Johannesburg — As conflicts around the world escalate, the United Nations faces renewed scrutiny over its ability to enforce accountability among the world’s most powerful nations, with critics arguing that the organization’s structure and reliance on funding from these countries have weakened its ability to take decisive action.
The recent conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has drawn renewed attention to the UN’s limitations. Despite continuous violence leading to over 6 million indirect deaths since 1998, according to UN reports, resolutions that would place stricter controls on arms flowing into the region have repeatedly failed to pass due to vetoes and lobbying by some of the world’s leading arms exporters, including Russia, the United States, and China.
The UN Security Council is tasked with maintaining peace and security worldwide, but its five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom — each have the power to unilaterally veto any resolution. This power effectively shields them from accountability when their interests are at stake. “The veto power grants permanent members immunity from the consequences of their actions,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the nonprofit Human Rights Watch Africa. “This undermines the UN’s core mission to promote peace and security globally.”
This structure, critics argue, has led to an imbalance in the application of sanctions and accountability, with smaller, less influential countries facing the brunt of UN interventions while powerful nations act with relative impunity.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Africa accounted for 4.3% of global arms imports between 2018 and 2022. Russia alone supplied nearly 44% of these exports, while China and the United States also contributed significantly to the continent’s arms supplies. In many African countries, including conflict-ridden nations like the DRC, South Sudan, and Libya, these weapons have fueled local conflicts, often falling into the hands of rebel groups and destabilizing governments.
The UN’s Financial Action Task Force (FATF) reported in 2023 that Africa remains highly vulnerable to terrorist financing, noting that arms flow freely into regions such as the Sahel, where extremist groups including Boko Haram and ISIS in the Sahel operate with relative ease.
The United Nations’ reliance on funding from powerful member states also complicates its ability to act decisively. In 2021, the United States contributed around 22% of the UN’s regular budget and 28% of its peacekeeping budget. Critics argue that this dependency limits the organization’s willingness to pursue resolutions that could compromise its relationships with these key contributors. The budget constraints also mean that peacekeeping missions in conflict areas like the DRC are often limited in scope and restricted to observational roles, unable to engage in direct intervention due to political sensitivities.
Experts and human rights advocates are increasingly calling for UN reforms to address these imbalances. Some propose changes to the Security Council’s structure, including limiting the veto power in cases involving humanitarian crises or arms conflicts. “The UN’s role as a global peacekeeper is compromised when permanent members can veto any action that contradicts their interests,” said Amnesty International spokesperson Karen Davis. “It’s time for the UN to evolve into an organization where accountability applies equally to all nations, regardless of their power.”
While major powers largely avoid accountability for their role in global arms sales, African nations face sanctions for conflicts often fueled by imported arms. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) estimates that armed conflicts have cost African economies around $300 billion between 1990 and 2005 — equivalent to the international aid the continent received during the same period. The cost goes beyond finances, affecting health, infrastructure, and the social fabric of African societies, with child mortality rates in conflict zones being 70% higherthan in peaceful regions, according to WHO data.
As the UN faces increasing pressure to reform, the question remains whether it can evolve into an organization that holds all member states accountable, irrespective of power or influence. Without structural changes, critics warn, the organization risks losing credibility as a global peacekeeping force, leaving conflict-affected nations to bear the brunt of an unequal system where the interests of a few outweigh the stability and security of many.
