The United Nations seeks to find a “peacemaker” for growing conflicts

In the last decades of the 20th century, the United Nations was the arbiter of international law, and its Secretary-General was a peacemaker with almost full powers. Today, the tasks of negotiating to resolve wars and conflicts fall on the shoulders of businessmen close to the US President, Donald Trump, or on the shoulders of countries considered a third party, most often emerging powers, and have seized the organization’s historical role as a mediator.

As the election of its 10th Secretary-General approaches, who will assume the position for five years, beginning on January 1, 2027, the dimension of peacemaking at the United Nations gains special importance after the paralysis of the international organization’s role in various recent conflicts around the world.

Historian Thant Myint U, a former United Nations official and mediator in the peace process in Myanmar, said on social media: “Where is the Secretary-General of the United Nations in the current war (the Iran war)?” He explained that “a neutral mediator, appointed by the entire world, who has good relations with all major powers, is exactly what we need to find face-saving paths that lead to calming tensions for all parties.”

He added: “This is what the Secretaries-General of the United Nations did, mostly with remarkable success, over the decades, especially between 1955 and 1990.”

Formulating an output

The Burmese diplomatic historian’s grandfather, or Thant, was one of these peacemakers. He served as Secretary-General of the United Nations between 1961 and 1971, and helped resolve the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, through a peace plan approved by both US President John Kennedy and Russian (then Soviet) President Nikita Khrushchev.

Historian Thant Myint U noted that Pakistan currently plays the role of UN Secretary-General regarding the Iran war, saying: “But every now and then, including in cases of potential nuclear escalation, someone called the UN Secretary-General may be indispensable in formulating a way out.”

At a time when criticism is mounting over the organization’s apparent irrelevance, the historian wrote, “Everything the United Nations has done otherwise should be a farce that ensures the preservation of the prestige of this actor, when the world needs it most.”

He added, “The paralysis of the Security Council and the increasing failures of the United Nations now amount to what appears to be largely a problem of reputation, and even legitimacy.” The organization’s paralysis, or, for some, its outright ineffectiveness, has become more deeply entrenched in the Middle East, where Israel repeatedly ignores Security Council resolutions.

peacekeeping

The four candidates for the position of Secretary-General, namely: the former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, the former Vice-President of Costa Rica, Rebecca Greenspan, the Argentine diplomat, Rafael Grossi, who serves as Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the former Senegalese President, Macky Sall, were recently questioned before the 193 members of the General Assembly and representatives of civil society, about what the new Secretary-General of the United Nations can offer.

One of the eight sections of the agenda during the accountability was precisely “peacekeeping and peacebuilding,” because it is difficult to preserve the basic purpose of an international organization without fulfilling this function.

“The United Nations has lost much of its credibility as a peace institution at a time when wars are on the rise and the Security Council regularly faces dilemma over how to deal with major conflicts,” Richard Gowan, director of the Global Affairs and Institutions Program at the International Crisis Group, told El Pais. He added: “The Secretary-General cannot achieve world peace alone, but a smart Secretary-General can play a more important role in informal diplomacy with Beijing, Moscow and Washington on how to manage future conflicts.” Guan continued: “The current Secretary-General, António Guterres, has often seemed somewhat pessimistic about his inability to play an important role in managing major wars, and diplomats want his successor to take more risks.”

Finance

The capacity of the United Nations will not be complete unless its largest contributor, the United States, repays its debts of more than $1.5 billion, to ensure the proper functioning of the organization and its costly peacekeeping missions.

George Lopez, professor emeritus of peace studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said: “With timely funding, the new Secretary-General must affirm the organization’s traditional role in working for peace and security, and eastern Congo may be a good first target, while the other goal is to work for a peaceful Syria,” adding: “In each case, it would be useful to have a Secretary-General who, given financial constraints and a pragmatic vision, works with the World Bank and other international financial institutions to inject financial resources and real expertise that can stimulate the peace option.” As a smart choice.

Lopez explained, “Despite the keenness of some members of the Security Council to restrict the Secretary-General’s freedom of movement, this leader must be a moral voice defending the values ​​of the organization’s charter and peace in the face of unprecedented violence. He must also be a defender of international law, especially international humanitarian law, even at a time when countries that used to respect those traditions may now ignore these principles.” About “El Pais”

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Important role

The nomination of former Costa Rican Vice President Rebecca Greenspan for UN Secretary-General reinforces the important role she played as a negotiator in the 2022 Black Sea trade agreement, which allowed the release of grain that had been blocked in Ukrainian ports due to the Russian war.

At the time, Greenspan was Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), an organization from which she temporarily resigned to focus on her candidacy.

• The capacity of the United Nations will not be complete unless its largest contributor (America) pays its debts, which exceed 1.5 billion dollars.

Richard Gowan:

• The United Nations has lost a great deal of its credibility as a peace institution at a time when wars are increasing.