Following World War 2, the United Nations was created. Article 1 of its charter includes the following:

"To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace."

In the decades since the charter was created and adopted, the UN has had minimal success in achieving these goals. Time and space do not allow a thorough investigation of those failures, but we will review some current events for which the United Nations should intervene effectively, and in which it is unable to do so.

1. Palestine. Currently, Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and is also accelerating the repression and killing of Palestinians in the West Bank. That what is happening is genocide can no longer be denied. Amnesty International; Human Rights Watch; Francesca Ablanese, the UN Special Repporteur on human right in the Palestinian territories all have determined that Israel’s action in the Gaza Strip constitute genocide. Additionally, the following countries have joined South Africa in that country’s complaint against Israel in the International Court of Justice:

· Nicaragua

· Belgium

· Ireland

· Colombia

· Libya

· Egypt

· Cuba

· Mexico

· Palestine

· Spain

· Türkiye

· Chile

· Maldives

· Bolivia

Yet the slaughter of Palestinian men, women and children continues unabated.

Resolutions in the very undemocratic Security Council, consisting of 15 members - five of which have veto power - demanding an end to this genocide are routinely vetoed by the United States, which almost always stands alone on this issue. In 2024, the US vetoed four such resolutions.

Things are different in the General Assembly which, unfortunately, has no power to act; its decisions, while influential, are only symbolic. On June 12, the GA “…overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and lasting ceasefire in Gaza.”  The vote was 149 nations in favor, 12 opposed and 19 abstaining.

The medical journal The Lancet, in January of this year, stated that the death toll in Gaza was underestimated by 41 percent. Today, at official figures state that least 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, and close to 1,000 more in the West Bank. Yet the genocide continues.

2. Sudan. In the midst of a vicious power struggle, more than 150,000 people have been killed. Evidence of ethnic cleansing in Darfur has been documented by Human Rights Watch. A report from April, 2025 by Amnesty International includes the following: “Over the last two years, the Sudan Armed Forces, Rapid Support Forces and their allies have committed atrocity crimes, including sexual violence against women and girls, tortured and starved civilians, rounded people up and killed them, and bombed markets, displaced persons camps and hospitals. These atrocities amount to war crimes.” The report further states this: ““Despite these atrocities, the world has largely chosen to remain passive. Alarmingly, the UN Security Council has failed to implement a comprehensive arms embargo on Sudan to halt the constant flow of weapons fuelling these heinous crimes.”

Once again, appalling horrors are being perpetrated on innocent people, and the world does nothing.

3. Russia and Ukraine. Since February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the death toll is difficult to estimate. “According to figures released by Kyiv, UN statistics, and open-source data published by Mediazona and BBC Russia, the total death toll of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers, as well as Ukrainian civilians stands at 170,521 as of June 12, 2025.” This estimate is believed to be low; Russia is not forthcoming on its battlefield losses, and civilian deaths in Ukraine are unknown at this time. And Ukraine, for much of the war, did not release any official military death figures.

With these three examples in mind, let us look at Article 1 of the UN Charter in detail.

· “To maintain international peace and security….” A lofty goal, certainly, but one on which the United Nations has a record of dismal failure.

· ”…and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace….” The Security Council has passed numerous resolution condemning Israel. However, since 1970, an additional 49 resolutions introduced that were critical of Israel have been vetoed by the United States.

· “…and for the suppression of acts of aggression….” The United Nations has been powerless to suppress “acts of aggression” by Russia against Ukraine, and by Israel against Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iran. The list of ‘acts of aggression’ by the United States that the UN has not been able to prevent is too long to include here.

· “… to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace.” Today, genocide is occurring in several areas of the world. War crimes are being committed and seen by people globally on their phones and computer screens. People are starving to death, not because of environmental conditions, but by deliberate actions of rogue governments.

What is the purpose of international law? World leaders make statements decrying these crimes, but then either finance them, provide the weaponry for them, or grant them impunity on the world stage. The decisions of the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice are bypassed, thwarted or simply ignored.

Pastor Martin Niemoller (1892 – 1984) made this statement after World War 2:

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

“Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

“Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

“Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Global conditions today do not bode well for the future. If international law can be disregarded so easily, even to the extreme point of Western, developed nations not just tolerating genocide but actually financing it, then we must ask: who is safe? When international laws that reflect human decency are flouted, no one is safe.

What is required? Reform of the United Nations, to assure that Security Council resolutions are enacted by majority vote; removal of money from politics globally, but perhaps most especially in the United States, and the election of leaders who will respond to the will of their citizens will greatly bring back some semblance of justice to the world. Until these major shifts occur, the effects and efficacy of international law will continue to be diminished. And that puts all of us at risk.

Photo: The United Nations has had minimal success in achieving its goals (by Adobe).