The United Nations and Africa

Paper Summary:

In order to understand adequately whether and to what degree, the UN has failed Africa, this paper examines the question on two levels: the political and the social. On the political side, it looks at the history surrounding the decolonisation of Africa and the role of the Security Council and peacekeeping forces in Africa, with a specific focus on Rwanda. On a social level, it scrutinizes the historical management, by the UN and its organs, of HIV/AIDS, as well as examining broader issues of social concern. Ultimately, it is argued that indeed, historically, the UN has failed Africa on a number of both political and social levels; however, it is also suggested that these failures, resulting largely from inaction and mismanagement, must not prevent African states for continuing to engage in the United Nations and its activities.
Outline
Introduction
Failure and Success on a Political Level
Failure and Success on a Social Level
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"As has previously been examined, the UN was largely successful in helping to decolonise various African states. However, a decolonized Africa was not necessarily a peaceful one and, as has also been previously examined, ethnic divisions, a legacy of colonialism, remained. The Rwandan genocide is no doubt the foremost example of this. Rwanda was once described as 'the Switzerland of Africa' ; however, starting in April 1994, and lasting around 100 days, Rwanda's Tutsi people suffered genocide amounting to the largest scale human atrocity to occur in recent decades, and indeed, one of the worst violations of human rights in modern times. Not only were an estimated 5-10% of the Rwandan population killed , but these events sparked the cycle of mass killings and bloodshed that would devastate the region for years to come. "

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