United Nations, explained
July 6, 2025
The United Nations (UN) was set up in 1945, after the end of the Second World War.
The aim: prevent another global conflict.
Today, it has 193 member countries (99.5% of global population).
The UN has 5 main goals:
Maintain peace and security
Protect human rights
Deliver humanitarian aid
Support economic development
Enforce international law
The UN is made up of 5 main “organs”:
Security Council
General Assembly
Secretariat
Economic and Social Council
International Court of Justice
The General Assembly (GA) is the main discussion forum.
In the GA, all member states are represented equally: each country has 1 vote.
The GA discusses global issues and adopts resolutions, but these are non-binding, meaning there is no real requirement to follow them.
It also approves the UN budget, and elects members to other UN bodies.
The Secretariat runs the UN’s daily operations.
It is led by the Secretary-General, currently Antonio Guterres, who acts as a global diplomat, advocate for the vulnerable, and the “chief administrator” of the UN.
The Economic and Social Council oversees development and international cooperation.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the UN’s legal body.
It settles legal disputes between states, such as border conflicts or treaty violations.
Its rulings are binding, but the ICJ depends on state cooperation to enforce them.
The Security Council is the most authoritative organ of the UN.
15 members: 5 permanent members (China, France, Russia, UK and US), and 10 non-permanent members elected for 2-year terms by the General Assembly.
Regional quotas: Africa (2 seats), Asia-Pacific (1 seat), Latin America and Caribbean (1 seat), Western Europe and Others (2 seats), Eastern Europe (1 seat).
The “Others” category includes countries like Australia, Canada, Israel and Türkiye.
The structure of the Security Council was designed to reflect the global power hierarchy emerging from the Second World War.
The 5 permanent members (P5) were granted special privileges, including the veto power.
The veto power allows a P5 member to block any decision.
From 1946 to July 2025, 326 resolutions were vetoed.
The veto power shaped Cold War dynamics, as the US and the Soviet Union often used it to block each other’s interests.
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Russia's vetoes on Ukraine
Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has used its veto power to protect itself from punishing resolutions.
Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia vetoed 3 draft resolutions condemning (criticising) its aggression and demanding a ceasefire.
The vetoes effectively silenced the Security Council and prevented the adoption of measures to stop the war.
US vetoes on Israel-Palestine
The United States has vetoed over 50 resolutions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the past two years, the US blocked 7 resolutions calling for ceasefires and the interruption of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Notably, in April 2024, the US blocked a resolution granting full UN membership for Palestine, claiming that Palestinian statehood should result from negotiations with Israel.
As of 2025, Palestine is a “Non-Member Observer State”, a status also held by the Vatican.
The Syrian civil war
From 2011 onwards, Russia and China have vetoed, respectively, 18 and 10 resolutions concerning Syria.
These resolutions included proposals for sanctions, referral to the International Criminal Court, and humanitarian ceasefires.
Russia and China, through their veto powers, shielded the Assad regime and paralysed UN efforts to stop mass atrocities, despite evidence of extreme human rights violations.
The frequent use of the veto to protect national interests undermines the Council’s credibility.
The seat of China
China’s seat in the United Nations bodies became a contentious issue following the Chinese Civil War (1927-49).
After the victory of the communist forces, the present-day People’s Republic of China (PRC) formed.
The nationalists fled to Taiwan and surrounding islands, claiming sovereignty (independence) as the Republic of China (known as Taiwan).
Through US support, Taiwan kept China’s seat at the United Nations, including its permanent position at the Security Council.
This lasted until 1971, when the General Assembly formally recognised China (PRC) as the legitimate representative of China, removing Taiwan.
Since then, Taiwan remained excluded from the UN system
“One China” Policy: China continues to oppose any form of recognition that might suggest Taiwanese independence.
How the Security Council works?
The Security Council adopts binding resolutions.
It can impose sanctions, authorise the use of force, or set up peacekeeping missions.
Throughout its history, the Council has played a leading role in solving disputes and ensuring peace and respect for human rights.
However, it proved to be incapable of defending peacewhen a permanent member has a direct interest in it.
Key Resolutions
Resolution 82 (1950) – Korean War
It condemned North Korea's invasion of South Korea and paved the way for a UN military intervention led by the United States.
The resolution marked the first time the UN authorised collective military action.
Notably, the resolution was adopted during a boycott of the Security Council by the Soviet Union.
