Editing United Nations (section)

== Criticism ==
{{main|Criticism of the United Nations}}

=== Role ===
In a sometimes-misquoted statement, American President [[George W. Bush]] stated in February 2003—referring to UN uncertainty towards Iraqi provocations under the Saddam Hussein regime—that "free nations will not allow the UN to fade into history as an ineffective, irrelevant debating society."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2003/02/14/bush-implores-un-to-show-backbone/ |title=Bush implores U.N. to show 'backbone' |last=Greene |first=David L. |newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=14 February 2003 |access-date=12 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112201147/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-02-14/news/0302140349_1_security-council-resolution-united-nations-weapons-inspectors |archive-date=12 January 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pm-9_uxFw5UC&q=Bush+UN+ineffective,+irrelevant+debating+society&pg=PA150 |title=Problem of Ethnicity: Role of United Nations in Kosovo Crisis |first1=Jasvir |last1=Singh |publisher=Unistar Books |year=2008 |access-date=12 January 2014 |page=150 |isbn=978-81-7142-701-7 |archive-date=16 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116165827/https://books.google.com/books?id=pm-9_uxFw5UC&q=Bush+UN+ineffective%2C+irrelevant+debating+society&pg=PA150 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rqiHRA8RAMkC&q=Bush+UN+ineffective,+irrelevant+debating+society&pg=PT489 |title=Human Rights at the UN: The Political History of Universal Justice |first1=Roger |last1=Normand |first2=Sarah |last2=Zaidi |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |page=455 |year= 2003 |access-date=12 January 2014 |isbn=978-0-253-00011-8 |archive-date=16 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116165838/https://books.google.com/books?id=rqiHRA8RAMkC&q=Bush+UN+ineffective%2C+irrelevant+debating+society&pg=PT489 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020, former American President [[Barack Obama]], in his memoir ''[[A Promised Land]]'' noted, "In the middle of the [[Cold War]], the chances of reaching any consensus had been slim, which is why the UN had stood idle as [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|Soviet tanks rolled into Hungary]] or [[Vietnam War|U.S. planes dropped napalm on the Vietnamese countryside]]. Even after the Cold War, divisions within the Security Council continued to hamstring the UN's ability to tackle problems. Its member states lacked either the means or the collective will to reconstruct failing states like [[Somalia]], or prevent an ethnic slaughter in places like Sri Lanka."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/un-failed-prevent-ethnic-slaughter-sri-lanka-barack-obama |title=UN failed to prevent 'ethnic slaughter in Sri Lanka' – Barack Obama |newspaper=[[Tamil Guardian]] |date=22 November 2020 |access-date=25 November 2020 |archive-date=8 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308191611/https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/un-failed-prevent-ethnic-slaughter-sri-lanka-barack-obama |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pressreader.com/sri-lanka/sunday-times-sri-lanka/20201129/281702617274536 |title=Obama's best seller refers to 'ethnic slaughter in SL' |newspaper=[[The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)]] |date=29 November 2020 |access-date=29 November 2020 |archive-date=12 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312014934/https://www.pressreader.com/sri-lanka/sunday-times-sri-lanka/20201129/281702617274536 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Since its founding, there have been many calls for [[reform of the United Nations|reform of the UN]] but little consensus on how to do so. Some want the UN to play a greater or more effective role in world affairs, while others want its role reduced to humanitarian work.

=== Representation and structure ===
Core features of the UN apparatus, such as the [[United Nations Security Council veto power|veto]] privileges of some nations in the [[Security Council]], are often described as fundamentally undemocratic, contrary to the UN mission, and a main cause of inaction on genocides and [[crimes against humanity]].<ref>Oliphant, Roland. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/04/end-security-council-veto-to-halt-aleppo-violence-un-human-right/ "'End Security Council veto' to halt Syria violence, UN human rights chief says amid deadlock"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128191532/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/04/end-security-council-veto-to-halt-aleppo-violence-un-human-right/ |date=28 January 2020 }}, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', Dated 4 October 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2020.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-31617141 |title=Amnesty calls on UN powers to lose veto on genocide votes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306134557/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-31617141 |archive-date=6 March 2020 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=25 February 2015 |access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref>

