NONE worried about massacre of the UN “Founding Charter”

UN Founding Conference 1945 April 25 to June 26 – Courtesy UN Photos 

Here is the opening pledge of the UN Charter on which the United Nations was officially declared established in October 1945 after WW II was brought to an end.

“We the People’s of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and

to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and 

to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom…..”

This is the pledge the post WW II generations were given by all 193 member nations and they are all morally and internationally responsible to uphold it. Yet 05 years after the WW II and 05 years after the UN was formally announced, and when the world was less complex, the Korean war exploded in 1950 resulting in breaking up the country into North and South Koreas. When an end to the war was finally reached in 1953, Vietnam war was in the making.

How many member nations now stand firm against “the scourge of war” at least after the 20 year Vietnam war? Vietnam war left over 03 million casualties in a wholly devastated country at the end of the war in 1975, including 58,000 US soldiers dead and missing. (https://es.highpointnc.gov/2113/Vietnam-War#:~:text=More 20than%203%20million%20people,of%20U.S.%20forces%20in%201973)

After the Vietnam war, this is what global peace now means to the world citizenry. 

The 20 year Afghan war with Soviet Russia (Russia after 1991) and the US both militarily involved, left 176,000 dead by 2021. 

In Iraq, since the US invasion in 2003, the peer reviewed medical journal PLOS gives a figure of 460,000 deaths by June 2011. 

Syrian war deaths given by the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) count “at least 306,887 civilians” by June 2022. 

Syria the world’s largest refugee crisis since 2011, more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. More than 7.4 million Syrians remain internally displaced, according to UNHCR (March 2025)

Russo-Ukrainian War include 14,200–14,400 military and civilian deaths during War in Donbas, and up to 1,000,000 estimated casualties during the Russian invasion of Ukraine till mid-September 2024. (Wall street journal) 

Counted as the most brutal military onslaught let loose on human society post-WW II, the Israeli invasion of Gaza :-

Nearly 56,000 people (54,271 Palestinians and 1,706 Israelis) have been reported killed as of May 27, 2025 according to Gaza Health Ministry, as well as 180 journalists and media workers, 120 academics, and over 224 humanitarian aid workers, a number that includes 179 employees of UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency). OHCRH calculated 70% includes women and children. 

All countries including the USA, UK, Germany, France, Canada, India, Italy, Serbia, Netherlands that supplied arms and ammunition to Israel especially after October 2023 are responsible for all fatalities and chaos in Gaza. 

“Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and HR” say they are monitoring armed conflicts In Mid-East and North Africa including in Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Yemen and Western Sahara. 

In Africa, they monitor armed conflicts in Burkina Faso where over  01 million is reported displaced, Cameroon, Central African Republic, DR of Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. 

In Asia it’s India, Pakistan, China, Myanmar, and Philippines. 

Latin America has Mexico and Colombia.

Europe has Russo-Ukraine war, and Armenia. 

Many more millions would add to the numbers above as casualties from armed conflicts in the continents mentioned therein.

What has the UN member nations being doing all these decades about the pledge they gave the post WW II  new generations on world peace? For reaffirming faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small? 

World citizenry, collectively and individually has to accept their irresponsibility in ignoring the UN Charter for a world without armed conflicts. They have not held their own nation States, their own political leaders responsible for world peace, for a world without armed conflicts as signatories to the UN Charter, all these decades in post WW II world.

They have not questioned the right of their nation State to continue accepting leading arms and weapons dealers and manufacturers as “permanent members of the Security Council” that’s mandated to establish world peace. 

With 06 ongoing wars each accounting for over 10,000 deaths annually and 16 other armed conflicts with less casualties and refugees, World citizenry now has to demand dissolving of the present Security Council and to establish a “Committee for Disarmament and Peace” with member nations who are not in arms and weapons manufacture and trade. Today it’s about global disarmament for global peace. Rotated between countries within continents every 03 years, the Committee could have 07 permanent members representing the 06 continents with Asia given 02 to represent over 60% of the world population. 

It would mean none of the top 50 arms exporting countries including India, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, Luxembourg, Poland, Turkey, Switzerland, Brazil, Morocco, and the present permanent members in the Security Council could sit in the proposed Committee for Disarmament and Peace. 

Serious attention on global disarmament for peace is now necessary due to extension of armed conflicts lending to the concept of “National Security” that promotes arms, weapons and military equipment markets. National Security is essentially an ideological extension of “a would be war”, the market creator for weapons and military equipments through strengthening of national armed forces and intelligence agencies kept ready for war there isn’t. Ideologically groomed to have a constant ear for armed conflicts, and provoked to strengthen the State that ends up as repressive and anti democratic. 

Thus arms trade, war and armed conflict is not a topic restricted to war torn countries  alone and their immediate neighbors. It is a major topic for all UN members, who have pledged for world peace on the UN Charter. Global peace is about total disarmament across the globe and a world citizenry that insists on honoring the UN Charter.

– Kusal Perera
2025 June 01