Former UN official says US unilateralism has rendered the UN dysfunctional

Former United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Hans-Christof von Sponeck, stated during a panel organized by the Schiller Institute that the world is going through “perhaps the greatest geopolitical division in creating a humane and dignified world order.”

Sponeck said that the dream of the 1945 Yalta Conference to leave wars behind and establish multilateral cooperation has been replaced by a “nightmare of fear, uncertainty, and conflict.”

Von Sponeck noted that while the timeless ethics and vision of the UN Charter remain, the political UN, particularly the Security Council, has largely failed to fulfill its mission of peace.

The only plausible explanation for the UN’s failure is the US

Highlighting the primary reason for the UN’s failure in its peacekeeping mission, von Sponeck said, “I do not say this lightly; the most significant reason is the US pursuit of its global geopolitical interests through a unilateral foreign policy.”

Sponeck emphasized that the US uses its military and economic power both within and outside the UN at its own discretion, rather than according to the principles of the rule of law and multilateralism.

Stating that this situation should be accepted not as an ideological statement but as a serious reality, von Sponeck remarked, “This is the only plausible explanation for the turmoil in international relations and the disappointing performance of the UN.”

The construction site for a new world order is vast

Expressing that the “multilateral construction site” for a new, peaceful, and just world order is immense, von Sponeck outlined the necessary reforms. “This is about the geographical adjustment of the Security Council, which is no longer representative. It is about reforming the use of the veto. It is about the cooperation between the General Assembly, as the majority of states, and the Security Council, as the minority of states. It is about the independence of the work of the Secretary-General and the specialized agencies and their protection against bilateral interventions.”

Sponeck also recalled that the UN’s annual budget is $3.7 billion, stating, “This is no more than 46 cents for every citizen in the world. The UN is that cheap.” He also pointed to the necessity of a new and just international economic order, long demanded by non-Western countries.

The toolbox for transformation is ready

Stating that there are reasons for optimism despite the current geopolitical situation, von Sponeck said that the majority of states and civil society organizations are no longer willing to accept a “West-centric world.”

Noting that the “international toolbox” necessary for transformation is ready, Sponeck emphasized that the most decisive missing element is the “political will of the great powers to unanimously commit themselves to future multilateralism.”

Sponeck noted that global threats such as climate change, nuclear weapons, pandemics, and migration affect all 193 UN member states without exception, saying, “Herein lies a unique opportunity for a community of survival.”

Expressing that these common threats could form the basis for developing a “multilateral team spirit” that does not currently exist, von Sponeck concluded his words with a quote from the French thinker Stefan Hessel: “To create something new is to resist. To resist is to create something new.”