"This week marks the 80th anniversary of the the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and world leaders have gathered in New York for the occasion. But amid mounting geopolitical tensions, rising climate change and increased challenges to the global rules-based order, the mood is not exactly celebratory. Instead, it would appear that the United Nations is being challenged like never before."
"One major reason is the split in the Security Council over Israel's war in Gaza and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Its peacekeeping missions have also drawn criticism, particularly in Africa. And last year, a group of climate policy experts, including former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and the prominent climate scientist Johan Rockstrom, called the COP climate summits "no longer fit for purpose.""
"What, exactly, is the UN General Assembly? One of the six principal organs constituting the United Nations, the UNGA is the main representative body, offering space to deliberate policies and pass recommendations through resolutions. UNGA resolutions are, in effect, merely statements of intent, expressing an internationally agreed-upon position. They are generally not enforceable by law. "We have no carrots and no sticks," Guterres admitted as he was speaking to the challenges the UN faces to make a practical difference in security terms."
The UN General Assembly marks its 80th anniversary amid low morale caused by mounting geopolitical tensions, climate threats, and challenges to the rules-based order. Deep divisions in the Security Council over Israel's war in Gaza and Russia's invasion of Ukraine limit unified action. UN peacekeeping missions face criticism, especially in Africa. Major climate experts have criticized COP summits as no longer fit for purpose. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasizes UN's necessity for collective global responses to pandemics and climate change. UNGA resolutions serve as representative statements of intent but lack legal enforceability, limiting the UN's capacity to secure peace.
Read at www.dw.com
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