most comprehensive global leadership organization. The UN’s main goals include improving education,

child mortality rates, maternal health, gender equality and many other initiatives. So, can

they do it? Exactly how effective is the United Nations?

The United Nations emerged after World War 2, with the objective of achieving a global

balance of peace between world powers. Today they have 193 member states. And they have

roughly 100 thousand soldiers, or “blue-berets” (buh-REYS) operating 16 separate peacekeeping

missions around the globe. That’s about equal to the active manpower of Canada. They

also have numerous government branches, like the World Health Organization and the International

Court of Justice, to further focus peacekeeping efforts.

But even with so many assets, they have been criticized at times for inefficiency, and

ineffectiveness. Specific instances that haunt the UN, are the conflicts during the 1990s,

in Rwanda, Somalia and the former Yugoslavia. The Peacekeeping forces that were sent there

were too small to cope with the violence. As a result, many people were killed. These

incidents forced the United Nations to reassess their resources, and their methods of handling

ongoing wars.

But there have been many other SUCCESSFUL peacekeeping missions - throughout places

like Angola, Namibia, El Salvador and Mozambique. United Nations officials can monitor ceasefire

agreements and observe demilitarization efforts. Officials also regulate nuclear proliferation

with their International Atomic Energy Agency. Thanks primarily to UN organizations, Smallpox

has been completely eradicated since 1980, and Polio is expected to be eliminated in

2018. The UN has improved literacy rates across the globe, child mortality rates, and women’s

rights. They also work to extract dangerous landmines across the globe, and combat terrorism.

As a result of extensive and innovative humanitarian work, UN officials, UN agencies and the entire

organization itself has been awarded 11 Nobel Prizes over the years.

So is the United Nations effective? Well, although they have had past setbacks, the

organization is without a doubt, the strongest, most wide-reaching, and well-respected global

peace initiative that the world has ever seen. As long as they retain support and commitment

from all their members, the United Nations could finally be the one government entity

that clears the path to future peace.

If you want to get a better picture of the UN’s influence in the world, check out Seeker’s

video about UNESCO, the agency that helps preserve human history, or to learn about

how powerful the UN actually is, our video below. Thanks for watching TestTube News!

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