UN - How can it work to promote growth and stability, and does it also exacerbate inequalities and injustices Flashcards
What is the UN
- The United Nations was set up in 1945 to establish a peaceful and fair world.
- The UN charter sets out the basic principles of global governance and the functions of the UN.
- To maintain global peace and security
- To develop friendly relations between nations
- To use cooperation to solve internation problems
- To bring countries together in order to solve disputes
UN promoting growth
- The UN Millenium Development goals have helped reduce the number of people living in poverty, increased the number of people in primary school and reduced chile and maternal mortaility rates. In 2015 the UN set new targets in order to promote continued sustainable development.
UN promoting stability
UN peacekeeping missions can help to end wars and conflict.
UN causing inequalities
Developed countries currently hold most of the power over decisions taken at the UN, many of the global issues tackled by the UN affect African and less developed countries the most.
UN causing Injustices
At times the UNs attempt to promote growth and stability has been ineffective and just resulted in injustices.
Examples of UN promoting growth
- In 2015 the UN set new targets in order to promote continued sustainable development by 2030, they include no poverty, zero hunger, cimate action and reduced inequalitie.
- The UN development programme drove such change.
- 15 years prior the millenium Development goals were created and these have been described ‘as the most succesful anti-poverty movement in history’
The target of reducing extreme poverty rates – people living on just $1.25 a day – by half was met five years ahead of the 2015 deadline. Globally the number of people living in extreme poverty has fallen from 1.9 billion in 1990 to 836 million in 2015.
Between 1990 and 2015, 2.6 billion people gained access to improved drinking water, meaning the target of halving the proportion of people without access to safe water was achieved. Worldwide, 2.1 billion people have gained access to improved sanitation.
Examples of the UN Promoting stability
Peaceful elections were held in Cote D’ivoire in 2015 after years of civil war beginning in 2004, 70,000 combatants were disarmed and there were two presidential elections in 2011 and 2016. The new administration had 108 local departments and a much stronger security force
Examples of the UN causing inequalities and injustices
- Regugee ciris, yet no African country has a seat at the UN security council which makes the final decision.
- In 1995 UN peacekeepers failed to protect 8000 people in Srebrenica in south east europe when they were massacred by Bosnian Serbs.
- U.N. aid workers were blamed for spreading cholera in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
- Allegations of sexual misconduct and rape were leveled against U.N. peacekeepers in Republic of Congo, Cambodia.
Failures of the MDGs
One of the major MDG failures is the fact that the success of the goals was not experienced equally across the globe; this in itself is a major defeat.
Southeastern Asia exceeded the goal for extreme poverty reduction by 16 percent and Southern Asia exceeded the goal by 12.5 percent BUT Sub-Saharan Africa was by far the most behind. It did not even meet the goal for extreme poverty reduction and was 12.5 percent away from doing so.
Gender inequality was also a focus of the MDGs, but unfortunately, according to the United Nations, “gender inequality persists in spite of more representation of women in parliament and more girls going to school. Women continue to face discrimination in access to work, economic assets and participation in private and public decision-making.”
In addition, the numbers for global emissions of carbon dioxide as well as water scarcity are disheartening. There has been a 50 percent increase in carbon dioxide emissions and water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of the world in comparison to 1990 statistics.
