Consequently, on 1st January, 1942, representatives drawn from about twenty six countries converged in Washington for the purpose of signing the Atlantic Charter which is on the Declaration of the United Nations. This was followed by the Quebec meeting held in the month of August, 1943 where Cordell Hull and Anthony Eden, then US secretary of State and the UK Foreign Secretary, respectively resolved on a draft declaration that will be based on the sovereignty of nations. The former leaders of the US and USSR, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin during a meeting at Tehran, Iran in November, 1943 mooted the idea of the emerging international organization having an assembly of all member states but some sort of world police to be composed of the US; USSR; UK; and China. The draft charter for this was issued during the Dumbarton Oak meeting of the representatives of the four nations in September, 1944 based on what is referred to as principle of collective security. At the Yalta conference, the voting procedures and veto powers of the super four was finalized and on the 24th of October, 1945 in San Francisco, the United Nations Charter was signed into existence and the maiden meeting of the General Assembly was held in London, two months after. The headquarters of the organization is at New York while it has regional offices in Vienna; Geneva; and Nairobi. It is led by a Secretary General, a position presently held by Antonio Gutierrez, a Portuguese statesman since 2017.
It is instructive to note that beyond sustaining global peace, the UN is obligated to build good relations amongst member nations based on equality; promote respect for fundamental human rights and initiate platforms for cooperation amongst members to address common global problems. The organization achieve these objectives through about fifteen specialized agencies such as the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; the Food and Agricultural Organization; the Bretton Wood Institutions; International Maritime Organization; International Fund for Agricultural Development; and International Labour Organization to mention a few.
The United Nations since its inception has recorded milestones towards the actualization of its mandate. The global body has been working assiduously to control issues around nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction which has led to the signing of numerous treaties on illegality of Nuclear Test. There is also the issue of UN peacekeeping efforts across the globe; the push for gender equality and gender recognition; resolution of several international disputes as well as driving sustainable development goals geared towards the reduction of global poverty, education for all and the protection and preservation of the environment. Besides these, several scholars of international organizations and multilateralism believe that one of the most significant achievements of the UN is in the area of decolonization by driving discussions that enabled self-determination and eventual independence.
However, as time goes by, the UNO has been bedeviled with humongous challenges particularly around the issue of the number of the permanent members of the Security Council. This has generated significant complaints which may explain why several countries no longer see the organization as a platform for the maintenance of global peace. To this end, the world is now challenged by several issues ranging from wars to climate change. The Russia-Ukraine war; Israel-Hamas war; disruption of global trade; drought which recently caused a massive reduction in the number of vessels passing through the Panama Canal; the transition to clean energy amongst others are all issues requiring the comprehensive address by the United Nations. Although these issues are receiving attention at different levels, the body may need to make an introspective assessment and reposition itself to meet the emerging global challenges, if it must maintain its existence as the driver of world peace.
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Illuminating!
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