Content
- The case for a board of peace and sustainable security
- Imagine an Alternative
The case for a board of peace and sustainable security
Why in News ?
- The UN marks the 80th anniversary of its founding (1945–2025) amid growing disillusionment about its capacity to maintain peace.
- The UN Security Council (UNSC), once designed to prevent catastrophic wars, now appears reactive and ineffective in sustaining peace.
- Former Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao proposes an institutional innovation — a “Board of Peace and Sustainable Security (BPSS)” — to address the UN’s chronic weakness: the absence of political continuity after conflict subsides.
Relevance :
- GS-2 (International Relations):
Highlights UN’s structural inefficiency in sustaining peace beyond conflict resolution.
Advocates functional reform within existing Charter powers (Article 22) to create a Board of Peace and Sustainable Security (BPSS).
Supports India’s call for inclusive, multipolar, and representative multilateralism.
- GS-3 (Internal Security & Global Peace):
BPSS aims to ensure continuity between peacekeeping and peacebuilding — addressing gaps in conflict transitions.
Promotes sustainable security by linking stability to governance, inclusion, and responsible leadership.
Practice Question:
- The UN’s current peace architecture suffers from episodic engagement and institutional amnesia. Critically analyse how the proposed “Board of Peace and Sustainable Security (BPSS)” could bridge the gap between peacekeeping and peacebuilding in the modern multilateral system. (250 words)
Context and Current Crisis
- Across regions (Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe), conflicts are prolonged and unresolved.
- The UN system engages in short-term crisis management but fails in long-term political accompaniment.
- Peace agreements collapse because diplomatic engagement fades once ceasefires or transitions begin.
- Result: UN’s credibility as a peacekeeper and mediator has weakened; peacekeeping missions often become indefinite holding operations.
The Structural Flaw
- UN Security Council (UNSC):
- Authorises actions episodically and responds to crises, not continuity.
- Hamstrung by veto powers, geopolitical rivalries, and limited follow-up mechanisms.
- Peacekeeping Operations:
- Focused on stabilising ground conditions, not political resolution.
- Often lack coherent exit or transition strategies.
- Peacebuilding Commission (PBC):
- Established in 2005 to sustain peace post-conflict.
- Lacks mandate and authority to operate during active political transitions.
- No enforcement or continuity mechanism; works largely in advisory capacity.
- Net Effect:
- Loss of institutional memory, momentum, and context between conflict and recovery phases.
Core Argument
- The UN’s crisis is not only political but institutional — a design problem.
- Structural reform of the UNSC (permanent membership, veto) is necessary but slow.
- Functional reform — leveraging existing powers under the UN Charter for innovation — can be done immediately.
Legal Basis for Reform
- Article 22 of the UN Charter empowers the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to create subsidiary bodies to perform its functions.
- This provision allows establishment of new functional institutions without amending the Charter.
- The proposed BPSS can thus be created under UNGA authority, not requiring UNSC approval.
Proposal: Board of Peace and Sustainable Security (BPSS)
Purpose:
- Fill the institutional void between peacekeeping and peacebuilding.
- Ensure structured political engagement during and after conflicts when attention wanes.
- Align peace efforts with governance, development, and regional cooperation.
Nature:
- Non-coercive and political, not military or interventionist.
- Focus on supporting nationally led dialogue, peace agreement implementation, and regional diplomacy coordination.
Functions of BPSS
- Accompany fragile transitions after conflict cessation.
- Ensure continuity of political engagement and implementation tracking of peace accords.
- Coordinate regional and international diplomatic initiatives.
- Prevent “peace fatigue” and institutional amnesia between UNSC renewals.
- Integrate peacekeeping operations with achievable political objectives.
- Work alongside the UN Secretary-General and the UNSC, not in competition with them.
- Possibly subsume or merge with the existing Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) to streamline peace architecture.
Composition & Representation
- Approx. 24 rotating member-states, elected by the UN General Assembly for fixed terms.
- Balanced regional representation:
- Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America & Caribbean, and West Asia.
- Regional Organisations (AU, ASEAN, EU, OAS, etc.):
- Included as participants, not mere observers.
- Recognises that peace is shaped regionally, not only in New York.
- No permanent members or vetoes:
- Decisions based on participation, not privilege.
- Agenda Setting:
- Only by UN member-states, regional organisations, or the UN Secretary-General.
- Civil Society:
- Consultative role only, no voting power.
Concept of “Sustainable Security”
- Goes beyond military peacekeeping; combines conflict management with long-term political consolidation.
- Emphasises:
- Governance reform
- Inclusive political dialogue
- Responsible leadership and institution-building
- Not preventive intervention: respects sovereignty; supports negotiated settlements and national ownership.
- Stability becomes durable when political legitimacy and inclusive governance reinforce peace.
Style of Functioning
- A working institution, not a debate platform.
- Tracks commitments and maintains engagement post-crisis.
- Prevents policy drift and loss of focus after mission withdrawal.
- Builds continuity without expansionism and coordination without confrontation.
- Ensures sovereignty is respected while peace is not prematurely abandoned.
Broader Significance
- Bridges the gap between peacekeeping, mediation, and peacebuilding.
- Restores discipline to diplomacy — from episodic crisis theatre to sustained engagement.
- Improves institutional memory, continuity, and accountability.
- Demonstrates that innovation within the Charter is possible without grand constitutional overhaul.
- Reinforces multilateral legitimacy by broad participation and regional involvement.
India’s Perspective and Relevance
- India has consistently advocated UN reform to reflect current global realities.
