World War III must be prevented

The precise import for the formation of the United Nations (UN) was to come together to resolve conflicts that might result in war.

The UN replaced the League of Nations.

The aftermath of World War II premised the advent of this international organisation.

The enormity of the death, destruction and terror that wreaked our community of nations was a sufficient testimony of the need to prevent a third world war.

There are so many horrifying stories about World War II.

The war could be termed as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with states and individuals committing appalling human rights violations.

There was unimaginable horror across countries, with towns largely empty of inhabitants. 

1945

The UN is the only international organisation which takes a universal character.

States have agreed together to meet the challenges relating to international peace and stability.

States have agreed that the UN charter be accepted and recognised as the document to guide the conduct of nations and individuals in matters relating to international peace and stability.

As member states, the contents of the charter is to be our watch word. Member states have the legal responsibility to adhere to the statutes of this document.

The UN continues to articulate a vision to lift the world from impending conflicts.

Our assurance in the organisation is based on the fact that the League of Nations failed to prevent the World War II.

The charter which was to regulate the running of the UN was drawn based on the proposals from the representatives of the US, The Soviet Union (Russia), and the UK.

These three countries became permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The cardinal aim of the UN as inscribed in the preamble of the charter is to save succeeding generations from the scourge of wars.

The implication is that the UN will endeavour to avoid mass scale wars, at the scale of the first and second world wars.

In this perspective, the UN became an organisation in which the international community, which primarily constitutes the member states, could build trust.

Some of the states which were the architects of the UN charter suffered as a result of the Second World War.

The UN after 1945, through its diplomatic efforts, has been trying to prevent a Third World War.

Series of conflicts, civil wars like what occurred in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the war in the former Yugoslavia, and currently Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had individual or state action contradicting the requirements of the preamble to the charter, which states: “…And to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights in the dignity and worth of the human person,  in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small…”. 

Has UN failed?

No. Though member states which accept the obligations of the charter continue to defy human rights and international humanitarian laws, it could be deduced from this that the UN has challenges, but hasn’t failed.

“For the United Nations there’s no higher goal nor deeper commitment and no greater ambition than preventing armed conflicts.

The prevention of conflicts begins and ends with the development of human security”.

Kofi Annan General Assembly Security Council A/52/871S/1988/318.

The cardinal aim of the UN is clearly defined, preventing of wars, and defending humanity. 

Security Council

The mandate of the UN Security Council is to ensure global peace and stability.

The Security Council has to deal with interstate and intrastate conflicts.

The Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and stability under the charter.

It’s involvement in the maintenance of peace and stability is manifested in various roles, calling on countries to contribute troops for peace keeping operation, the formation of observer missions, all within the framework of peace building.

The Security Council influence should be supreme, pervading  and controlling every other, the Security Council at its 9135-meeting presided over by Shirley Ayorkor Botchway Ghana’s Minister For Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The meeting was of the view that Russia’s action is at war with international humanitarian laws and that Russian initial pronouncements as a special military operation has been converted into a full-scale war.    

The writer is Initiator,

International Forum on the Status of Refugees in the World,

Senior Lecturer, Coordinator, Russian Section.

University of Ghana.

E-mails: aaboasiako@ug.edu.gh; aboasiako@yahoo.com