Jacques Fomerand state that the most enduring divide in views of the UN is "the North–South split" between [[North–South divide in the World|richer Northern nations and developing Southern nations]]. Southern nations tend to favour a more empowered UN with a stronger General Assembly, allowing them a greater voice in world affairs, while Northern nations prefer an economically [[laissez-faire]] UN that focuses on transnational threats such as terrorism.{{sfn|Fomerand|2009|p=civ}}

There have been numerous calls for the [[Reform of the United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council's membership to be increased]], for different ways of electing the UN's secretary-general, and for a [[United Nations Parliamentary Assembly|UN Parliamentary Assembly]] (UNPA).<ref>Brauer, M., & Bummel, A. (2020). A United Nations Parliamentary Assembly: A Policy Review of Democracy Without 18 Borders.</ref>

In the context of ongoing United Nations reform discussions, Noble World Foundation (NWF) proposes changing the structure of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by shifting membership and veto power from individual states to regional organizations like the [[European Union]]. This proposed shift is in line with the UNSC's existing practice of basing the selection of non-permanent members on regional representation. Shifting to regional organization-based membership in the UNSC aims to reduce deadlock caused by individual state vetoes. A prime example of this issue was observed on 25 February 2022, when Russia used its veto power to block a resolution against its invasion of Ukraine, thereby underscoring a significant weakness in the UNSC's functioning. NWF's proposal is intended to improve the effectiveness and decision-making process within the UNSC.<ref>{{cite web |title=The urgent need for UNSC reform: A path to global peace |url=https://indiapost.com/the-urgent-need-for-unsc-reform-a-path-to-global-peace/ |website=India Post |date=15 December 2023 |access-date=15 December 2023 |archive-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221065201/https://indiapost.com/the-urgent-need-for-unsc-reform-a-path-to-global-peace/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The European Union: The World's Biggest Sovereignty Experiment", CFR World 101 |date=14 February 2023 |url=https://world101.cfr.org/understanding-international-system/building-blocks/european-union-worlds-biggest-sovereignty |publisher=[[The European Union]] |access-date=24 December 2023 |archive-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221065204/https://world101.cfr.org/understanding-international-system/building-blocks/european-union-worlds-biggest-sovereignty |url-status=live}}</ref>

In response to concerns regarding the pace of progress under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), recent studies have suggested institutional reforms to enhance the integration of ecological concerns in UN decision-making processes.<ref>Constantinou, C. M., & Christodoulou, E. (2024). On making peace with nature: Visions and challenges towards an ecological diplomacy. ''Review of International Studies'', ''50''(3), 579–599. doi:10.1017/S0260210524000172</ref> Scholars affiliated with the Planet Politics Institute and The Planetary Democrats have proposed the creation of an Earth System Council, modelled after the UNSC, and a Planetary Parliament, alongside the proposed UNPA, to provide formal representation for ecological interests within the UN system.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Burke |first1=Anthony |title=Across Species and Borders: Political Representation, Ecological Democracy and the Non-Human |date=2020 |work=Non-Human Nature in World Politics: Theory and Practice |pages=33–52 |editor-last=Pereira |editor-first=Joana Castro |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-49496-4_3 |access-date=2025-01-09 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-49496-4_3 |isbn=978-3-030-49496-4 |last2=Fishel |first2=Stefanie |editor2-last=Saramago |editor2-first=André|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Winters |first=Joseph |date= |title=What if nature had a voice in legislation? A 'planetary parliament' could give it one. |url=https://grist.org/looking-forward/what-if-nature-had-a-voice-in-legislation-a-planetary-parliament-could-give-it-one/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=[[Grist]] |language=en-us}}</ref>

=== Exclusion of nations ===
{{See also|United Nations list of non-self-governing territories|List of states with limited recognition}}
After [[World War II]], the [[French Committee of National Liberation]] was late to be recognized by the United States as the government of France, and so the country was initially excluded from the conferences that created the new organization. Future French president [[Charles de Gaulle]] criticized the UN, famously calling it a ''machin'' (contraption), and was not convinced that a [[global security]] alliance would help maintain world peace, preferring [[Foreign relations of France|direct defence treaties]] between countries.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gerbet |first=Pierre |year=1995 |title=Naissance des Nations Unies |trans-title=Birth of the United Nations |magazine=Espoir |issue=102 |language=fr |url=http://www.charles-de-gaulle.org/pages/l-homme/dossiers-thematiques/1944-1946-la-liberation/restaurer-le-rang-de-la-france/analyses/naissance-des-nations-unies.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710122708/http://www.charles-de-gaulle.org/pages/l-homme/dossiers-thematiques/1944-1946-la-liberation/restaurer-le-rang-de-la-france/analyses/naissance-des-nations-unies.php |archive-date=10 July 2009}}</ref>

