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Even the most workaholic of United Nations bureaucrats must be examining their to-do list with trepidation right now. On top of the escalating Ebola crisis, unabating violence in Syria, terror threats from Isis and the increasingly evident effects of climate change (to name just a handful of concerns), the end of the millenium development goals next year will be an intense period of reflection and future planning.
As the UN approaches its 70th year, it seems a good time to assess the effectiveness of the multilateral body to address the issues of the 21st century.
The UN Security Council’s lack of achievement has been well documented. Last year Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called the war in Syria “our collective failure” which would “remain a heavy burden on the standing of the United Nations”. UN human rights commissioner Navi Pillay went further: “The killers, destroyers and torturers in Syria have been empowered and emboldened by the international paralysis,” she said when she left her post in August.
Pillay’s accusation centred on the security council’s inabilty to pass a resolution. In September, France proposed changing the process so that in the case of “mass crimes” the five permanent members do not have the power of veto. Britain’s UN ambassador supported the change and so did other representatives, but Russia, China and the United States stayed silent. The US is also guilty of frequently falling to pay its UN member fees.
The US, Britain, France, China and Russia became permanent members in 1946 because they were victors in the Second World War. In 2014, is that still relevant? Is it time that power was distributed more widely, extending perhaps to emerging markets and the Brics countries? Would decision making be even harder with more countries in the inner circle?
Of course, the UN’s mission is much more than peacekeeping. Has it done better at promoting development than at preventing war? When all is said and done, should credit be given where it’s due? Join us to discuss these questions and more with an expert panel on Thursday 23 October, 1-3pm BST.
The panel
Mandeep Singh Tiwana, head of policy and research, Civicus, Johannesburg, South Africa, @CIVICUSalliance
Mandeep has a legal and human rights background and specialises in legislation affecting civil society.
Saket Mani, UN children and youth representative, World We Want 2015, Pune, India, @SaketMANI
Saket focuses on engage youth in strong partnerships with the UN, governments, private sector and civil society.
Adam Malczak, head of outreach programmes, London International Model UN, London, UK, @Adam_Malczak
Adam is a political scientist and historian at the London School of Economics. He’s also a former president of the UN Association - Poland.
Samy Tshimanga, columnist, Dunia, Indianapolis, USA, @La_General
Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Samy is a political science graduate and writes for global magazine Dunia.
Francesco Mancini, senior adviser, International Peace Institute, Singapore, @ManciniFr
Francesco works on geopolitics, global issues, and how to prevent and solve armed conflicts.
Olav Kjorven, Director, Public Partnerships Division, Unicef, New York, USA, @olavkjorven
Olav has held a number of senior positions within the United Nations since 2005.
The live chat is not video or audio-enabled but will take place in the comments section (below). Get in touch viaglobaldevpros@theguardian.com or @GuardianGDP on Twitter to recommend someone for our expert panel. Follow the discussion using the hashtag #globaldevlive.
