UN’s failures

At 70, one would think the United Nations’ conflict resolution record would be credible enough to provide hope for millions of people caught in complex conflicts in many parts of the world. But the reality is different. 

The record is dismal and even where success can be pointed out, critics would argue that the world body’s intervention was often too little, too late.

It is not all the UN’s fault. Our world is complicated, and superpower competition and rivalry are often the reason for the Security Council’s endemic paralysis and inability to take action. 

Consensus usually lacks, as is the case in Syria, and even when there is agreement, like in Libya and Yemen, influential powers are hesitant to confront the aggressor if their interests are not in immediate danger.

The UN’s failure becomes apparent when special peace emissaries are dispatched to conflict zones in a bid to bring various parties together and arrive at a peaceful settlement.

Three current cases support this claim. In Yemen, UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been trying to mediate between the rebellious Houthi tribe and their ally, deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the legitimate government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi for almost a year without success. 

Despite UN Security Council resolutions backing the legitimate side, the Houthi-Saleh alliance has consistently derailed Ould Cheikh’s efforts. 

It is no secret that the rebels are receiving arms from Iran and that the conflict is evolving into another proxy war that is destroying the country and creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis for the people of Yemen.

It is also evident that the legitimate government, supported by the Gulf countries and recognised by the rest of the world, has made a series of concessions in order to end the bloodbath.

On the ground, the Houthi-Saleh alliance is bent on pursuing an agenda that has compromised the country and allowed terror groups to emerge. 

There is no sign that Ould Cheikh’s mediation is bearing fruit or that it will succeed in making a breakthrough in the near future. 

All attempts to reach a political resolution to the 18-month-old conflict have been rebuffed by the rebels through obfuscation and procrastination. 

Even as they lose ground and the Yemeni national army and the Popular Resistance forces inch closer towards the capital, the rebels continue to wage war and reject peace.

In Libya, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy Martin Kobler, who was appointed in November 2015, has been trying to lure various Libyan parties to implement a reconciliation agreement reached in the Moroccan city of Skhirat last December. 

His efforts to get the Libyan parliament to recognise the national accord government of Fayez Al Sarraj have not succeeded so far.

Despite the Skhirat breakthrough, Libya continues to descend into chaos, with deep rivalries between tribes in the eastern and western parts of the country preventing a lasting ceasefire.

Kobler’s latest challenge is to deal with Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s political ambitions.

His forces have taken control of the oil-rich region near Benghazi where he has political influence. 

On the other hand, forces of the national accord government continue to fight Daesh fighters in the strategic city of Sirte. 

Kobler’s immediate goal to get Sarraj’s government recognised by a divided parliament remains elusive.

And despite the threats Libya’s instability pose to the region as a whole, the UN remains cautious about taking collective action.

But perhaps the biggest challenge and failure by a UN special envoy is in war-torn Syria. 

Successive UN emissaries to Syria failed to bring an end to the five years of bloody conflict that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and destroyed more than half of the country.

The present UN envoy, Staffan de Mistura, has been trying to kick-start a political process since he took over in July 2014. 

The veteran Italian diplomat made little headway in his peace efforts. But it is clear that without US-Russian agreement on Syria, the UN envoy can do little to revive the political process. 

In the view of the Syrian opposition, de Mistura’s cautious positions encouraged the Russians and the Syrian regime to carry out mass carnage, especially in eastern Aleppo. 

And while frustrated a UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, admitted that war crimes may have been committed in Aleppo, the Security Council has stood idle by as the beleaguered city underwent a series of destructive air strikes that targeted hospitals and civilians.

Three UN missions in three conflict-ridden areas have unsettled the region and yet, diplomatic efforts to end the bloodbath remain in doubt.

Other conflicts notwithstanding, the UN’s failure in Syria will register as a death blow to the international body’s credibility and role.

It is the wrong message to send to despots and rogue nations around the world.

The writer is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.