Anstee M J
Med Confl Surviv. 2001 Jan-Mar;17(1):17-24. doi: 10.1080/13623690108409552.
The United Nations (UN), the principal role of which is dealing with crises, has been in almost perpetual crisis since its foundation. The situation has become worse in the 1990s, a time when the need for an effective UN has been greater than ever, to cope with issues such as climate-change, pollution and the consequences of globalization. The current crisis has various aspects. Politically there have been widely publicized failures in peacekeeping, largely due to the Security Council being a body of compromise, while successes in peacekeeping have been largely ignored. In the economic and social field, influence has passed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Development aid has plummeted, despite its key role in peace and security, and so an integrated approach to development and security is urgently needed. The UN has been constantly under-funded, with the failure of the United States (US) to pay its dues a key factor. Reform of the UN is vital, but the vested interests of member states make root-and-branch reform virtually impossible. Public pressure for reform can come from non-governmental organizations, perhaps coordinated through the Internet.
联合国的主要职责是应对危机，自成立以来却几乎一直处于危机之中。20世纪90年代，情况变得更糟，当时对一个有效的联合国的需求比以往任何时候都更迫切，以应对气候变化、污染和全球化后果等问题。当前的危机有多个方面。在政治上，维和行动的失败被广泛报道，这主要是因为安理会是一个妥协机构，而维和行动的成功却基本被忽视。在经济和社会领域，影响力已转移到国际货币基金组织（IMF）和世界银行。尽管发展援助在和平与安全中起着关键作用，但援助资金却大幅下降，因此迫切需要一种将发展与安全相结合的方法。联合国一直资金不足，美国未能缴纳会费是一个关键因素。联合国改革至关重要，但成员国的既得利益使得彻底改革几乎不可能。对改革的公众压力可能来自非政府组织，或许可以通过互联网进行协调。
