CSS Solved Political Science 2026 Past Paper | Role of the United Nations in Promoting Peace
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Question Breakdown
The question asks you to critically evaluate the role of the United Nations in three interconnected domains: peace, security, and development. It requires not only describing what the UN does but also assessing how effectively it performs these functions. Therefore, the answer should cover institutional mechanisms, practical achievements, and structural or political limitations, supported by examples, and end with a balanced critical judgment.
Outline
1- Introduction
2- Institutional Framework of the UN
3- Role in Promoting International Peace
- Conflict mediation and diplomatic negotiations
- Preventive diplomacy and special envoys
- Peacebuilding initiatives in post-conflict societies
4- Role in Maintaining International Security
- Collective security mechanism under Chapter VII of the Charter
- Authorization of sanctions and military action
- UN peacekeeping missions and monitoring ceasefires
- Counter-terrorism coordination and non-proliferation efforts
5- Role in Promoting Global Development
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework
- Poverty reduction, health, education, and humanitarian assistance
- Development programs through UN agencies
- Climate change initiatives and environmental cooperation
6- Successes of the UN
- Prevention of large-scale global war since 1945
- Successful peacekeeping and mediation cases
- Contributions to decolonization and self-determination
- Achievements in health, disaster relief, and development goals
7- Limitations and Criticism
- Veto power, politics, and paralysis in the Security Council
- Selective intervention and enforcement gaps
- Failures in preventing some conflicts and genocides
- Funding constraints and dependence on member states
- Bureaucratic inefficiency and coordination problems
8- Critical Evaluation of Contemporary Challenges
9- Conclusion
Answer to the question
Introduction
The United Nations emerged in 1945 from the ruins of World War II with a simple yet ambitious promise: to prevent another global catastrophe and promote cooperation for human progress. Its Charter linked peace, security, and development as inseparable goals, recognizing that political stability requires economic and social justice. Over the last eight decades, the UN has become the central forum of international diplomacy, managing conflicts, coordinating humanitarian relief, and shaping development agendas. Yet its record is mixed, combining measurable achievements with visible structural limits.
Institutional Framework of the UN
At the structural level, the UN operates through a system designed to combine global representation with executive authority. The General Assembly, comprising all 193 member states, functions as a global deliberative body that shapes international norms and policy direction. However, real enforcement authority lies with the Security Council, whose five permanent members possess veto power and whose resolutions can authorize sanctions, peacekeeping, or military action. Alongside these political organs, the Economic and Social Council coordinates development policies and supervises specialized agencies working in health, education, labor, and economic planning. In practice, this network allows the UN to connect diplomacy with field operations, ensuring that decisions taken in conference halls translate into action in conflict zones and developing societies.
Role in Promoting International Peace
Conflict mediation and diplomatic negotiations
To begin with, the UN has played a consistent role in mediating conflicts and facilitating peace agreements. UN-backed negotiations helped end the civil war in El Salvador in 1992, concluding a conflict that had killed over 75,000 people. Similarly, in Cambodia, the UN supervised the 1993 elections following peace agreements, during which nearly 4.7 million citizens voted, representing about 90 percent turnout. These cases illustrate how sustained diplomatic engagement can transform armed conflict into a negotiated political settlement.
Preventive diplomacy and special envoys
Beyond ending wars, the UN seeks to prevent them. Through special envoys and monitoring missions, it intervenes early in tense situations. Preventive diplomacy in West Africa during the early 2000s, particularly in Liberia and neighboring states, helped contain instability and reduce the risk of regional war. Although such interventions rarely receive global attention, they demonstrate how early diplomatic engagement can avert large-scale violence.
Peacebuilding initiatives in post-conflict societies
Equally important is the UN’s role after the conflict ends. In Sierra Leone, UN peacebuilding programs demobilized more than 70,000 fighters and supported elections that restored civilian governance. In Timor-Leste, the UN administered the territory during the transition to independence and helped establish core state institutions. These efforts show that peace is not secured merely by ending fighting but by rebuilding political and social systems.
