Ukraine is in dire need of help, and if the organization does not act effectively now, the global consequences will be as catastrophic as in the 1930s.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's address to the Security Council took place in critical moment for both Ukraine and the UN. Russia's illegal aggression and the collective failure of 192 member states to stop it have been the biggest UN crisis since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The organization may not survive this practical, legal and moral threat to its authority, – writes The Guardian. The Kremlin has broken all the principles established by the 1945 UN Charter, which were to maintain peace between sovereign countries. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' calls for an immediate end to hostilities have been ignored again and again. And the humanitarian laws of war were brutally disregarded. And numerous war crimes in Bucha, Mariupol and other cities of Ukraine prove it.
The UN is not accidental. Therefore, his aspirations and powers cannot be considered optional or in any way secondary. After the collapse of the League of Nations, the organization emerged from the ruins of World War II. The common and immediate motivation for this was simple: “Never again.” 77 years later, governments and countries must remember this key call.
Amid heated talks that an invasion of Ukraine could provoke World War III, the UN Charter has regained its relevance. Its preamble reads: “We, the peoples of the United Nations, are determined to save future generations from the scourge of a war that has brought untold sorrow to humanity twice in our lives, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights… and to tolerate and live in peace with each other. as good neighbors, and to join forces to maintain international peace and security. ” Not surprisingly, Vladimir Putin's regime violated the commitments made by his Soviet predecessors. It is unfortunate, but China, which, along with Russia and five other countries, has a veto in the Security Council, is also violating the UN Charter, while other countries, such as India, are simply doing nothing.
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The UN was not silent about the war in Ukraine. In early March, of the 193 member states of the General Assembly, 141 voted in favor of a resolution calling on Russia to cease hostilities immediately. Only the DPRK, Eritrea, Syria, Belarus and Russia itself voted against. And what happened? Nothing. Were penalties imposed or measures taken to enforce the decision? No. Three weeks later, the General Assembly overwhelmingly supported another resolution, insisting on access to civilian aid and protection agencies and criticizing Russia for creating a “terrible” humanitarian situation. It was at this time that the world learned that the Russian military was massacring, raping and torturing people in Bucha. Once again, Moscow ignored the UN decision.
The UN Security Council, the only body with the power to do something, has already proved its failure. In the first days after the invasion began, the resolution condemning the attack was rejected. Because Russia has vetoed. China, India and the UAE abstained. The Ambassador of Ukraine then angrily declared: “Your words are worth less than a hole in a New York bagel.” Without giving up, Zelensky called on members of the Security Council to stop the genocide and exclude Russia from an organization that has become paralyzed and ineffective. He assured that Kyiv wants to conduct a transparent international investigation. In fact, the UN Human Rights Council has already launched an investigation. Britain and the United States, which currently chairs the Security Council, later initiated Russia's expulsion from the Human Rights Council.
“We cannot allow a member state to violate every principle we value, to maintain membership. Russia's participation in the Human Rights Council is a farce, “said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States' ambassador to the United Nations.
Most objective observers will agree. In fact, they can be applied to Russia's overall presence at the UN.
How much longer can the behavior of an extremely aggressive, uncontrolled pariah regime be tolerated? And how to make the UN more effective? These fundamental questions hung over the very future of the organization. They also apply to other violating countries. But Russia is key, given its privileged position since 1945. If the UN wants to maintain its powers of guarding the international order on the basis of rules, if it wants to be able to act decisively when these rules are violated, and if it seeks to survive without becoming a stage for broad political gestures, then organizations are in dire need of reform. p>
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This is not a new idea. Numerous proposals have appeared and disappeared over the years. It was mostly about expanding the Security Council, giving permanent status to Japan, Brazil, India, South Africa and Germany. There were also proposals to abolish the veto. All such ideas were presumably based on national rivalry and a jealous desire to preserve existing rights. At the same time, Britain and France are most to blame for the failure of such proposals.
All this cannot continue as long as Ukraine is on fire. A sensible and realistic first step would be to hold, as an exception, one non-veto vote on the situation in Ukraine. So that the Security Council can make a decision by a majority of votes, which Russia would not block. Such a possibility could be ratified by the General Assembly with the support of two-thirds of the votes. Putin will have to listen to the decision. If he refuses to comply with such a resolution, all UN countries will have to approve sanctions, as was the case with the DPRK.
Over time, the UN Security Council can secure a majority vote. But in any case, Guterres now needs to call on all countries to support a new founding conference, like the one in San Francisco in 1944, to restart the UN. That the organization reflects the balance of power and priorities that exist in the 21st century. This is a critical moment. Ukraine is in dire need of help. The UN desperately needs a fresh start, as does the crumbling international order. If the UN fails to save Ukraine from Putin, as the League of Nations failed to save Ethiopia from Benito Mussolini, the global consequences will be as catastrophic as in the 1930s.
Recall, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting over the atrocities of the Russians in Bucha, Zelensky said the organization should withdraw if it could not eliminate Russia as a source of war. Now our country, he reminds, needs decisions from the Security Council to achieve peace.
