UN Part 2: The Effectiveness of Development 10/3/25 The United Nations (UN) as an institution is focused on development at its core. Indeed, it was founded in 1946 with a mission of peace amid the post-war consensus that such a global situation could never happen again, backing up this agenda with security (United Nations, 2024). This way of thinking is the first in a long line of development ideas from the institution as it sought to rebuild those affected by the war during this period, and develop the political context of the world in a much more harmonious way. As the global institution evolved, it began to focus more on the concept of sustainable development, and taking a multi-dimensional co-ordinated approach to development focusing on the advancement and betterment politics, the planet, people and economies (United Nations, 2020). This new regard for development focused on Harry Truman’s attitude of how the “old imperialism- exploitation for foreign profit has no place here” (Tr...
UN-Blocked: The Case for Veto Reform 6/3/25 Four months after the San Francisco Conference ended, in October 1945 (United Nations) the United Nations began its operation as a mainstay of global governance. One of its key features is the United Nations Security Council, a select group of states that convene to discuss and solve global security issues. It comprises of the five permanent members of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China, referred to henceforth as ‘the permeant five,’ as well as ten non-permanent members, elected for ten-year terms. One of the Security Council’s major areas of criticism is the existence of a veto power, held exclusively by the permanent five members, that allows any proposal or resolution put forward to the Council to be vetoed instantly by the member state that choses to use it. This has drawn much criticism and has led to the argument that reform is needed, owing to the injustice it creates on the Security Council. This essay will ev...