JOHANNESBURG – International Relations expert Oscar van Heerden says while the United Nations faces imminent financial collapse, it has been useless in global affairs over the last few years.
This as the global agency announced it could be broke by July if member states do not settle arrears in the annual fees.
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Many countries owe the agency billions of dollars, with the US at the centre of it. US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from several UN agencies and withhold American funding has added to the world agencies' woes. The US owes the UN over $2.2 billion.
Speaking to eNCA, Van Heerden criticised the UN for its failure to act against member states Israel and the US.
“The biggest disappointment of the United Nations is that they cannot do anything for the people of Palestine, where there is a genocide. The Secretary General and others are crying long crocodile tears, but there’s nothing they can practically do to stop that genocide. The fact that they are running out of money is neither here nor there,” Van Heerden said.
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He said the agency was a representative of the post-World War 2 era, and it has not been modernised or transformed.
He added: "Africa, for example, is not represented in any significant way in the UN Security Council. There is a need for reform."
Despite the agency’s shortcomings, Van Heerden said member states should come together and rescue it because it is an important body for multilateralism.