• Global health coordination through the WHO

⚠️ 2025: Failing to Prevent — or Even Respond?

Critics argue that the UN is increasingly powerless in preventing or resolving modern conflicts. With the Security Council constantly blocked by vetoes, its ability to act decisively has eroded.

• Russia’s war in Ukraine: Resolutions repeatedly vetoed by Moscow
• Israel–Palestine crisis: Action blocked by U.S. support for Israeli policy
• Sudan’s civil conflict: Years of violence with minimal UN traction

“The global governance system is not broken — but it is deeply fragmented and politically paralyzed.” – António Guterres, 2024

🧱 Structural Weakness: The Veto Problem

At the heart of the UN’s dysfunction is the Security Council veto. Any of the five permanent members (U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China) can unilaterally block a resolution — and they often do, based on national interest.

This system, once meant to balance global power, has now led to gridlock. It renders the UN incapable of acting in many of today’s most urgent crises.

🌍 Growing Calls for Reform

The Global South, including nations like India, Brazil, Nigeria, and South Africa, argue that the UN no longer reflects the world’s power structure.

• India represents 1.4 billion people but has no permanent seat
• Only one African country (South Africa) has rotational representation
• Latin America remains without meaningful influence at the Security Council level

Over 140 nations supported a 2025 resolution calling for reform. Yet structural change is nearly impossible without agreement from the P5 — who benefit most from the current system.

🕊️ What the UN Still Gets Right

Despite political deadlock, the UN’s specialized agencies continue to operate globally:

• WFP (World Food Programme): Feeding over 115 million people in conflict zones
• UNHCR: Supporting 110 million displaced people across 134 countries
• UNESCO: Preserving world heritage and promoting global education

These arms of the UN — often overlooked in the headlines — are vital lifelines for the world's most vulnerable.

💡 The UN’s Future: 3 Possibilities

1. Reform & Survive: Expand the Security Council, reduce veto abuse, and raise accountability
2. Coexist with Blocs: The UN weakens while regional bodies (BRICS, AU, ASEAN) rise in parallel
3. Collapse & Replace: In a post-crisis world, a new multilateral framework may emerge

🔚 Conclusion: The UN Matters — But Needs to Change

The UN still embodies the aspiration for global peace — but its structure belongs to a past century. As a new world order forms around regional power centers and economic blocs, the UN must evolve or risk irrelevance.

📎 Further Reading:

• UN 2024 Reform Debate – Al Jazeera
• World Bank – UN Budget & Humanitarian Work
• UN Security Council Voting Records

⚖️ Disclaimer

This article reflects developments from public sources at the time of writing. NMCL Paper aims to offer impartial, strategic insights into global institutions and their evolving roles.