(Includes: history, challenges and reforms suited for the 21st century)

Seminar Description

Since its establishment in 1945 following the end of the World War II, major political, economic and technological developments have taken place globally while the Charter of the UN and composition of its Security Council have remained unchanged.
The Charter establishing the UN was signed in June 1945 (and came into force on October 24, 1945) with the main objective to maintain international peace and security following the failure of its predecessor, the League of Nations to prevent World War II. The preamble of the Charter states that “the people of the United Nations are determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war which twice in our lifetime has brought sorrow to mankind….”

Although another world war has not been fought, the global arena has been heavily “pregnant” with national, ethnic and international wars and terrorism that have resulted in genocide and deaths of tens of millions of peoples and destruction of property of untold value. Why has UN’s Security Council failed to maintain international peace and security that is its fundamental function? Why are there so many unresolved wars and conflicts in Africa, the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, just to mention a few?

This Seminar will discuss the history of the UN, challenges it has faced in the past 65 years, the bitter differences, acrimony and behind the scenes tug of war among members of UN’s Security Council, role of UN’s peacekeeping Operations, why some of the conflicts remain unresolved and some beneficiaries of conflicts. We shall discuss immediate and long term reforms necessary to enable this huge international Organization cope with demands and realities of the 21st Century.