Does the UN really need reforms?

OPINION | UN REFORMS

By Andrew Barungi

The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) takes place annually in the Fall (Autumn).

It is a ritual in which World Leaders travel to New York City to make speeches, many of which are clichés. Some of these leaders continue to update the world about their countries' progress. Others, mostly from the West, want to warn other leaders that they will be punished for violating international law. For some, it is a platform to abuse the Western World.

Has anyone asked what the relevance of the General Assembly, or the UN for that matter, is if there are still conflicts and underdevelopment in much of the World? I think the Annual General Assembly is just another expensive talking workshop which is a burden to taxpayers of the developing world to cater for the welfare of their leaders. The only beneficiary of this talking workshop is New York City thanks to the foreign delegations injecting money into its economy.

The UN is an intergovernmental organization whose objective is to promote international co-operation and to create and maintain international order. Has the UN achieved its objective? Mr. John Bolton, a former United States of America (USA) Ambassador to the UN once said: "There's no such thing as the United Nations. If the UN Secretariat building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference." I am inclined to agree with him. The UN has not prevented coup d'états. It has not punished some dictators for committing atrocities against its citizens. The UN does not have the capacity to punish the P5 (the permanent members of the UN Security Council, which includes China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the USA)  for any of their actions which may be deemed as illegal under international law. The UN, with many good intentions, is nothing more than a barking dog.

The UN should be applauded for the adopting resolutions to impose sanctions and carry out military action against rogue leaders. But these resolutions have not prevented others from emerging.

There have been many scandals at the UN such corruption in the UN Mission in Kosovo and sexual abuse by peacekeepers. It should be acknowledged that many have represented the UN well, such as whistleblowers to expose these scandals. But how can reform take place when many whistleblowers have been punished for their actions? Why is the UN protecting corrupt elements in the citizen?

For the UN to be reformed, who will take the lead, the P5?  We all know they will promote their own interests. So long as they have the power of veto power and have the strongest militaries, there can't be constructive reform of the UN.

What about the rest of the World? Some have recommended more States to be in the P5 like that will bring peace and development. How can some in the developing world demand for reforms when they are busy violating the rights of their citizens? In case you did not know, Mr. Ian Khama, President of Botswana skips UN (as well as African Union) meetings because national priorities take precedence. This is something World Leaders should epitomize since these talking workshops do not improve the lives of ordinary people.

The UN, which has lasted longer than its predecessor, the League of Nations, is here to stay. But it will be foolhardy for anyone to expect meaningful reforms when it has failed to bring peace and promote sustainable development for the last 72 years. Reforms can be achieved when all States share the same interests.

The writer is a social scientist