After the inglorious demise of the League of Nations, the United Nations rose like a phoenix from the ashes and ruins of the Second World War in 1945. The year 2025 marks the 80th birthday of this world organisation. Delegates from 50 countries met in San Francisco to establish an international organisation to foster global cooperation and prevent future conflicts and wars between member states of the United Nations and to promote global peace and harmony. Eighty years after its birth, the United Nations is still active and making its contribution to world peace by implementing the UN Charter, which is the bedrock of this organisation. The Charter’s opening words spell out the express determination of the UN “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, and all 193 member countries of the UN have resolved their commitment to abide by the Charter of the UN. The UN Charter, signed in San Francisco, outlines the organisation's structure, functions, and principles, aiming for peace, security, and human rights. Commemorative events are planned throughout the year to reflect on the UN's past achievements and future challenges.
From the cauldron and chaos of WWII, a new world organisation was created in San Francisco. The United Nations came into existence on 24 October 1945, after the US, the UK, China, France and the Soviet Union had ratified the Charter. The first members included Brazil, Canada, Chile, Iran, Lebanon, the Philippines, and Turkey. Stalin added the Soviet "Republics" of Belorussia and Ukraine as members. The UN's early years were dominated by crises in the Middle East, the creation and membership of the State of Israel, conflict between India and Pakistan, and the Korean War in June 1950. Equally, a host of humanitarian and refugee agencies were established to assist economic development.
Today, 80 years after the foundation of this world organisation, what has changed? Has the UN lived up to the promise of its creation? Is the world a more peaceful place because of the UN? And has it contributed to the development and progress of the poorer nations of the world? Amid wars, global strife, and massive refugee dislocations, the current global scene is overwhelmed with crises ranging from the Middle East to Ukraine and a dozen African conflicts, which rarely make the news. The contemporary world situation in many ways resembles 1945 and the end of WWII. There's a strange déjà vu of a history most people do not know or would rather forget.
The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis was amicably resolved by the efforts of the UN, and the world was saved from the horrors of a nuclear holocaust
The first test of the UN occurred in 1950 when, on 25 June, the North Korean Army invaded South Korea, and immediately the UN Security Council adopted a resolution. Resolution 82, passed on 25 June 1950, condemned the North Korean invasion and called for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of North Korean forces to the 38th parallel. Following North Korea's disregard for this resolution, Resolution 83 was passed on 27 June, declaring the invasion a breach of peace and recommending UN members assist South Korea. Twelve days later, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution authorising the United States to establish and lead military forces to repel the attack and restore peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Korean War was the first war in history to be fought under the UN flag.
The post-WWII period was the era of the Cold War and a growing fear of the Third World War breaking out because of the conflict between the communist countries and the western democracies. It was the height of the Cold War, and the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, went to the annual gathering of world leaders. The birth of the State of Israel in the Middle East resulted in the Arab-Israel conflict that is still going on, with major wars in 1948, 1967, 1973 and countless skirmishes, including the present bloodshed and chaos in Gaza. The UN has so far failed miserably to end this dispute between the Arab nations and Israel. In November 1974, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was invited to speak at the United Nations even though the territories were not a UN member nation. Arafat told diplomats in the General Assembly chamber, “Today, I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter’s gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.”
India and Pakistan have clashed repeatedly over the contentious issue of Kashmir, and despite many resolutions regarding the Kashmir dispute, the problem remains unresolved, making this another major failure of the UN. The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis was amicably resolved by the efforts of the UN, and the world was saved from the horrors of a nuclear holocaust, but the UN could do nothing to prevent the India-China conflict in the 1960s.
The bombing of the UN headquarters in August 2003 in the Canal Hotel in Baghdad was the deadliest terrorist attack against UN staff in its history and killed many team members as well as Sergio Vieira de Mello, a rising star who was UN human rights chief and temporarily headed its Iraq operations. In September 2009, Moammar Gadhafi, the autocratic ruler of oil-rich Libya, ripped up the document in his only address to the UN General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders — a rambling 90-minute speech that went way beyond his allotted 15 minutes. He said he did not recognise the authority of the UN Charter. Then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown retorted in his speech later: “I stand here to reaffirm the United Nations Charter, not to tear it up.”
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti on 12 January 2010 killed 102 UN staff members, including the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti and his deputy, when the building housing their offices was destroyed. Then-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the scene in Port-au-Prince days afterwards. The UN called it “one of the darkest days” in its history. Haiti’s government put the death toll at 316,000, while some estimates were lower.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticised Americans who threatened to burn the Muslim holy book, saying, “The truth cannot be burned.” He then held up the Quran and the Bible and said he respected both of them. The United States and about 30 other countries walked out during Ahmadinejad’s speech after he claimed the U.S. masterminded the 11 September 2001 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people.
The United Nations is not without its faults and negative points. Eighty years later, the UN Charter remains a guiding light for human rights and fundamental liberties. The UN has helped a number of countries move forward on the path to peace. It has helped organise the delivery of humanitarian aid during crises and contributed to the establishment of a credible, impartial justice system that combats impunity. It has also been a driving force for major social progress while placing the protection of our common goods – the environment, heritage and health – at the centre of the global agenda. But at the same time, it has contributed to the development of third-world countries and played a major role in defusing tensions between member states.