What are the strengths and weaknesses of the United Nations (UN)

Question 2: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the United Nations (UN) in relation to
one of the topics below?
● Climate Change
● Peace and security
● Humanitarian Aid
(Study Area 2)
Suggested resources:
Climate Change
Selin, H., & Najam, A. (2015). Paris Agreement on climate change: the good, the bad, and the
ugly. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/paris-agreement-on-climate-change-the-goodthe-bad-and-the-ugly-52242
Harvey, F. (2015). Paris climate change deal too weak to help poor, critics warn. The Guardian.
Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/14/paris-climate-change-dealcop21-oxfam-actionaid
Le Page, M. (2015). Paris climate deal is agreed – but is it really good enough? New Scientist.
Retrieved from https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28663-paris-climate-deal-is-agreed-but-is-itreally-good-enough/
Peace and Security
Borger, J., & Inzaurralde, B. (2015). Russian vetoes are putting UN Security Council’s legitimacy at
risk, says US. The Guardian. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/23/russian-vetoes-putting-un-security-councillegitimacy-at-risk-says-us
Spencer, R. (2015). UN at 70: Five greatest successes and failures. The Telegraph. Retrieved
from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/switzerland/11700969/UN-at-70-Fivegreatest-successes-and-failures.html
McGreal, C. (2015). What’s the point of peacekeepers when they don’t keep the peace? The
Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/17/un-united-nationspeacekeepers-rwanda-bosnia
Oladipo, T. (2018). The UN’s peacekeeping nightmare in Africa. BBC News. Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38372614
Humanitarian Aid
Schwirtx, M. (2019) U.N. appeals to Madura and Guaido to end battle over humanitarian aid. The
new York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/world/americas/venezuelaunited-nations.html
UN News (2019). Wars have rules: 5 things the UN humanitarian chief wants countries to tackle so
human suffering in conflict can be minimized. United Nations. Retrieved from:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/04/1035861
Global Studies Unit 1: Research Essay Questions & Suggested Resources
3 | P a g e
UN News (2019, March 8). Peace deal holds in South Sudan, but humanitarian funding ‘ultimately
unsustainable,’ says top UN envoy. United Nations. Retrieved from:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1034351