Following the [[Chinese Civil War]], the government of China was disputed between the [[Kuomintang|Chinese Nationalist Party]] and the [[Chinese Communist Party]]. After the foundation of the [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC) on 1 October 1949, the government of the [[Republic of China]] (ROC) retreated to the island of Taiwan,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kubek|first=Anthony |title=How the Far East was lost: American policy and the creation of Communist China|year=1963|publisher=Intercontex Publishers (England) Limited |isbn=978-0-85622-000-5}}</ref> continuing to claim that it was the sole government of China. After the civil war, the United Nations continued recognizing the ROC as the [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 505 (VI)|official government of China]]. In 1971, amid growing debate over the representation of the Chinese people on the mainland,<ref>{{cite news |last=Hale |first=Erin |date=25 October 2021 |title=Taiwan taps on United Nations' door, 50 years after departure |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/25/chinas-un-seat-50-years-on |url-status=live |work= Al Jazeera |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250502081255/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/25/chinas-un-seat-50-years-on |archive-date=2 May 2025 |access-date=30 May 2025}}</ref> the General Assembly passed [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI)|a resolution]] recognizing the PRC as ''"the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations."''<ref>{{cite web |publisher=United Nations General Assembly (26th sess.: 1971) |title=Restoration of the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations |date=25 October 1971 |url=https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/192054?ln=en&v=pdf |website=United Nations Digital Library |access-date=30 May 2025}}</ref> Critics{{who|date=May 2025}} allege that this position reflects a failure of the organization's development goals and guidelines,<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 November 2021 |title=Taiwan Challenges UN Exclusion on Sidelines of COP26 Summit |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-06/taiwan-challenges-un-exclusion-on-sidelines-of-cop26-summit |access-date=13 July 2022 |archive-date=21 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121130644/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-06/taiwan-challenges-un-exclusion-on-sidelines-of-cop26-summit |url-status=live}}</ref> and it garnered renewed scrutiny during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], when Taiwan was denied membership into the World Health Organization despite its [[COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan|relatively effective response to the virus]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 March 2020 |title=Why Taiwan has become a problem for WHO |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52088167 |access-date=13 July 2022 |archive-date=12 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512013946/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52088167 |url-status=live}}</ref> Support for Taiwan's inclusion in the UN remains challenged by the People's Republic of China, which claims the territories controlled by Taiwan [[One China|as their own territory]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-united-nations-needs-treat-taiwan-fairly-22256 |title=The United Nations Needs to Treat Taiwan Fairly |last=Lee |first=David Tawei |website=The National Interest |language=en |access-date=14 September 2017 |date=11 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914202033/http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-united-nations-needs-treat-taiwan-fairly-22256 |archive-date=14 September 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Independence ===
Throughout the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union repeatedly accused the UN of favouring the other. In 1950, the Soviet Union boycotted the organization in protest to [[China and the United Nations|China's seat at the UN Security Council]] being given to the anti-communist [[Taiwan|Republic of China]]. Three years later, the Soviets effectively forced the resignation of UN Secretary-General [[Trygve Lie]] by refusing to acknowledge his administration due to his support of the [[Korean War]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Husen |first=Van |date=2010 |title=The Encyclopedia of the Korean War: A Political, Social, and Military History |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |pages=504–506 |isbn=978-1-85109-849-1}}</ref>

