Another clear advantage of the United Nations is its human rights work. Although it has not always applied its decisions equally to all member countries and has been slow to respond to human rights issues involving women and non-Europeans or non-Americans, the United Nations has been successful in improving the general conditions of human life. The United Nation's position as human-rights watchdog has recently been revamped. Prior to March of 2006, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights contained many members who were accused of human rights violations. This commission was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Human Rights Council appears more willing than its predecessor to call attention to human rights violations, regardless of the country in violation. However, it has yet to be determined whether the United Nations is willing to intervene in human-rights issues when the violator is one of its more important members. For example, although the United Nations recommended the closure of Guantanamo Bay based on human rights violations at the prison, it has not taken any actions against the United States to compel that closure. Despite similar failures to timely intervene in human-rights issues, the fact is that the United Nation's tremendous presence has ensured that human rights violations will receive a greater amount of press than they would have prior to 1945. This press has given the citizens of its member nations a greater power and a greater responsibility to urge their governments to take action to end alleged human rights abuses, both abroad and at home.
Another advantage of the United Nations is that it has tremendous financial resources and is able to provide humanitarian aid to those most in-need of it. This humanitarian aid comes under several different categories. For example, the World Food Programme helps feed over 100 million people each year. United Nations' relief workers also help provide shelter, drinking water, and other resources to those in need. However, its most dramatically successful humanitarian branch may be the World Health Organization. As the premier world-wide health organization, the World Health Organization has been largely responsible for the reduction of certain communicable diseases. For instance, World Health Organization...
There has also been considerable progress against cholera, trachoma, yellow fever, and yaws. In May 1980 smallpox was globally eradicated." (MedicineNet, 2006). Therefore, one of the tremendous advantages of the United Nations is that it enables communication between nations, allowing resources from wealthier or more advanced nations to be shared with less advantaged nations. This sharing has led to a reduction of worldwide suffering, which would not have been possible without the cooperation between nations that has been made possible by the United Nations.
The foregoing review of the accomplishments of the United Nations reveals some of its advantages and disadvantages. Those advantages include the successful accomplishment of humanitarian goals, some success in peacekeeping, the reduction of arms proliferation, and the protection of human rights. However, the United Nations does have disadvantages; not only has it found it difficult to accomplish certain goals, but it has also been less willing to intervene on behalf of some people, most notably Africans. Therefore, in order to move the United Nation towards its goals of bringing peace and improving the quality of life of all people, the United Nations may need to undergo a restructuring, which would make the United Nations more likely to intervene on behalf of citizens in less influential nations.
References
AFP. (2006). Sudan reiterates opposition to UN peacekeepers in Darfur. Retrieved November
9, 2006 from Yahoo! News
Web site: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061109/wl_africa_afp / skoreasudanun_061109190806
Human Rights Watch. (2004). Leave none to tell the story: genocide in Rwanda. Retrieved November 9, 2006, from HRW.org
Web site: http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/rwanda/
Human Security Centre. (2005). Human security report. Retrieved November 9, 2006, from The Human Security Centre
Web site: http://www.humansecurityreport.info/content/view/28/63/
MedicineNet. (2006). Definition of World Health Organization. Retrieved November 9, 2006, from Medicine Net
Web site: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11087
