THE ROLE OF UNITED NATION IN THE MAINTENANCE OF PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE WORLD

THE ROLE OF UNITED NATION IN THE MAINTENANCE OF PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE WORLD

INTRODUCTION

The UN is an international organization with stated aims and facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, achievement of world peace. The UN was founded in 1945 after world war II to replace the leagues of nation, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue. It contains multiple subsidiary organization to carryout its missions.

There are currently 193 member states, include ever internationally recognized sovereign state in the world but the Vatican city. From its offices around the world, the UN and its specialized agencies decide on substantive and administrative issues in regular meetings held throughout the year. The organization has six principal organ. The General Assembly (the main deliberative assembly), the Security Council (for deciding certain resolution for peace and security), the Economic and Social Council (for assisting in development), the Secretariat (for providing studies into and facilities needed by the UN), the International Court of Justice  (the primary judicial organ) and the UN trusteeship council (which is currently inactive). Other prominent UN system agencies include the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Program (WFP) and United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF).

One of the primary purpose of the united nation is the maintenance of international peace and security. Since its creation, the UN has often been called upon to prevent disputes from escalating into war, to persuade opposing parties to use the conference table rather than force of arms or to help restore peace when armed conflict does breakout. Over the decade, the UN has help to end numerous conflict, often through action of the security council the primary organ for dealing with issues of international peace and security.

The Security Council, the General Assembly and Secretary-General all play major, complementary roles in fostering peace and security. United Nation activities cover the principal areas of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peace keeping enforcement and peace building. October 24 2011.

The UN was established in 1945 to save succeeding generation from the scourge f war and one of its main purpose is to maintain international peace and security.

The charter of the UN gives the security council primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.

In fulfilling this responsibility the security council may adopt a range of measures, including the establishment of UN peacemaking operation, wherever there is a threat to the peace in a region the council may also decide on sanction, such as trade embargoes, to enforce its decision the council expresses its will in resolution.

The difference instrument of the UN’s peace efforts come into play at different stages of conflict. The boundaries however between conflict prevention peacemaking, peace keeping, peace and peace enforcement have become increasingly blurred. Peace operations are rarely limited to one type of activity.

CONFLICT PREVENTION AND PEACEMAKING

The Unite Nation use the political tools of diplomacy and mediation to help nations prevent and resolve conflict peacefully. United Nation enjoys are dispatched to areas of tension around the world to assist in defusing crises and brokering negotiated settlement to conflict.

The UN Secretary General may exercise his or her good offices to facilitate the resolution of the conflict step taken publicly and in private, drawing upon his independence, impartiality and integrity to prevent international dispute from arising, escalating or spreading.

Civilian-led political mission are deployed to the field with mandates to encourage dialogue and cooperation within and between nations, or to promote reconciliation and democratic governance in societies rebuilding after civil wars.

The work of the United Nation to foster credible election around the world also contributes directly to its effort to promote peace and prevent conflict underpinning the activities in the conflict that political issues lie at the root of many conflict, and thus political solution are required to resolve them.

PEACE KEEPING

UN peace keeping operation use to be deploy to support the implementation of inter-state ceasefires or peace agreement such as the conflict peace keeping mission. The United Nation truce supervision organization (UNISO) set up in 1945 to monitor an Armistice Agreement between Israel and its Arab neighbour, or the UN mission on the Golan heights (UNDOF) today they are often also required to play an active rile in intra-state peacemaking effort and get involve in peace building activities (complex multidimensional peace keeping including military, police and civilian component e.g. the UN mission in South Sudan UNMISS) these changes in the role of UN peace keeping have been reflected in the policy reform document of the department of peacekeeping operations.

Today’s multidimensional peacekeeping operation facilitate the political process, protect civilians, assist in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants, support the organization of election, protect and promote human right and assist in restoring the rule of law.

UN peacekeeping is guided by three (3) basic principles:

-       Consent of the parties

-       Impartiality

-       Non-use of force except in self defence and defence of the mandate.

UN peacekeeping operation may use force top defend themselves, their mandate, and civilians, particularly in situations where the state is unable to provide security and maintain public order.

PEACE BUILDING

The experience of the past has also led the United Nation to focus as never before on peace building effort to reduce a country’s risk of lapsing or relapsing into conflict by strengthening national capacities for conflict management, and to lay the foundation for sustainable peace and development building lasting peace in war-torn societies is among the most daunting of challenges for global peace and security. The UN established the Peace Building Commission in 2005 to better participate and respond to the challenges of peace building.

DISARMAMENT

In 2010, world military expenditures exceeds some 1.5 million US dollars. The need for a culture of peace and for significant arms reduction worldwide has never been greater. This applied to all classes of weapons from nuclear weapons to conventional firearms and landmines.

Since the birth of UN, the goal of mutilated disarmament and arms limitation have been deemed central to the maintenance of international peace and security. These goal ranges from reducing and eventually eliminating nuclear weapons. Destroying chemical weapons and strengthening the prohibition against biological weapons, to halting the proliferation of landmines, small arms and light weapons.

These effort are supported by a number of key UN instruments. The treaty on the non-proliferation nuclear weapon (NTP), the most universal of all multilateral disarmament treaties, came into force in 1975, the comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty was adopted in 1996, however it has not yet entered into force. The 1997 Mine-Ben Convention came into force in 1999.

WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY

While remain a minority of combatant and perpetrators of war, they increasingly suffer the greatest harm. The UN security council recognized that including women and gender perspectives in decision making can strengthen prospects for sustainable peace with the unanimous adoption of resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. The landmark resolution specifically addresses the situation of women in armed conflict and calls for their participation at all levels of decision making on conflict resolution and peace building.

COUNTER TERRORISM

Countering the scourge of terrorism is in the interest of all nation and the issue has been on the agenda of the UN for decades. Almost no week goes by without an act of terrorism taking place somewhere in the world, indiscriminately effecting innocent people who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Eighteen universal instrument (fourteen instrument and four amendment) against international terrorism have been elaborated within the framework of the UN system relating to specific terrorism activities.

A global strategy to counter terrorism was agreed September 2006 which marks the first time that all member states of the United Nation have agreed to a common strategic and operational framework to fight terrorism the strategy form a basis for a concrete plan of action. To address the condition leading to the spread of terrorism, to prevent and combat terrorism, to take measures to build state capacity to fight terrorism; to strengthen the role of UN in combating terrorism; and to ensure the respect of human rights while counting terrorism.

ORGANIZED CRIME

Trans-national organized crime take many form from trafficking in drugs, fire arms and even people to many laundering and corruption. Today organized crime has diversified, gone global and reached macro-economic proportions, so that it constitutes a threat to peace and security.

The UN office on drugs and crime (UNDDC) is the guardian of the UN convention against trans-national organized crime (organized crime convention) and the three supplementary protocol on trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants and trafficking of fire arms.