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All four of my high school years were spent learning about the United Nations and then applying what I learned at local conferences on the weekends. I was one of those nerdy kids who wrote resolutions and gave speeches for a program called Model United Nations.
Having spent all that time researching international topics and then role playing, I quickly came to realize that the U.N. is nothing more than ambassadors bickering. The U.N. has no real power, just like the Student Government Association at Pepperdine. Sure SGA and the U.N. pass resolutions, but what is a resolution?
A resolution uses words such as “recommends,” “supports,” “hopes” and “requests” to bring an issue to the attention of others. No country is required to enact anything the U.N. passes in the form of resolutions. The only body that can command, demand or require a country to do something is the Security Council. Even then, there is no retribution for not complying with the council. Just look at how many resolutions the Security Council passed demanding that Saddam Hussein disarm and allow a weapons inspector into Iraq. How many did Saddam follow? None. What did the Security Council decide to do? Pass another resolution.
The U.N. is one of greatest beaureaucy in the world, or at least one the biggest. There is no hierarchy. Sure there is Kofi Annan, the Secretary General, but he wields no power over any nations, including his own. The only purpose the U.N. serves is to allow every country the opportunity to be heard.
For the U.N. to have any effect in the global community, it needs to be reformed. The only program under the U.N. that should be kept the same is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The UNHCR, created in 1950 by the U.N. General Assembly role is to pursue international protection by ensuring that states are aware of, and act on, their obligations to protect refugees.
According to the its definition, refugees are legally defined “as people who are outside their countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group, and who cannot or do not want to return home.”
In 1950, with a three-year mandate, the UNHCR helped resettle 1.2 million Europeans refugees who were left homeless after the world wars. U.N. officials saw the effectiveness, as they continued to renew their mandate every three years, at least until December 2003 when the General Assembly removed the time limitations.
Currently, the UNHCR is one of the farthest reaching agencies, with a staff of 6,540 people helping 19.2 million refugees in 116 countries.
Since the creation half a century ago, the agency has provided assistance to more than 50 million people. The organization seeks long-term solutions by first helping refugees obtain basic needs such as medicine, food and job training. Once those needs are met, the agency focuses on representing the legal affairs of refugees.
The UNHCR not only quickly reacts to large influxes of refugees, but it is also active in averting problems. The agency devotes resources to preventing huge population movements from global trouble spots and also funds the construction of local school and medical facilities to help refugees and local citizens.
The UNHCR is almost entirely funded by voluntary contributors. With an annual budget of $1 billion, only two percent of the agency’s budget comes from the actual U.N. budget.
In 2003, the United States donated $308 million to the UNHCR, more than the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France and Spain combined.
How does the UNHCR protect more than 50 million people with a budget a third of the size of the U.N.? The UNHCR has prospered due to the agency’s interaction with non-governmental organizations (NGOs); they have formal project agreements with more than 500 NGOs around the world.
Since the early days of the UNHCR providing aid to the refugees of Europe, faith-based NGOs have been involved. Between 1994 and 2003, the agency channeled more than $271 million to faith-based NGOs who just like other NGOs, are required to provide aid regardless of race, creed or nationality of the recipients.
With the help of NGOs and countries funding the agency, millions of refugees have been acknowledged and provided for.
When Kofi Annan wants to reform the U.N. General Assembly and make it an effective international governing body, he should take a look down the hall to the UNHCR for inspiration.
MALIBU, CA