- India’s emphasis on inclusive multilateralism, sovereign equality, and South-South cooperation aligns with BPSS principles.
- As a leading peacekeeping contributor, India supports reforms ensuring political solutions, not just military stabilisation.
- BPSS could serve as a platform where India’s diplomatic, developmental, and peacebuilding roles converge.
Challenges
- Political Resistance: Major powers may see it as dilution of UNSC influence.
- Mandate Clarity: Avoiding overlap with UNSC, Secretary-General, and PBC.
- Operational Complexity: Balancing representation with efficiency.
- Funding & Secretariat Structure: Requires sustainable resource support.
- Consensus Building: Needs broad UNGA endorsement and buy-in from regional organisations.
Way Forward
- UNGA can initiate consultations for BPSS formation under Article 22.
- Gradual integration with existing peacebuilding structures to avoid duplication.
- Ensure regional ownership and national consent in all operations.
- Pilot BPSS engagement in selected post-conflict regions to demonstrate value.
Conclusion
- The UN’s current peace machinery suffers from episodic engagement and institutional amnesia.
- BPSS offers a functional, non-confrontational, Charter-compatible solution to restore continuity in peace processes.
- Represents a shift from reactive diplomacy to sustained accompaniment.
- True reform does not require rewriting the UN Charter; it requires remembering first principles —
- Peace must be sustained, diplomacy must endure, and institutions must evolve responsibly.
Imagine an Alternative
Context and Background
- The article coincides with the 80th anniversary of the United Nations (UN).
- It critiques the structural inefficiencies and political hypocrisy of the UN, particularly the UN Security Council (UNSC).
- The author argues that while the UN was envisioned as the bulwark of peace after WWII, it is now dysfunctional, outdated, and biased.
Relevance :
- GS-2 (International Relations):
Examines UN’s declining moral legitimacy and structural imbalance under the UNSC’s veto system.
Critiques the power asymmetry of P5 nations and calls for a new multilateral order beyond the UN framework.
Advocates for India-led global alternatives based on equality, cooperation, and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
- GS-3 (Global Governance & Security):
Highlights failures in addressing modern crises (Ukraine, Gaza, Rwanda) due to political paralysis.
Proposes regional and plurilateral alliances (BRICS+, G20, SCO) as emerging peace frameworks.
Practice Question:
- The United Nations has become a stage for political theatre rather than a guardian of peace. In light of this, critically examine the argument that the world needs a new moral and institutional alternative to the UN-led order. (250 words)
Historical Foundation of the UN
- Established in 1945 after WWII, replacing the failed League of Nations (1919–46).
- Founded to prevent wars, promote collective security, and ensure international cooperation.
- The UNSC, with five permanent members (P5) — US, UK, France, Russia (then USSR), and China — was given veto powers to ensure great-power consensus.
- The Cold War (1947–1991) severely constrained the UN’s effectiveness, as US–USSR rivalry led to repeated vetoes and policy paralysis.
UN Performance Record
- The UN’s peacekeeping record has been mixed:
- Successes: Korea (1950s), Suez (1956), Namibia, Mozambique, Cambodia.
- Failures: Rwanda (1994 genocide), Bosnia (Srebrenica 1995), Somalia, Iraq, and Gaza.
- Ineffectiveness in preventing long-running wars or humanitarian crises despite its extensive machinery.
- Over decades, it has often acted at the behest of major powers, compromising neutrality.
Structural Problems
- UNSC veto system: Core cause of dysfunction.
- One member’s veto can block collective action, even against war crimes or aggression.
- Example: Russia’s vetoes over Ukraine-related resolutions; US vetoes on Israel–Palestine matters.
- The UN General Assembly (UNGA) — though representative — lacks enforcement powers.
- The inequality between P5 and others violates the UN’s own charter principle of sovereign equality.
Reform Debates
- Reform necessity acknowledged globally, but progress is stalled:
- Expansion of UNSC membership (G4: India, Japan, Germany, Brazil) debated for decades.
- Resistance from P5, who won’t dilute veto privileges.
- Proposals discussed:
- Rotating membership and regional balance.
- Limiting or abolishing the veto.
- Empowering the UNGA in peace and security matters.
- However, no consensus due to conflicting national interests.
Contemporary Failures
- Inability to respond effectively to:
- Ukraine–Russia war (2022–).
- Israel–Palestine crisis.
- Human rights violations in authoritarian regimes.
- The UN has become a stage for political theatre rather than conflict resolution.
- Global South’s voices (India, Africa, Latin America) remain underrepresented in decision-making.
Hypocrisy and Double Standards
- Western powers’ selective morality:
- Condemn aggression by adversaries but justify their own interventions (Iraq, Libya, etc.).
- Advocate human rights yet turn blind eyes to violations by allies.
- China’s growing assertiveness and US decline in global leadership have deepened UN paralysis.
- Russia’s permanent membership makes accountability impossible for its own actions.
The Author’s Perspective
- Author urges the world to “imagine an alternative” rather than endlessly reforming a broken system.
- New multilateral frameworks (like BRICS+, SCO, G20) could complement or eventually replace the UN.
- Calls for a “New Global Compact” rooted in:
- Equal representation.
- Shared responsibilities.
- Freedom from veto-based hegemony.
- Advocates an India-led moral alternative, based on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — “the world is one family.”
Key Takeaways
- The UN’s moral legitimacy is eroding due to power imbalance and failure to act.
- Structural reform is unlikely, as it would threaten P5 privilege.
- Functional reform or creation of parallel global mechanisms is necessary.
- The world may be entering a “post-UN era” where regional coalitions and issue-based alliances play greater roles.
