Why is it in the news?

• October 24, 2024, marks 79 years since the establishment of the United Nations (UN), which was created to succeed the League of Nations in the aftermath of World War II.
• The UN was tasked with maintaining global peace and security, promoting international cooperation, and honouring human rights and self-determination for various groups.
• Despite its noble aims, the organization has faced criticism over the years, including its failure to prevent the Rwandan genocide in 1994 and its ongoing challenges in resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict, which continues amid hostilities in Gaza.

The three major instances that significantly influenced the UN’s evolution over the decades:

1. I) Israel-Palestine: Resolution 181 and the Contentious Two-State Solution

• After World War I, the defeat of the Ottoman Empire led to the division of its territories among the Allied powers, with the intention of promoting self-governance. Palestine was placed under British mandate.
• In May 1947, the UN established the UN Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) to address the future governance of Palestine. A key proposal was the creation of a separate Jewish state within Mandatory Palestine.
• While the Zionist faction presented a case to the committee, the Palestinian leadership boycotted it, resulting in UNSCOP recommending that the Jewish community be allocated 62% of western Palestine, despite the Arab population outnumbering Jews nearly two to one.
• In November 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181, which outlined a contentious Partition Plan for Palestine. This four-part document called for ending the British mandate, withdrawing British armed forces by August 1948, defining borders between the two proposed states, and other provisions.
• The immediate outcome was a civil war between Arab and Jewish communities, escalating into violence that culminated in the Nakba, a mass exodus of the majority Arab population. Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, just days before the British withdrawal, sparking a larger Arab-Israeli war.
• Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan remarked in 2006 that the UN’s inability to find a lasting solution to this conflict “would continue to hurt the reputation of the United Nations and raise questions about its impartiality,” affecting its capacity to address other conflicts, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

1. II) Korean War: Formation of the UN Command

• The end of World War II in 1945 resulted in the division of the Korean peninsula into two regions: the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the North, supported by Soviet and Chinese communists, and the Republic of Korea in the South, backed by the United States.
• Tensions escalated in 1950 when North Korea, led by Kim Il Sung, invaded the South, prompting condemnation from the UN and suspicions of a Soviet-controlled expansion during the Cold War.
• In response, the UN Security Council convened an emergency session, passing two resolutions—Resolution 82 on June 25, condemning the invasion and demanding an immediate ceasefire, and Resolution 83 two days later, urging member states to provide military support to South Korea.
• This led to the establishment of the UN Command, the first international unified command under the United Nations Charter, comprising troops and medical personnel from 22 member countries, primarily led by the US.
• The conflict ultimately ended in a stalemate, with an armistice signed in 1953 that created the Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), but no permanent peace treaty was established.
• The Korean War also prompted the UN General Assembly to adopt Resolution 377A, known as the Uniting for Peace resolution, which allowed the General Assembly to discuss international security matters when the Security Council’s five permanent members could not reach a consensus.

III) The Suez Crisis and the UN’s Peacekeeping Unit

• The Suez Crisis of 1956 presented an opportunity for the UN to implement lessons learned from the Korean War, notably leading to the creation of its first peacekeeping force.
• The crisis began when Egyptian President Gamal Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal Company, previously controlled by British and French interests. This action was a response to a joint decision by the UK and the US to finance the construction of the Aswan High Dam, which Nasser felt was undermined by Western powers concerned about his ties with the Soviet Union.
• Tensions escalated when Israeli forces attacked Egypt on October 29, backed by British and French support, to gain control of the canal. However, domestic backlash and pressure from the US and the UN forced the invaders to withdraw.
• In response to the UNSC stalemate, the UN convened an emergency session of the General Assembly, calling for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of foreign forces from occupied territories.
• This led to the establishment of the UN Emergency Force (UNEF), the organization’s first peacekeeping unit, tasked with monitoring the withdrawal of foreign troops from Egypt and acting as a buffer between Egyptian and Israeli forces.

These pivotal moments have profoundly shaped the United Nations, highlighting both its successes and challenges in fostering international peace and security.