The Role of the UN in International Relations (Essay Sample)

The Role of the UN in International Relations
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The Role of the UN in International Relations
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization that was established in 1945 with the primary objective of preventing future wars following the devastating effects of World War II. It succeeded the former League of Nations, which was disbanded after it was unable to prevent the Second World War (Müller, 2021). Pursuant to the UN Charter, the purposes of the UN are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, promote the respect of human rights and freedoms, and assist in solving the international humanitarian, social, economic, and cultural problems (Müller, 2021). Recognizing that people's economic and social conditions are central to world peace and security, the UN has specialized agencies that promote sustainable international development. The UN plays a significant and influential role in international relations, including the prevention of conflict, resolution of international disputes, promotion of diplomacy, development of trade, and strengthening international law.
The UN works to prevent inter-state conflicts by helping the parties to a conflict make peace through preventive diplomacy and mediation. The organization uses mediation tools such as political missions and special envoys. It also deploys peacemakers to volatile regions and states across the world. The UN peacekeeping efforts began in 1948 when it sent a mission to the Middle East to maintain a ceasefire during the Israeli-Arab War of 1948 (Coning & Muller, 2018). Since then, the UN has taken part in over seventy missions around the world, including in Cyprus where its peacekeepers attempted to end the 1964 conflict between the Turks and the Greeks over the island, India-Pakistan border in an attempt to end the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, and the 2000 mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea whose objective was to ensure the cessation of hostilities following the Eritrean-Ethiopian War (Oksamytna & Karlsrud, 2020). According to Oksamytna & Karlsrud (2020), the UN peacekeeping missions bring an end to conflicts and facilitate the transformation from negative to positive peace. Building positive peace entails addressing the root causes of conflict, such as inequalities, discrimination, and marginalization. The missions enhance political processes, disarming militant groups, demobilizing and reintegrating former combatants, and strengthening human rights and the rule of law (Coning & Muller, 2018).
Additionally, the UN maintains good international relations among states through its development and strengthening of international law. The organization establishes international law through multilateral treaties, courts, and tribunals (Coning & Muller, 2018). International law sets out the legal responsibilities of states in their conduct with each other and the treatment of their citizens within state boundaries. The body of international law encompasses a broad range of issues of international importance such as international crime, migration, and refugees, human rights, the conduct of war, the use of force against civilians. The UN Charter contains the principles of international relations that guide the UN in its work, including upholding the sovereignty and equality of states and regulating the use of force during war, particularly against civilians.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the UN organ mandated with settling legal disputes between states in accordance with international law. The ICJ has settled major international disputes pertaining to territorial questions, diplomatic relations, and maritime boundaries (Coning & Muller, 2018). A plethora of international courts and ad-hoc tribunals have enabled the UN to address war crimes, genocides, and crimes against humanity within an