The world has become less peaceful over the past few years, chiefly because of external armed conflicts. While the world leaders claim to value peace and the respect for human rights and commit to restore peace when it is breached, the global peacefulness remains defined by conflicts, deaths, and the large scale displacement of people. This erodes the fundamental rights of people including their right to live, to get an education, to receive healthcare and to live in peace. From the Russia-Ukraine war to the military clashes between Israel and Iran and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the promise of peace appears bleak. 

After World War II, the United Nations was built to prevent future global conflicts with the aim of upholding international peace and security (Article 1, UN Charter). But the recent wars are harming not only the basic human rights but also challenging the international legal rules. This raises significant concerns about the effectiveness of international law and UN. Undoubtedly, UN needs structural reform. It is hoped that as we approach the eightieth anniversary of the establishment of UN, a serious thought will be given by the international community on the issue of the reform of the organisation.

Right to Peace under International Law
Right to Peace was first recognised in 1984 by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).Though the UNGA Resolution (A/RES/39/1) recognising the Right to Peace is legally non-binding which has limited the right’s real-world impact, nevertheless, objective of the Resolution is loud and clear—the peoples have ‘a sacred right to peace’.

Further, in 2016, a declaration on peace was adopted by the international community consisting of five articles. Article 1 is especially important as it says that “everyone has the right to enjoy peace such that all human rights are promoted and protected and development is fully realised”. This declaration was a response to the wars that were taking place at that time. However, wars continue to exist with over 80 countries recorded deterioration in peacefulness. This means peace remains only on papers, while people suffer fear, death and displacement. 

Ground reality 
The increasing rate of deaths and displacements from recent wars has become more internationalised and reflects the gap between international promises and enforcement. As per GPI, peacefulness is deteriorated by 0.36 percent. For instance, if we look upon the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from February 2022 to May 2025 over 46,000 civilians have been killed and injured, according to OHCHR. Ukraine had the largest number of deaths in 2024. Additionally, a total of 3.6 million were displaced, forced to abandon their homes and communities. As of April 2025, over 1.2 million refugees fled to Germany alone. Further, the situation in Gaza is even more alarming, as around 90 percent population has been displaced as of January 2025, leading to the collapse of basic services, access to food, water and healthcare. Not only this, more than 110 million people have been displaced forcibly worldwide.
 


It is evident from Figure 1 which reflects a wide gap between 2008 and 2025 concerning the rise in refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) due to conflict and political disturbance over the past decade. This represents a breakdown in the international system’s ability to uphold peace.

Changes we need 
States have taken oath to follow the international laws. UN was formed to achieve twin grand goals: maintaining international peace and security and reaffirming faith in “fundamental human rights”. But the objective of achieving these goals has evaded the international community. Merely coming together to pass resolution or declaration is not a real solution. We need to recognise the right to peace as more than just a moral imperative. Only then we will be truly enforcing our human rights. Otherwise, the world will move into the age of ‘global power fragmentation’. 

Evidently enough, the positive resolution of conflicts is lower today compared with the last 40 years. It is a trite observation that the global community’s failure to deal with situations involving major breaches of peace and security and its inability to adapt to new changes stem largely from the structural flaws within it. The international community must reconsider its priorities. The success of recognition of peace will depend on the willingness of the community to engage in constructive negotiations and reach a compromise that balances their interests with the broader demands for accountability. This transformation is essential to enable the community to fulfil its foundational vision of peace and security in fragile world. 

Ankita Sachan is a PhD Scholar of Law in Banaras Hindu University; Prof. Ajendra Srivastava is a Professor of Law in Banaras Hindu University. Views are personal.