SACHIN TRIPATHI
When the world burns, we need a platform that doesn’t just appeal to douse the flames, but one that actually brings water. But in the third decade of the 21st century, every time the flames of war have risen, the United Nations has appeared merely scattering the ashes of statements and resolutions. Is this the same institution the world once looked up to in 1945 as a symbol of hope? Back then, the war-weary humanity, reeling under the devastation of the Second World War, laid the foundation of the United Nations to uphold global peace, protect human rights, and foster cooperation among nations. But today, when bombs fall in Gaza, tanks roll through Ukraine, civil war blazes in Sudan, and Haiti slips into governmental void one is compelled to ask: has the United Nations strayed from its purpose? Or has it become like a snake without fangs, without venom?
Looking at recent events, it certainly seems so.
The Israel-Palestine conflict, which reignited in 2023, has so far claimed more than 40,000 lives many of them women and children. The United Nations passed resolutions, announced humanitarian aid—but all efforts were nullified by the veto of countries like the USA. Similarly, the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in 2022, has entered its third year. Thousands have died, millions displaced. But in the Security Council, Russia’s veto power has rendered the rest helpless. These are not isolated cases.
From Armenia-Azerbaijan, Sudan, Mali, Somalia, Yemen, Congo-conflicts rage across the globe. Nations like Haiti are on the brink of lawlessness. Each time, the UN issues stern statements, passes resolutions, sends humanitarian aid—but fails to establish lasting peace.
The biggest reason for this failure lies in the structure of the Security Council. The five permanent members USA, Russia, China, France, and the UK can veto any proposal. Even if four nations agree to halt a war, one “No” nullifies the resolution. This structure is obsolete in today’s multipolar world. Countries like India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan have long demanded permanent seats at the table. Yet, due to conflicting interests of the P5, the demand remains unfulfilled. Is it fair that India, with a population of 1.4 billion and the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, is denied a seat at the decision-making table?
Today, power has become more valuable in the UN than humanity. Powerful countries place their national interests above global welfare. Whether it’s children dying in Palestine or drone attacks on civilians in Ukraine—these tragedies have become nothing more than numbers in the game of geopolitics. Even if 150 nations in the UN General Assembly vote to stop a war, a single veto in the Security Council silences all. Peacekeeping forces are still deployed in several conflict zones, but they lack resources, autonomy, and teeth. In countries like Mali, Congo, and Lebanon, UN peacekeepers are helpless before armed local militias. After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the UN was entirely ineffective in addressing the chaos.
At the start of 2025, countries like India, Brazil, and South Africa once again raised the demand for structural reform in the United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres himself said: “If we don’t reform, history will not forgive us.” The proposed reforms include the inclusion of new permanent members, limiting the veto power—especially in war-related resolutions, strengthening and empowering peacekeeping operations, and ensuring budgetary and administrative decentralization. A global IPSOS survey conducted in January 2025 reveals that 68% of people believe the UN is incapable of stopping wars, and 82% of youth demand radical reform. In countries like India, Nigeria, and Brazil, public disillusionment with the UN is particularly high. This is a clear signal—diplomatic jargon and ceremonial resolutions no longer satisfy the world.
Today, as war flames spread and humanity groans, the UN must go beyond merely appearing ‘united’—it must become genuinely sensitive. Its silence now is not just a sign of failure; it is increasingly seen as a complicity in crime. The current state of the United Nations echoes poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s timeless lines:
“kshama shobhti uss bhujang ko, jiske pass garal ho, Usko kya jo dantheen, visharahit, vinit, saral ho”
The UN today is like such a fangless, venomless snake—capable only of hissing, but powerless to act. It resembles that elderly member of a household whose words are heard with respect, but whose advice is ignored. If the UN truly wishes to become the platform for global peace, it must move beyond resolutions and take bold decisions—even if it means challenging the powerful. If not, history will record its name not as a savior, but as a constitutional corpse—one that lived, but never acted.
Sachin Tripathi can be reached at hello.sachin29@gmail.com
