By Shashi Malla UN General Assembly Resolution Lacks Teeth The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres was the first international statesman to draw attention to the pressing need for concerted action to combat the planetary pandemic Covid-19. He called the coronavirus “the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War” [1939-1945] and warned that as the pandemic spread around the world, killing thousands and infecting many more, that unless the world came together to fight the virus, millions of people could die. Unfortunately, his call for joint international action was not heeded. Lead by the US government of Donald Trump, nations chose to follow their own narrow national paths of suppressing the virus that respects no state boundaries. This may come to haunt the world later – especially the rich nations of the North. At the beginning of this month, there was indeed a perfunctory meeting of the UN General Assembly [UNGA] and a resolution calling for international cooperation and multilateralism was passed. The resolution had no teeth, as it was too weakly worded. It had no binding effect and the political value was minimal. What would have been needed was a strongly-worded resolution authorizing the Secretary General to take concrete measures, including the formation of an ‘international crisis committee’. UN Security Council Fails to Rise to the Occasion The framers of the UN Charta had foreseen the Security Council [UNSC] to be the executive arm of the world body with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security (Art.24 of the UN Charter). At a time when the world is in turmoil, the UNSC has been completely impotent to act resolutely. The main fault lies with the five permanent members – the U.S., China, Russia, U.K. and France [P – 5] – who have the main say and the veto power to block any action which is not conducive to their own national interests. After lukewarm efforts by the G – 7 and G – 20 failed to gain traction, the Security Council did confer in virtual session – a video-conference held on April 9 at the initiative of Germany and Estonia. This did not lead anywhere. Now the UNSC is expected to meet a second time to adopt its first resolution on the coronavirus pandemic, amid calls for intensified international cooperation. There is a draft resolution in circulation, jointly proposed by France and Tunisia, which calls for “enhanced coordination among all countries”, a “cessation of hostilities” and a “humanitarian pause” in countries in conflict. Even if this resolution crosses the hurdle of a veto by one of the P - 5, the UNSC has no way to force compliance. The resolution does aim to support the efforts of UN Secretary General Guterres and several UN agencies struggling to contain the devastating political, economic and social consequences of the coronavirus. However, the text is only a face-saving device that allows the Security Council to claim that it has not been entirely inactive, and it is difficult to claim – as has the International Crisis Group – that it has substantive benefits. Pandemic Poses Crucial Challenges for UN Peace-Keeping Operations With around 110,000 peacekeepers deployed in more than a dozen countries [facing various kinds of internal and external crises] around the world now itself ravaged by the planetary pandemic, the United Nations faces twin challenges: keeping those brave soldiers themselves safe and sound, and, more importantly, persuading those governments contributing these peace-keepers not to bring them home. Up to now, there has not been internal debate in those countries contributing peace-keeping soldiers and police personnel, but there is an urgent need to do so. Above all, these countries must demand a greater say at UN headquarters. For one, the countries contributing the most rank and file of military should also have the higher ranking commanding officers. For no rhyme or reason, these have been hogged by western countries. The UN Under Secretary General for Peace-Keeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Agence France Presse (AFP) that as of date UN HQ had not received any requests to withdraw peacekeeping troops because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He stressed: “It is more essential than ever to press on with our collective commitment to peace.” As of March 6, UN HQ had already stopped rotating its troops in and out of conflict zones where they are trying to keep the peace. However, this is only a stopgap solution in preparing for the penetration of the virus in those countries with UN blue-helmeted soldiers and thus to avoid spreading the pathogen. The UN has now extended this new policy through to June 30, and it now applies to all countries where UN peacekeepers are deployed. But the clock is ticking and the UN Security Council must now act decisively in this and the larger measure of undertaking concerted action to combat Covid-19. The UN Peace-Keeping Czar Lacroix has already forewarned that he believes the pandemic will have a particularly rough impact in countries with UN peacekeepers because of weak infrastructure and war-ruined health-care networks. For one, the UNSC is taking for granted that countries contributing troops in crisis zones and failed states keep them right where they are. If the UNSC fails to act decisively – and this is the most likely of outcomes – it is imperative that the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres springs into action and with like-minded international statesmen collaborates first, to call an immediate, emergency session of the UN General Assembly; and secondly, constitute an international crisis group to coordinate efforts to combat the planetary pandemic. The writer can be reached at: shashipbmalla@hotmail.com