As the world enters the 21st century, the United Nations is examining its performance over the past six decades and searching for the means to possibly increase its effectiveness in the future. Operating programs such the World Health Organization, United Nations Development Program and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN often receives encouragement and support for its efforts to relieve hunger, end forced child labor and promote health throughout the world. Yet the UN receives almost constant criticism for how it responds to international, regional, religious and ethnic conflicts.

Much of this criticism is triggered by a number of controversial and, arguably, unsuccessful initiatives involving multinational UN security forces and international sanctions over the past decade. While the Persian Gulf War ended nearly a decade ago, the UN has maintained strict economic sanctions against Iraq and controls the amount of oil that nation may export. Many contend that these sanctions are further crippling a shattered country whose population is facing starvation. UN peacekeeping efforts were dealt a serious blow this past spring when 500 UN soldiers were taken prisoner in Sierra Leone while attempting to quell the violence of that nation's eight-year civil war.

The number, locations and costs of the many of these operations have exposed divisions in the UN ranging from member nations to the Security Council. UN peace initiatives in Kosovo and the former Yugoslavia met significant resistance from Russia, while Congress is questioning the U.S.'s role in the UN and refuses to pay the entire $1.8 billion in membership dues it owes.

On One Hand...

The world community has a unique opportunity to commit itself to establishing peace, improving health and battling poverty and ignorance with the 55th annual meeting of the UN's General Assembly this week. Although the UN has experienced some internal and external obstacles in executing its mission, it has been rejuvenated under the direction of Secretary-General Kofi Annan who stresses that increased globalization is key to accomplishing UN goals. While many of the world's leading financial markets are experiencing all-time gains, sustained global economic growth cannot be maintained until there is increased equity among the world's nations and populaces. Thus nations have a direct interest in actively promote international stability by ratifying treaties, preventing conflicts and eradicating poverty and disease.

The UN is also realistic that the international peace organization must revise several of its administrative and operational policies in order to become more effective in the coming century. In his Millennium Report, Annan emphasized that the UN must increase its analysis of various situations in order to develop clearer and more achievable mandates for action, and encourage increased coordination with other international groups. Increased commitment by member nations, coupled with improved leadership and initiatives spell future success for the UN.

On the Other Hand...

The UN is too divided by the ambitions of its member nations and ensconced in its own troubled bureaucratic trappings to produce the reforms needed to effectively police the problems facing then international community in the approaching century. As the earth's ever-growing population is increasingly stressing available land and resources, the next century promises a number of costly conflicts, especially as surging economies are enabling even small nations to amass large weapons arsenals. In order to prevent these conflicts, UN members will be called upon to commit more funding, resources and soldiers than ever before. As already witnessed in part with the U.S., the UN's dismal record of ineffective and disastrous initiatives and poorly run finances will cause leading nations to balk at getting involved in regional disputes and third-world problems. While the goals of fostering global peace and health are noble, UN initiatives in the 21st century will come with such high financial and human costs that many nations will refuse to pay them.