In fact, between January and August 1950, the USSR did not take part in the Security Council meetings, protesting the UN’s refusal to take China’s seat away from Taiwan.
Resolution 678 (1990) – Authorising force against Iraq
This resolution authorised UN member states to use “all necessary means” to restore order if Iraqi forces failed to withdraw from Kuwait.
This resolution provided the mandate for Operation Desert Storm, the multinational coalition led by the United States that attacked Iraq to liberate Kuwait.
Resolution 1244 (1999) – Kosovo
It was adopted during the NATO intervention in the Kosovo War.
This resolution placed Kosovo under UN administration and authorised a multinational security presence.
The resolution helped stabilise the region and became the legal framework for Kosovo’s governance in the years leading to its 2008 declaration of independence.
Resolution 2118 (2013) – Syrian chemical weapons
It was adopted in response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons.
This resolution called for the destruction of Syria’s chemical arsenal, marking a rare moment of US-Russia cooperation during the Syrian conflict.
Initially, it represented a diplomatic success as it led to the destruction of large parts of Syria’s declared arsenal.
However, repeated use of chemical weapons in the following years revealed serious limitations in enforcementand oversight.
Despite investigations, the Council remained paralysed by Russia’s veto power, which shielded Syria from further action.
The UN Security Council can issue sanctions to punish threats to peace.
Sanctions are used to put pressure on states, non-state actors or individuals who pose a threat to international peace.
Goal: change their behaviour without resorting to military action.
How sanctions work?
To be adopted, sanctions require at least 9 votes and no veto from any of the P5.
Once imposed, sanctions become obligations for all UN member states, who must enforce them.
Modern sanctions are "smart": they are designed to minimise humanitarian harm.
Types of sanctions:
Arms embargoes
Asset freezes
Travel bans
Trade restrictions
Financial sanctions
Conflict and Peacekeeping
The United Nations is tasked with the prevention and resolution of conflict.
The UN Charter recognises the need for collective measures to maintain peace.
The UN allows the use of force only in two cases:
Self-defence
After Security Council approval
The doctrine of pre-emptive self-defence (using force to prevent an imminent attack) remains controversial.
Peacekeeping has become one of the UN’s core tools.
Peacekeeping missions are typically deployed:
With the consent of the involved states
To monitor ceasefires
To support political processes
To protect civilians in post-conflict environments
UN peacekeepers, often called “Blue Helmets”, are not a standing army but are voluntarily provided by member states.
The largest forces come from the Global South.
The first peacekeeping mission was authorised during the Suez Crisis (1956), to oversee the withdrawal of British, French and Israeli forces from Egyptian territory.
Successful missions
Timor-Leste (1999–2002)
After a referendum for independence led to widespread violence, the UN took full administrative control of Timor-Leste.
The UN mission helped restore order and rebuild social institutions. It led Timor-Leste to full independence in 2002.
Liberia (2003–2018)
Following two deadly civil wars, this UN mission helped stabilise the country and supported free elections.
Failed missions
Rwanda (1993–1996)
The UN deployed a mission to oversee a peace agreement between the government and the rebels.
However, when the genocide began in 1994, the mission had a limited mandate and was not authorised to use force to stop the killings.
Despite warnings, the Security Council reduced troop levels at the height of the violence.
Over 800,000 civilians were killed.
Bosnia (1992–1995)
This mission was tasked with protecting “safe areas” during the Bosnian War.
However, at a UN safe area in Srebrenica, over 8,000 Bosnian men and boys were massacred by Serbian paramilitary in the presence of UN peacekeepers.
The unit guarding the UN safe area did not have approval to use force, which it needed to stop the attack and summary executions.
The responsible paramilitary’s leader was arrested 16 years later, as one of the conditions for Serbia joining the EU.
He was convicted of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity by a special UN tribunal, and is now serving a life sentence in prison.
Criticism and Limitations
The United Nations has been criticised for failing to maintain peace.
In particular, the veto power of the P5 often undermined the response to conflicts and humanitarian crises.
Recently, the failure to prevent or stop the war in Ukraine and Israel’s operations in Gaza highlighted the Security Council’s limitations.
Peacekeeping missions often operate underfunded, with insufficient staff, and with mandates that are either too vague or politically constrained.
The risk is that peacekeepers become a symbolic presence with little real impact.
These weaknesses led to a decline in trust in the United Nations.
Author Simone Chiusa
Editor Anton Kutuzov
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