Is the United Nations still relevant?

The United Nations (UN) is an expensive and heavy international body, an assembly of 193 sovereign and independent stats, but that is totally paralyzed and unable to function well because the way it was designed at its inception. 

Its Security Council made of 15 members (5 are permanent, 10 are present on a rotating basis) leads formal and informal debates, which lead to ‘resolutions’ or ‘decisions’. These official decrees have force of law, but in the Security Council, all votes are not equal.

The permanent five members (China, France, Russia the UK and the United States) have veto power over substantial resolutions. Under the UN charter, these permanent five alone hold the veto. Historically, Russia has been the most frequent veto user, followed by the US and the UK. 

When one of the 5 permanent members votes against a resolution, it fundamentally ends it, even though the other 14 members might have voted yes. Any permanent member can block a resolution as it has absolutely nothing to fear from any Security Council proposal it considers unacceptable. It simply casts a vote and the matter is over. 

The issue of the Security Council’s veto has been a point of contention for many years and clearly shows that the UN bylaws should be changed, but don’t plan on this anytime soon even though I’m saying this and I’m a citizen of France and the United States!