The United Nations is the global platform to foster understanding and cooperation between nations and initiate coordinated action on issues that transcend national borders. From the refugee crises to climate change to the devastating global pandemic, the organization works globally to protect basic human rights, promote sustainable development, and strengthen the collective message of peace.
The world today bears witness to the horrors in Ukraine, owing to Russian aggression headed by Vladimir Putin. US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield declared to the assembly, “If the United Nations has any purpose, it is to prevent war, condemn war, and stop the war.”
In the race against time, it became apparent that the United Nations had been reduced to a rubber stamp. As the ambassadors of the United States, Britain, France, and others took to the stage calling for Putin to pursue diplomacy, journalists witnessed Russia’s president on state television announced that his military operation had already begun. The UN’s actions fell miles short of curbing the brutal crisis in Ukraine.
Historically, however, the UN has not been entirely bereft of power. During the Korean War, the UN foresaw that P-5 members might not be able to act cohesively during a conflict, for veto power will render actions redundant. On 27 February 1950, the Council passed a procedural resolution – with eleven out of fourteen votes – requesting the General Assembly to meet in line with the long-established but rarely used “Uniting for Peace” formula.
The following June, the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 83 decided to provide assistance to South Korea to disarm the attack and restore peace on the Korean Peninsula after condemning North Korean actions as a breach of peace.
The UN’s civil arm, UN Civil Assistance Command (UNCACK), supervised the distribution and utilization of more than $450 million in relief assistance from 33 UN member nations, effectively rehabilitating millions before operations ceased in September 1953.