Role in Maintaining International Security
Collective security mechanism under Chapter VII of the Charter
While mediation promotes peace, the UN’s collective security framework seeks to deter aggression. Under Chapter VII, the Security Council can declare threats to peace and authorize collective responses. This principle ensures that violations of international law are treated as global concerns rather than isolated disputes.
Authorization of sanctions and military action
For instance, after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, the Security Council imposed sweeping sanctions and authorized a multinational coalition to restore Kuwaiti sovereignty. The intervention succeeded within months, reinforcing the idea that collective action under UN authority can uphold international order. Sanctions against apartheid South Africa similarly contributed to mounting international pressure that encouraged political transformation.
UN peacekeeping missions and monitoring ceasefires
Most visibly, the UN deploys peacekeeping forces to stabilize fragile regions. Since 1948, more than 70 peacekeeping missions have been launched. In recent years, roughly 87,000 uniformed personnel have served in UN operations worldwide. Missions in Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire supported political stabilization and elections, while long-standing deployments in Lebanon and Cyprus have helped prevent renewed hostilities for decades.
Counter-terrorism coordination and non-proliferation efforts
Security efforts also extend to modern threats. The UN coordinates international counter-terrorism measures and supports treaties limiting nuclear weapons. Today, nearly every country participates in global non-proliferation frameworks monitored through UN-linked systems, reducing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and strengthening global security norms.
Role in Promoting Global Development
Sustainable Development Goals framework
Turning to development, the UN provides a shared global roadmap through the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015. These 17 goals aim to eliminate extreme poverty, improve education and healthcare, and promote environmental sustainability by 2030, giving measurable targets for international cooperation.
Poverty reduction, health, education, and humanitarian assistance
Progress linked to UN-supported initiatives is visible in global statistics. Extreme poverty worldwide fell from around 36 percent of the global population in 1990 to below 10 percent before recent global crises. Child mortality has dropped by more than half since 1990, partly due to vaccination and maternal health programs supported by UN agencies. Polio cases worldwide have declined by over 99 percent since the late 1980s, demonstrating the scale of coordinated health campaigns.
Development programs through UN agencies
UN agencies also support long-term development planning. Programs in agriculture, governance reform, and education infrastructure help states strengthen institutions and improve economic stability. Technical assistance provided to developing countries has helped improve public administration and expand access to basic services.
Climate change initiatives and environmental cooperation
Moreover, the UN has become the central platform for climate negotiations. Agreements concluded under its framework have encouraged countries to adopt emission targets and expand renewable energy policies. This shows how the organization influences not only immediate humanitarian issues but also the long-term sustainability of the global environment.
Successes of the UN
Prevention of large-scale global war since 1945
Perhaps the most significant achievement is that no global war comparable to the two world wars has occurred since the UN’s founding. While many factors contributed, the UN’s diplomatic forum has provided a channel for dialogue during major crises, reducing the risk of confrontation among powerful states.
Successful peacekeeping and mediation cases
UN-supervised transitions in Namibia and Mozambique demonstrate the organization’s ability to guide societies from conflict toward stability. Namibia gained independence in 1990 following a UN-supported political process, while Mozambique’s civil war ended with a UN-monitored settlement, enabling peaceful elections.
Contributions to decolonization and self-determination
The UN also supported the global wave of decolonization. More than 80 former colonies achieved independence in the twentieth century, with international backing shaped by UN resolutions and diplomatic processes, strengthening the principle of national self-determination.
Achievements in health, disaster relief, and development goals
In humanitarian terms, UN agencies deliver assistance to tens of millions each year. Food aid programs feed millions during crises, while refugee agencies support over 100 million displaced people globally. Disaster response operations after earthquakes, floods, and conflicts highlight the organization’s operational reach.