Ironically, the United States had simultaneously scrutinized the UN for employing communists and Soviet sympathizers, following a high-profile accusation that [[Alger Hiss]], an American who had taken part in the establishment of the UN, had been a Soviet spy. American Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that the [[United Nations Secretariat|UN Secretariat]] under Secretary-General Lie harboured American communists, leading to further pressure that the UN chief resign.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 February 2019 |title=Character Sketches: Trygve Lie by Brian Urquhart |url=https://news.un.org/en/spotlight/character-sketches-trygve-lie-brian-urquhart |access-date=29 July 2022 |website=UN News |publisher=United Nations |language=en |archive-date=29 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729215010/https://news.un.org/en/spotlight/character-sketches-trygve-lie-brian-urquhart |url-status=live}}</ref> The United States saw nascent opposition to the UN in the 1960s, particularly amongst conservatives, with groups such as the [[John Birch Society]] stating that the organization was an instrument for communism.<ref>{{cite news |date=20 September 1964 |title=Sponsor Shrugs at Criticism of U.N. TV Series |page=5F |work=[[Lincoln Journal Star|Lincoln Star]] |location=Lincoln, Nebraska |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-lincoln-star-sponsor-shrugs-at-criti/138008096/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=27 September 2022 |archive-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104043139/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-lincoln-star-sponsor-shrugs-at-criti/138008096/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Popular opposition to the UN was expressed through bumper stickers and signs with slogans such as "Get the U.S. out of the U.N. and the U.N. out of the U.S.!" and "You can't spell communism without U.N."{{sfn|Meisler|1995|pp=72–73, 82}}

