The Role of International Organizations in Contemporary Conflict Resolution: A Focus on the United Nations in Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine (2020–2024)

Abstract

In the post-2020 global political landscape, intensification of armed conflicts has become its hallmark. These conflicts are particularly marked by complex issues. These issues includes: humanitarian crises, fractured international alliances, and diminishing faith in multilateralism.  The United Nations (UN), however continues to serve as the principal international organization. It is mandated to maintain peace and security. Nevertheless, it continues to confront unprecedented challenges to its legitimacy and effectiveness. This article, therefore, attempts to examine UN’s contemporary role in conflict resolution. The examination is through an analytical focus on three emblematic crises: Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine. These cases represent varying dimensions of conflict, i.e., the collapse of a state and re-emergence of authoritarian rule, a protracted civil war characterized by external intervention, and a large-scale interstate war in violation of the UN Charter. The present research uses a qualitative, document-based methodology. It explores the UN’s mediation efforts, peacekeeping mechanisms, and humanitarian responses from 2020 to 2024. It has analyzed official UN reports, Security Council resolutions, and policy literature. In the context, it is to assess both the organization’s operational capacity and its structural constraints. The research findings reveals that though UN remains central to normative legitimacy and humanitarian coordination, however, it has become increasingly reactive rather than preventive. In the context, the paralysis is observed to be due to the Security Council and the resurgence of great-power rivalry. In Afghanistan, for example, UN sustains humanitarian operations under Taliban rule but lacks political leverage. Furthermore, in Syria, it has preserved fragile humanitarian corridors despite increasing diplomatic deadlock. In Ukraine, UN has defended international law through moral authority; however, it is unable to enforce compliance. The article concludes that revitalizing the UN’s peace architecture through Security Council reform, enhanced early-warning diplomacy, and stronger partnerships with regional organizations is essential for restoring its credibility and relevance in twenty-first-century conflict resolution.

Keywords: United Nations, conflict resolution, peacekeeping, diplomacy, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine