Regional Organizations vs. the UN
How regional bodies like the African Union, EU, and ASEAN relate to the United Nations, and the ongoing tension between regional and global approaches to peace and security.
Chapter VIII and Regional Arrangements
The UN Charter's Chapter VIII recognizes that regional arrangements can play a role in maintaining peace and security, provided their activities are consistent with UN purposes and principles. This deliberately vague provision has become the legal basis for a complex web of relationships between the UN and regional organizations like the African Union (AU), European Union (EU), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Organization of American States (OAS).
In practice, regional organizations often serve as the first responders to crises in their neighborhoods. The African Union has deployed peace support operations in Somalia (AMISOM/ATMIS), Darfur (UNAMID, jointly with the UN), and the Sahel. NATO conducted operations in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Libya. ECOWAS intervened in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. These operations fill gaps that the UN cannot, particularly when the Security Council is deadlocked.