=== National sovereignty ===
In the United States, there were concerns about supposed threats to national sovereignty, most notably promoted by the [[John Birch Society]], which mounted a nationwide campaign in opposition to the UN during the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Matthew |last1=Lyons |first2=Chip |last2=Berlet |title=Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort |publisher=The Guilford Press |location=New York |year=2000 |page=[https://archive.org/details/rightwingpopulis00berlrich/page/179 179] |isbn=978-1-57230-562-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/rightwingpopulis00berlrich/page/179 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Spangler |first1=Jerry D. |last2=Bernick |first2=Bob Jr. |title=John Birch Society forges on in Utah |website=Deseret News |date=16 June 2003 |url=https://www.deseret.com/2003/6/16/19729070/john-birch-society-forges-on-in-utah |access-date=26 July 2022 |archive-date=4 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104202206/https://www.deseret.com/2003/6/16/19729070/john-birch-society-forges-on-in-utah |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stewart |first1=Charles J. |date=2002 |title=The Master Conspiracy of the John Birch Society: From Communism to the New World Order |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10570310209374748 |journal=Western Journal of Communication |volume=66 |issue=4 |pages=437–438 |doi=10.1080/10570310209374748 |s2cid=145081268 |access-date=20 May 2021 |archive-date=4 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104202147/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10570310209374748 |url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Beginning in the 1990s, the same concern appeared with the [[American Sovereignty Restoration Act]], which has been introduced multiple times in the [[United States Congress]]. In 1997, an amendment containing the bill received a floor vote, with 54 representatives voting in favor.<ref>{{cite web |title=Roll Call 163 Roll Call 163, Bill Number: H. R. 1757, 105th Congress, 1st Session |website=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |date=4 June 1997 |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1997163 |access-date=13 November 2022 |archive-date=14 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114145848/https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1997163 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=H.Amdt.138 to H.R.1757 |website=Congress.gov |url=https://www.congress.gov/amendment/105th-congress/house-amendment/138 |access-date=13 November 2022 |archive-date=14 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114145846/https://www.congress.gov/amendment/105th-congress/house-amendment/138 |url-status=live}}</ref> The 2007 version of the bill ({{usbill|110|hr|1146}}) was authored by [[U.S. Representative]] [[Ron Paul]], to effect the United States' withdrawal from the United Nations. It would repeal various laws pertaining to the UN, terminate authorization for funds to be spent on the UN, terminate UN presence on American property, and withdraw diplomatic immunity for UN employees.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1224953761.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105033058/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1224953761.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 November 2012 |title=Rep. Paul Introduces American Sovereignty Restoration Act |date=1 March 1997 |access-date=10 April 2008 |publisher=US Fed News Service |format=subscription}}</ref> It would provide up to two years for the United States to withdraw.<ref name=lamb>{{cite news |url=http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0505/0505uncorral.htm|title=Showdown at the U.N. corral |date=16 May 2005 |access-date=11 April 2008 |work=[[Enter Stage Right]] |last=Lamb |first=Henry |archive-date=4 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104202202/http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0505/0505uncorral.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Yale Law Journal]]'' cited the Act as proof that "the United States's complaints against the United Nations have intensified."<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://yalelawjournal.org/images/pdfs/216.pdf |title=Law's Migration: American Exceptionalism, Silent Dialogues, and Federalism's Multiple Ports of Entry |date=May 2006 |access-date=11 April 2008 |volume=115 |issue=7 |page=1659 |author1-link=Judith Resnik (lawyer) |last=Resnik |first=Judith |journal=[[Yale Law Journal]] |doi=10.2307/20455664 |jstor=20455664 |s2cid=153301537 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214022424/http://yalelawjournal.org/images/pdfs/216.pdf |archive-date=14 December 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The most recent iteration, {{as of|2022}}, is H.R.7806, introduced by [[Mike Rogers (Alabama politician)|Mike D. Rogers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7806/text |title=H.R.7806 – 117th Congress (2019–2020): American Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2022 &#124; Congress.gov &#124; Library of Congress |publisher=govtrack.us |date=17 May 2022 |access-date=25 May 2022 |archive-date=4 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104202149/https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7806/text |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Bias ===
The UN's attention to Israel's treatment of Palestinians is considered excessive by Jewish critics, including Israeli diplomat [[Dore Gold]], British scholar [[Robert S. Wistrich]], American legal scholar [[Alan Dershowitz]], Australian politician [[Mark Dreyfus]], and the [[Anti-Defamation League]].<ref>
* For Gold, see Gold, p. 20
* For Wistrich, see Wistrich, p. 487
* For Dershowitz, see [[Alan Dershowitz|Dershowitz, Alan]]. ''[[The Case for Peace]]: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Can Be Resolved''. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005.
* For Dreyfus, see [http://jta.org/news/article/2009/07/08/1006396/dont-be-lynch-mob-lawyers-urge-un#When:14:22:00Z "Don't be lynch mob, lawyers urge U.N.."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910130332/http://jta.org/news/article/2009/07/08/1006396/dont-be-lynch-mob-lawyers-urge-un#When:14:22:00Z|date=10 September 2012}} ''[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency|JTA]]''. 8 July 2009.
