Paper: GS – II, Subject: International Relations, Topic: International Institutions, Issue: Need for UN Reforms.
Context:
The UN was founded 80 years ago to prevent catastrophic wars and maintain global peace.
Key Highlights:
- However, persistent and prolonged conflicts reveal that the current system, especially the UNSC, reacts episodically rather than sustaining durable peace.
- Peace agreements often fail, transitions stall, and diplomatic efforts become crisis-driven and short-lived.
- This reflects a fundamental institutional weakness: no permanent UN body is dedicated to political accompaniment during and after conflicts, causing the organization to lose momentum and context crucial for peacebuilding.
The Solution: A Board of Peace and Sustainable Security (BPSS):
- Functional Reform: Instead of waiting for UNSC structural reform, focus on functional reform to strengthen the UN’s ability to act now.
- UN General Assembly Authority: The UN General Assembly can establish new subsidiary bodies under Article 22 of the UN Charter.
- Filling the Institutional Void: The BPSS would provide structured political engagement during and after conflict, where the UN presence currently dissipates.
- Political Tools: The BPSS would use political tools rather than coercive ones.
- Key Functions:
- Reinforcing nationally-led dialogue.
- Accompanying peace agreement implementation.
- Coordinating regional diplomatic initiatives.
- Ensuring peacekeeping operations are tied to achievable political pathways.
- Coordination: The BPSS would work in coordination with the UN Secretary-General and the UNSC.
- Subsuming the PBC: The BPSS would subsume the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC).
- Alignment: The BPSS would help align UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding strategies with political outcomes.
- Respect for Sovereignty: The BPSS would not challenge UNSC authority or encroach on the Secretary-General’s prerogatives.
BPSS Structure and Functioning:
The article argues that the UN must move beyond episodic interventions and establish a body like the BPSS to ensure sustained political engagement, addressing its key weakness of lacking follow-through from war to lasting peace.
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