What should the role of the United Nations be?

The logo of the United Nations

Many of us should heard before the organization of United Nations, we maybe know them from a movie, because their name always appear in movies especially in those military or disaster movie. However, we may not know what the mission of United Nations is and why United Nations exist? I hope this blog can helps you to have better understanding on United Nations, respect and appreciate their hard work on maintaining a peace and security of the World.

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. In 1945, countries were in ruins because World War II was just over. At that time, the world wanted peace and harmony. Therefore 51 countries appointed their representative to gather in San Francisco to sign a document. The document was a Charter, creating a new organization, the United Nations. The United Nations' system is based on five principal organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice. The mission of the United Nations are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter. This is how United Nations established. And now, United Nations made up of 193 Member States, you may find the Member States in the link (http://www.un.org/en/member-states/). Over this 70 years, the United Nations are doing the most difficult job in the World, the roles and responsible of United Nations are maintaining International peace and security, promoting sustainable development, protect human rights, uphold international law, and deliver humanitarian aid.

Maintaining International peace and security 

Peace and security

The role of maintaining international peace and security represents the primary purpose of the United Nations. Because of the importance of international peace and security, the founders of the United Nations adhere to and emphasized it in the preface and the Charter of the Organization. They stated all the possible principles, methods and procedures in the Charter which are to be followed to achieve this end. This reflects the intentions and desires of the United Nations’ founders whose seek to establish an international organization for achieving international peace and security. The United Nations does this by working to prevent conflict; helping parties in conflict make peace; peacekeeping; and creating the conditions to allow peace to hold and flourish. These activities often overlap and should reinforce one another, to be effective. The United Nations Security Council has the primary responsibility for international peace and security. The General Assembly and the Secretary-General play major, important, and complementary roles, along with other UN offices and bodies.

Promoting sustainable development

Climate control

The United Nations always aims to achieving international co-operation, the desires to cooperate and work together with many parties to solve the international problems such as economic, cultural, social, or humanitarian character and in promoting respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all regardless of race, language, sex or religion. Besides, United Nations also work hard to emphasize on improving people’s well-being. In their promoting sustainable development programs, United Nations was included promotes prosperity and economic opportunity, greater social well-being, protection of the environment, improving the lives of people everywhere. In recent years, the Member of United States are working together to fight the climate change. . As climate change poses a growing challenge to the world’s such as sea-level rise to melting glaciers, to more extreme weather patterns, thus, the United Nations facilitate negotiations under the UN Framework Convention for a climate agreement in 2015. In addition, the United Nations is supporting efforts to assess the climate science, and provide assistance to countries and communities to reduce emissions and to build climate resilience.

Protect human rights

You have the right to life

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, color, gender, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are considered entitled: the right to life, liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equal treatment before the law, among others. Making the promotion and protection of human rights also a key role of the United Nations. Since 1948, the human rights was included in international law, and thus the United Nations protected human rights through legal resources and on-the-ground activities. The Office of the High Commissioner has been responds to crises, supports human rights defenders, and brings human rights closer to people through advocacy, monitoring and training activities, it contributes to legislative and policy reforms to increase accountability for human rights violations and advance human rights.

Uphold international law

International Law

International law is the set of rules generally regarded and accepted as binding in relations between states and between nations. International law also defines the legal responsibilities of States in their conduct with each other, and their treatment of individuals within State boundaries. Its covers a wide range of international concern, such as human rights, disarmament, international crime, refugees, migration, problems of nationality, the treatment of prisoners, the use of force, and the conduct of war, among others. It also regulates the global commons, such as the environment and sustainable development, international waters, outer space, global communications and world trade. The development of, and respect for international law has been the important role of the United Nations. This work is carried out in many ways - by courts, multilateral by the Security Council, which have authority to approve peacekeeping missions, impose sanctions, or authorize the use of force when there is a threat to international peace and security.

Deliver humanitarian aid

Humanitarian affairs

The United Nations’ main role of humanitarian aid is to save lives, reduce suffering and respect to human dignity. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is responsible for coordinating responses to emergencies such as providing emergency relief to those in need belong homeless, refugees, victims of natural disasters, wars and famines. The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is one of the best organization to support rapid humanitarian response for refugee whose affected by natural disasters and armed conflict. They helps to protect refugee and resolve refugee problems and coordinate on rebuild programs. 

List of references:

• United Nations (no date) Available at: http://www.un.org/en/index.html (Accessed: 13 May 2016).
• EMMA, D. (2015) ‘Doing “the Most Difficult Job in the World”’, Harvard International Review, Vol. 37(1), pp. 4–6.
• Stokstad, E. (2015) ‘United Nations. Sustainable goals from U.N. under fire.’, Science (New York, N.Y.), Vol. 347(6223), pp. 702–703.