* For Anti-Defamation League, see [http://www.adl.org/PresRele/UnitedNations_94/5443_94.htm "ADL: UN Human Rights Council Resolution Reveals 'Cancerous Bias' Against Israel."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102134316/http://www.adl.org/PresRele/UnitedNations_94/5443_94.htm|date=2 November 2012}} ADL. 7 July 2009.</ref> In September 2015, [[Saudi Arabia]]'s Faisal bin Hassan Trad was elected chair of an advisory committee in the [[United Nations Human Rights Council|UN Human Rights Council]],<ref>Osborne, Samuel (30 September 2015), [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/uk-and-saudi-arabia-made-secret-deal-to-exchange-votes-for-human-rights-council-seats-leaked-a6673491.html "UK helped Saudi Arabia get UN human rights role through 'secret deal' to exchange votes, leaked documents suggest"]. ''[[The Independent]]''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903013447/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/uk-and-saudi-arabia-made-secret-deal-to-exchange-votes-for-human-rights-council-seats-leaked-a6673491.html |date=3 September 2017 }}.</ref> a move criticized by the [[UN Watch]].<ref>Moore, Jack (21 September 2915), [https://news.yahoo.com/u-n-watchdog-slams-scandalous-160650242.html "U.N. Watchdog Slams 'Scandalous' Choice of Saudi Arabia to Head Human Rights Panel"]. Yahoo News. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055130/http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-watchdog-slams-scandalous-160650242.html|date=4 March 2016}}.</ref> The UNHRC has likewise been accused of anti-Israel bias by Ex-President of the United States [[George W. Bush]], who complained that the Council focused too much attention on Israel and not enough on countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea and Iran.<ref>[http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/foreign_affairs/Human_Rights_Council_president_wants_reform.html?cid=6171460 "Human Rights Council president wants reform"], SwissInfo, 29 September 2007. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811002555/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/foreign_affairs/Human_Rights_Council_president_wants_reform.html?cid=6171460 |date=11 August 2011 }}.</ref>
American [[State legislature (United States)|state lawmakers]] have proposed legislation to block various UN programs deemed to threaten U.S. sovereignty.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Satija |first1=Neena |last2=McCrimmon |first2=Ryan |title=Conservative Lawmakers Target United Nations |work=[[The Texas Tribune]] |date=26 February 2015 |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2015/02/26/conservative-lawmakers-continue-assault-un/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |archive-date=22 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122224428/https://www.texastribune.org/2015/02/26/conservative-lawmakers-continue-assault-un/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2023, [[Tennessee]] enacted legislation to block the implementation of programs "originating in, or traceable to, the United Nations or a subsidiary entity of the United Nations," including [[Agenda 21]] and [[Sustainable Development Goals|the 2030 Agenda]].<ref>{{cite web |title=State of Tennessee Public Chapter No. 479 |url=https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/113/pub/pc0479.pdf |website=Tennessee Secretary of State |access-date=17 January 2024 |archive-date=20 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120000913/https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/113/pub/pc0479.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Kevin |title=Inside the Tennessee legislature, where a GOP supermajority reigns |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=15 May 2023 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/15/inside-tennessee-legislature-where-gop-supermajority-reigns/ |access-date=17 January 2024 |archive-date=29 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529075221/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/15/inside-tennessee-legislature-where-gop-supermajority-reigns/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In her confirmation hearing before the Senate panel to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, [[Elise Stefanik]], described the UN's attitude toward Israel as "anti-semitic" and affirmed the views of the right-wing Israeli ministers, [[Bezalel Smotrich]] and [[Itamar Ben-Gvir|Ben Gvir]], that Israel has a 'biblical right to the entire West Bank'.<ref name="d827">{{cite web | last=Gedeon | first=Joseph | title=Trump UN nominee backs Israeli claims of biblical rights to West Bank | website=the Guardian | date=21 Jan 2025 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/21/trump-un-elise-stefanik-israel | access-date=25 Jan 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Demirjian |first=Karoun |date=2025-01-21 |title=Elise Stefanik Pledges to Back Trump's Vision of a 'Reformed' U.N. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/21/us/politics/elise-stefanik-senate-confirmation-hearing.html |access-date=2025-01-26 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Samuels |first=Ben |title=Trump's UN pick Stefanik backs defunding UNRWA, citing 'terrorist ties' to Hamas |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-01-21/ty-article/.premium/trumps-un-pick-stefanik-backs-defunding-unrwa-citing-terrorist-ties-to-hamas/00000194-89b0-dee1-aff7-ebffecec0000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250121184300/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-01-21/ty-article/.premium/trumps-un-pick-stefanik-backs-defunding-unrwa-citing-terrorist-ties-to-hamas/00000194-89b0-dee1-aff7-ebffecec0000 |archive-date=21 January 2025 |access-date=2025-01-26 |work=Haaretz.com |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Al Jazeera |title=Trump's UN ambassador pick says Israel has 'biblical right' to West Bank |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/21/trumps-un-ambassador-pick-says-israel-has-biblical-right-to-west-bank |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>

