UN chief slams developed nations’ treatment of poor nations; urges them to do more to help

UN chief António Guterres has slammed rich countries' treatment of poor countries and asked them (rich nations) to do more to help poor nations. The UN chief was speaking at Leaders' Summit of Least Developed Countries, at Doha, Qatar. "Deprived of effective debt relief, you can be forced to spend an ever-growing share of government revenue on debt service costs. Instead of the Official Development Assistance at the levels that you need, most developed countries are falling short of their promise to provide 0.15-0.20 per cent of their Gross National Income to Least-Developed Countries. And countries that graduate to middle-income status are victims of the cruellest sleight-of-hand trick — where support systems vanish before their eyes," he said.

The UN chief further advocated for the poor nations by saying, "Combatting climate catastrophe that you did nothing to cause is challenging when the cost of capital is sky-high and the financial support you receive to mitigate and adapt to the destruction is a drop in the bucket. Meanwhile, bigger economies continue to heat our planet and spew greenhouse gas emissions at record rates. Fossil fuel giants are raking in huge profits, while millions in your countries cannot put food on the table.'' 

A look at establishment of UN and if it lived up to its purpose

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1945 to promote international cooperation and prevent future conflicts. The UN was established after the end of World War II, in which millions of people lost their lives and many nations were left devastated. The organisation was created to promote peace and security among nations and to prevent future wars.

The UN is headquartered in New York City and currently has 193 member states. Its main organs are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the International Court of Justice, the Economic and Social Council, and the Secretariat. The UN also has specialised agencies and programs, such as the World Health Organization, UNESCO, and UNICEF.

One of the UN's primary functions is to maintain international peace and security. The organisation has played a crucial role in resolving conflicts and preventing wars in various parts of the world. The UN has also been active in promoting human rights, sustainable development, and international law.

However, the UN has faced criticism for not being able to live up to its purpose in various instances. The organisation has been accused of being slow to respond to crises and conflicts, especially in situations where member states have conflicting interests. The UN has also been criticised for being too bureaucratic and ineffective in its decision-making process.

One example of the UN's failure to live up to its purpose is the ongoing conflict in Syria. Despite several efforts by the UN to broker a peaceful solution, the conflict has continued for over a decade, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions. Similarly, the UN has been criticised for its inability to prevent genocide in countries such as Rwanda and Bosnia. In fact the ineffectiveness of UN has led to a situation where multilateral forums like G20 have become more important.