Limitations and Criticism
Veto power, politics, and paralysis in the Security Council
Despite notable achievements, the UN’s effectiveness is often constrained by geopolitical rivalry within the Security Council. The veto power held by the five permanent members has repeatedly prevented unified action on urgent crises. Since 1945, vetoes have been used over 290 times, frequently blocking resolutions on conflicts and humanitarian emergencies. During the Syrian civil war alone, Russia and China cast more than a dozen vetoes between 2011 and 2020, preventing stronger sanctions or enforcement measures. Meanwhile, the war displaced over 13 million people, including about 6.8 million refugees, illustrating how political deadlock can weaken the UN’s ability to respond decisively.
Selective intervention and enforcement gaps
Closely connected to this paralysis is the problem of uneven intervention. The UN has sometimes acted swiftly where major powers agreed, but hesitated where their interests diverged. For example, the Security Council authorized a force in Kuwait in 1990, within months of Iraq’s invasion, yet struggled to take comparable action in Syria or Yemen despite prolonged humanitarian crises affecting tens of millions of civilians. Peacekeeping distribution also reflects this imbalance: over 85 percent of UN peacekeepers are deployed in Africa, while some conflicts elsewhere receive limited engagement, reinforcing perceptions that enforcement depends as much on political consensus as on humanitarian urgency.
Failures in preventing some conflicts and genocides
The most serious criticism concerns failures to prevent mass atrocities. In the 1994 Rwanda genocide, approximately 800,000 people were killed in about 100 days, while the UN peacekeeping force on the ground was reduced rather than strengthened during the crisis. Similarly, in Bosnia, the UN-declared “safe area” of Srebrenica fell in 1995, leading to the killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys despite the presence of international peacekeepers. Additionally, the same thing was seen in the Gaza and Sudan crises. These tragedies exposed weaknesses in mandates, troop capacity, and political will, and remain defining moments in debates over UN credibility.
Funding constraints and dependence on member states
Operational capacity is also limited by financial dependence on member contributions. The UN’s regular budget is modest compared to its global responsibilities, roughly $3–4 billion annually, while the peacekeeping budget is about $6–7 billion, less than many single national military budgets. Payment delays are common; at times, unpaid assessments from member states have exceeded $1–2 billion, forcing mission cutbacks and delaying logistics, troop reimbursements, and humanitarian programs. This reliance on voluntary or assessed contributions means the organization’s effectiveness often fluctuates with the political and economic priorities of major donors.
Bureaucratic inefficiency and coordination problems
Finally, institutional complexity can slow decision-making and implementation. The UN system includes dozens of agencies, funds, and programs, each with separate mandates and administrative structures. While this diversity allows specialization, it can also create coordination gaps in emergencies. Reviews of major humanitarian responses, including the Haiti earthquake relief operation, noted delays caused by overlapping responsibilities and administrative procedures. Such structural challenges do not negate the UN’s importance, but they do highlight how organizational scale and procedural layers can reduce speed and efficiency during crises.
Critical Evaluation of Contemporary Challenges
In the present era, the UN faces growing geopolitical rivalry, new forms of warfare, and global challenges such as climate-driven migration and cyber insecurity. These issues require faster coordination and institutional reform. Debates over Security Council expansion reflect demands for more representative global governance. Yet, despite criticism, no alternative institution offers the same universal legitimacy or capacity for coordinated global action. The UN remains essential not because it is perfect, but because global stability still depends on shared dialogue and collective responsibility.
Conclusion
In sum, the United Nations has made measurable contributions to international peace, collective security, and human development, from mediating conflicts and deploying peacekeepers to reducing poverty and coordinating global health campaigns. Statistical evidence of declining poverty rates, large-scale peacekeeping deployments, and successful diplomatic settlements confirms its practical impact. At the same time, political divisions, veto power, financial dependence, and institutional inefficiencies continue to limit its effectiveness. Thus, the UN should be viewed as an indispensable but imperfect pillar of global order whose future success will depend on reform, political cooperation, and renewed commitment to multilateralism.
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