=== Effectiveness ===
According to [[international relations]] scholar [[Edward Luck]], the United States has preferred a feeble United Nations in major projects undertaken by the organization to forestall UN interference with, or resistance to, American policies. "The last thing the U.S. wants is an independent UN throwing its weight around", Luck said. Similarly, former [[US Ambassador to the United Nations]] [[Daniel Patrick Moynihan]] explained that "The Department of State desired that the United Nations prove utterly ineffective in whatever measures it undertook. The task was given to me, and I carried it forward with not inconsiderable success."<ref>''Los Angeles Times'', 17 October 2002 [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-17-fg-resolution17-story.html "U.N. Resolutions Frequently Violated"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317170020/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-17-fg-resolution17-story.html |date=17 March 2022 }}</ref>

In 1994, former special representative of the secretary-general of the UN to Somalia [[Mohamed Sahnoun]] published ''Somalia: The Missed Opportunities'',<ref>USIP Press Books, 1994, {{ISBN|978-1-878379-35-1}}</ref> a book in which he analyses the reasons for the failure of the 1992 UN intervention in [[Somalia]]. Sahnoun claims that between the start of the Somali civil war in 1988 and the fall of the [[Siad Barre]] regime in January 1991, the UN missed at least three opportunities to prevent major human tragedies. When the UN tried to provide humanitarian assistance, they were totally outperformed by [[NGO]]s, whose competence and dedication sharply contrasted with the UN's excessive caution and bureaucratic inefficiencies. Sahnoun warned that if radical reform were not undertaken, then the UN would continue to respond to such crises with inept improvisation.<ref>Book Review by Gail M. Gerhart in ''Foreign Affairs'', March/April 1995 [http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/50763/gail-m-gerhart/somalia-the-missed-opportunities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120239/http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/50763/gail-m-gerhart/somalia-the-missed-opportunities|date=2 April 2015}}</ref>

Beyond specific instances or areas of alleged ineffectiveness, some scholars debate the overall effectiveness of the UN. Adherents to the [[Realism (international relations)|realist]] school of international relations take a pessimistic position, arguing that the UN is not an effective organization because it is dominated and constrained by great powers. [[Liberalism (international relations)|Liberal]] scholars counter that it is an effective organization because it has proved capable of solving many problems by working around the restrictions imposed by powerful member states. The UN is generally considered by scholars to be more effective in realms such as public health, and humanitarian assistance.<ref>{{cite web |last=Norley |first=Matthew John Ribeiro |date=2013 |title=Is the United Nations an Effective Institution?|url=https://www.e-ir.info/2013/02/23/is-the-united-nations-an-effective-institution/ |access-date=16 February 2022 |website=E-International Relations |language=en-US |archive-date=8 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308204822/https://www.e-ir.info/2013/02/23/is-the-united-nations-an-effective-institution/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The ineffectiveness of enforcing [[territorial integrity]] in the 21st century<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jeria |first=Michelle Bachelet |date=2016 |title=The Challenges to International Law in the 21st Century |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-asil-annual-meeting/article/abs/challenges-to-international-law-in-the-21st-century/B4EC8B1CF5B483DB5368FF77F44452CE |journal=Proceedings of the ASIL Annual Meeting |language=en |volume=110 |pages=3–11 |doi=10.1017/S0272503700102435 |issn=0272-5037|url-access=subscription }}</ref> have led to debate on possible re-emergence of the [[right of conquest]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10991-020-09250-3 |doi=10.1007/s10991-020-09250-3 |title=The Re-Emergence of Conquest: International Law and the Legitimate Use of Force |date=2020 |last1=Mulligan |first1=Michael |journal=Liverpool Law Review |volume=41 |issue=3 | pages=293–313|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Inefficiency and corruption ===
Critics have also accused the UN of bureaucratic inefficiency, waste, and corruption. In 1976, the General Assembly established the [[Joint Inspection Unit]] to seek out inefficiencies within the UN system. During the 1990s, the United States withheld dues citing inefficiency and only started repayment on the condition that a major reforms initiative be introduced. In 1994, the [[United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services|Office of Internal Oversight Services]] (or the OIOS) was established by the General Assembly to serve as an efficiency watchdog.<ref>{{cite web |last=Reddy |first=Shravanti |date=29 October 2002 |url=http://www.globalpolicy.org/ngos/ngo-un/rest-un/2002/1029watchdog.htm |title=Watchdog Organization Struggles to Decrease UN Bureaucracy |publisher=Global Policy Forum |access-date=21 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060920043559/http://www.globalpolicy.org/ngos/ngo-un/rest-un/2002/1029watchdog.htm |archive-date=20 September 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2004, the UN faced accusations that its recently ended [[Oil-for-Food Programme]] — in which Iraq had been allowed to trade oil for basic needs to relieve the pressure of sanctions — had suffered from widespread corruption, including billions of dollars of [[Kickback (bribery)|kickbacks]]. An independent inquiry created by the UN found that many of its officials had been involved in [[Oil-for-Food Program Hearings|the scheme]], and raised significant questions about the role of [[Kojo Annan]], the son of [[Kofi Annan]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4232629.stm |title=Q&A: Oil-for-food scandal |date=7 September 2005 |work=BBC News |access-date=27 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203052241/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4232629.stm |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>