The persistent violence in the
Middle East
proves to be a continuous issue for the United Nations. Instead of moving
towards a peaceful solution, this 40 year-old conflict stemming from the
Six Day War in 1967 still baffles negotiators within the international
community. Previous resolutions passed by the General Assembly have worked
towards implementing comprehensive peace plans that have failed to become
reality. A definite and conceivable agreement must be reached in order to
settle the lasting issue of the Palestinian question. This
topic is restricted to the conflict between
Israel
and its neighbors and should not include discussion of
Iran
,
Iraq
or other problem areas in the region.
B.
Comprehensive
review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their
aspects (35)
According to the Mission Statement for the United Nations Department of
Peacekeeping, "each peacekeeping operation has a specific set of
mandated tasks, but all share certain common aims - to alleviate human
suffering, and create conditions and build institutions for
self-sustaining peace."Today,
the UN is involved in 15 peacekeeping operations with over 100,000
personnel serving from 115 countries around the world.An argument can be made that this current rate of peacekeeping
operations illustrates a strong confidence in the UN system and its
ability to bring stability after conflict.However, it can be argued that peacekeeping can also be costly,
unpopular, and ineffective.Of
the current missions, five were in existence before 1990.At a current annual cost of over $5.4 billion, financing these
activities provides a constant struggle for the United Nations, as does
the sometimes blurred line between peacekeeping and peacemaking.
A generation of expanded trade and reduced tariffs has yielded mixed
results, with strong results in East Asia and considerably weaker in
Africa and
Latin America
. The United Nations plays a fundamental role in the promotion of
international cooperation for development. Are poorer countries able
to support the burden of open markets and is increased interdependence the
solution to the massive Global North/South inequity of wealth?
D.Causes
of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in
Africa
(66b)
Africa
is a vast and varied continent. African countries have different histories
and geographical conditions, different stages of economic development,
different sets of public policies and different patterns of internal and
international interaction. The sources of conflict in
Africa
reflect this diversity and complexity. Some sources are purely internal,
some reflect the dynamics of a particular sub-region, and some have
important international dimensions.There
is no doubt that conflict in
Africa
poses a major challenge to United Nations efforts designed to ensure
global peace, prosperity and human rights for all. Although the United
Nations was intended to deal with inter-State warfare, it is being
required more and more often to respond to intra-State instability and
conflict which made up the vast majority of conflict in
Africa
.In 1996 alone
Africa
’s conflicts accounted for more than half of war related deaths
worldwide.The international
community must make an effort to help prevent these conflicts and promote
peace and sustainable development in
Africa
.
