It’s Your World.

The malevolence of human nature was epitomised during World War Two, when over 6 million Jews were systematically murdered in the Holocaust. In response to these nefarious acts against humanity, the United Nations was created in 1945, with hopes of preventing these malicious acts from occurring again. All around the globe, the UN has taken leadership in many peacekeeping missions, humans rights complaints, and humanitarian affairs. (For a description of the humanitarian work the United Nations have done, you can visit their website at http://www.un.org/en/index.shtml) Even after their valiantly commendable efforts in modern day society, the UN hasn’t been as effective as it should be- and the proof lies in the countries still ravaged by war and genocide.

Personally, I would first change the make-up and structure of the Security Council. The Security Council is made up of 10 non-permanent Members (that rotate annually) and 5 permanent Members: China, Russia, USA, France, and the United Kingdom. As a Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), you have the power to veto “any ‘substantive’ draft Council resolution, regardless of the level of international support for the draft.” This veto is exercised when any Permanent Member casts a “negative” vote on a substantive draft resolution. With the current genocide conditions in Darfur (located in the Sudan, an area rich in oil deposits), China has used its veto power to deter aid and has “refused to endorse the draft statement calling for the government of Sudan to backtrack on its expulsion of 13 humanitarian aid organizations from Darfur following The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issuance of arrest warrant against Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir for 7 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity on Wednesday 4th March 2009.” Unscrupulously, China is exploiting its veto power to provide their country with economic stability via oil. As one of the biggest trading partners with the Sudan, China has purchased approximately two thirds of their oil exports annually. By having the power to veto substantive drafts, the United Nations is giving too much power to the 5 Permanent Members; no country on the globe should ever be allowed to have that much power. From an outsider’s perspective, it looks as if the 5 Permanent Members are the puppeteers in the United Nations Security Council, delicately undermining the UN’s facade of humanity.

The UN prides itself as being committed “to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights,” but with all due respect, horrific atrocities  and human rights violations are still occurring to this day, and as long as we appease to the world’s superpowers, nothing will be done. In this dog-eat-dog world, it seems that all a country cares about is their economic standing in the materialism of the global economy. How many more millions of innocent civilians will have to be murdered before we stop turning a blind eye to the massacres that are still devastating the world? Shouldn’t the bloodshed of one innocent soul be enough to make you care?

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~ by bczihaly on December 14, 2009.