Founded after the Second World War in order to prevent further wars and conflicts, the UN now stands in a unique position by uniting 192 countries.
The UN has taken wide measures in order to contribute to peace, but the humanitarian interventions and peacekeeping operations are often debated and discussed. There is a general agreement that the success of the UN is limited. Jonas Gahr Støre explains that the substantially reduced numbers of conflicts during the recent decade must be seen in connection with the UN’s peace efforts.
-The number of military, civilians and police in today’s UN-operations is sevenfold since 1999 and it has been established a wide range of important conflict preventive mechanisms and programs supporting democratization and stability.
Peacebuilding is a process
Peacebuilding is considered one of the UN’s primary objectives. The question is what role the UN should take in order to fulfill its mission, and whether we – in the end – need the UN? -It is its width and legitimacy that ensures that the UN can make a difference, Støre says.
-Consequently, there are no other current alternatives. When asked how he himself defines peacebuilding, Støre underlines the humanitarian perspective.
-Peacebuilding is a matter of human beings, and about creating peace for people living in conflict areas. But this is a time-consuming effort; -While peacemaking and peacekeeping often is carried out through diplomatic and military means and with a limited time perspective, peacebuilding is a process of continuity through which we with economic, social and humanitarian efforts try to prevent conflicts from evolving.
United students
Concerning student initiatives, such as ISFiT, Støre believes that student cooperation across borders can make essential contributions to peacebuilding. -In many countries, student organizations are important driving forces for democratic rights and consequently also important players in peacebuilding». Støre also recognizes the extreme reactions some students face from the authorities. -In situations like that, an international network is vital.
Criticism The UN has been criticized for a lack of coordination and for acting to slowly. There is talk of a need for reform processes in order to make the UN more efficient.
-One of the areas we have been engaged in is the work in the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission. This work has contributed to more focus on seeing peacemaking and peacebuilding in connection with each other, so that the rest of the UN and other involved participants can make the right efforts together with the countries involved. We must avoid that peacebuilding becomes an agenda pushed forward by eager western countries.
Published:
Tags:
This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. If you have any queries about republishing please contact us. Please check individual images for licensing details.
