

The fact that peace and security is dependent upon having strong democratic institutions underscores the important link between peace and security and the rule of law. Peace and security is also threatened when democratic institutions are weak or non-existent. Is there a tipping point at which the likelihood of war increases dramatically? There is a curvilinear relationship between poverty and war rather than a linear one. At a certain point in the graph, the probability of war starts to increase more rapidly. The link between poverty and war is clearly indicated in the following graph:Ĭountries that have a higher Gross Domestic Product per capita are less likely to have a civil war. Extreme poverty threatens people’s well-being directly but also provides the breeding ground for other threats. The cluster on poverty underscores that threats to peace and security occur when there is widespread poverty. Nuclear, radiological, chemical and biological weapons.Internal conflict, including civil war, genocide and other large -scale atrocities.Economic and social threats, including poverty, infectious diseases and environmental degradation.The six clusters that threaten peace and security today are:


In the panel’s report to the Secretary-General six clusters of threats were identified. In 2004, former Secretary-General Kofi Annan formed a high level panel on threats to peace and security. The common interests of all people are also seen to be affected by poverty, hunger, environmental degradation, weak democratic institutions and human rights violations which are often at the heart of national and international tensions. Today peace and security are no longer viewed only in terms of the absence of military conflict. It grew out of the ruins of the Second World War and endured through the years clouded by nuclear threat during the Cold War and numerous regional conflicts. Since its founding in 1945, the UN has been a witness and catalyst to an extraordinary transition in global relations. Security Council Meets on Maintenance of International Peace and SecurityĪs outlined in the Preamble of the UN Charter, the United Nations was created “ to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind.” The Security Council is the main organ responsible for maintaining international peace and security although other organs such as the General Assembly and the Secretariat play an important role in making recommendations and assisting in the resolution of armed conflicts. You can’t fully achieve one without achieving all of them. These four pillars are all interconnected. The Preamble describes four areas that are the pillars of the UN,

Agenda, Workplan, Documents and Rules of Procedure.
