Can the UN step up and do its job?

Nobody wants more world wars. That's the raisin d'être for the whole, seemingly bloated bureaucracy.

Don't misunderstand, bureaucracies are unavoidable, essential even and potentially extraordinarily useful. The UN can and does do some brilliant work.

Nonetheless the UN Charter requires its signatories to take effective measures to "suppress acts of aggression" and to remove threats to peace. You could say: "You had one job". If the best they can do is kick Russia off a committee there's no saving them.

If what they see on their screens happening in Ukraine isn't enough to push them to action one might ask what will?

There's an excellent piece by Simon Prentis in Areo on this very topic. It's a compelling piece. Prentis argues that the UN now needs to vote to establish an Emergency Force in order to back up its professed abhorrence with action. It wouldn't take long.

If the Ukrainians can do what they're doing, imagine what combined forces could do. It would be over before it began.

We read a lot about NATO as if the mere mention of the alliance is a panacea. It's a defensive alliance, not shared attack force. NATO is not entitled to go around willy-nilly attacking others. More generally one hears cries of "Why isn't the West doing more?". UN obligations come to mind.

What we don't hear is calls for the UN to get off its collective backside and set up an Emergency Force.

My own experiences with the UN have served to strengthen my already deep underlying apprehension about large bureaucracies. If anyone there feels better because they have passed a resolution deploring Russia's action it only confirms how many people detached from reality work in these places.

Let me share some examples that lead to my tainted view of the UN. In the Howard government years the UN was keen to publicly tick Australia off for our strong border control policies. We were then, and probably still are the second or third largest taker of refugees for permanent resettlement in the world.

We can be that and still oppose unlimited numbers coming here to seek to be declared refugees and refusing to go home if they're rejected. In fact we need to be that tough to save the places for those in refugee camps.

We open our hearts when there's an emergency, like Kosovo. With that record you'd think the UN would be a mate not a nemesis.

MORE AMANDA VANSTONE:

The then-high commissioner for refugees Ruud Lubbers came to Australia and was ready to tell the world how terrible we were. We had noticed that the fact of our being consistently in the top three takers of refugees for permanent resettlement had disappeared from their website. When asked about this, Lubbers first of all said we were mistaken.

Confronted with his own website he asserted it was a glitch that must be short term. No, sadly for him we could show it had been that way for months. Effectively someone in the UNHCR decided to block out our good record.

People rely on the UN for decent advice about refugees. If they were going to doctor that advice to suit their message of the day, that would be appalling.

He left and declined to give Australia the thrashing in the media that we had expected.

Catching people out often produces a moment or so of humility. That humility was now doubt extended when Ruud Lubbers resigned over sexual harassment allegations.

When I went to East Timor to support our AFP UN peacekeepers there was a clear message about how difficult it could be to get around the island. Imagine hearing that and later that day seeing an enormous car park full of Range Rovers or equivalent - spanking new, green livery, lovely big white UN letters on the doors.

These were the cars of the UN bureaucrats who drove to and from work in Dili. The people doing the really hard yards didn't get the same treatment.

I met Antonio Guterres when he had the UNHCR job. He seemed charming if a little overconfident.

Why would you approach a minister from a country your agency was critical of and suggest you had the greatest offer ever ... we could up our contribution and join the "upper club".

All suggested with a straight face at a swanky restaurant in Geneva. By the way, check out where the UN agencies put their bureaucracies ... Geneva, Rome, New York.

I was our ambassador to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome. It was nicknamed For Africa Only.

At my introductory meeting a diplomat's luxurious office he rattled on about how many votes he had in Africa to keep his position. Nothing about the work of the FAO other than cursory pleasantries.

The World Food Program was another of my tasks. The woman then in charge thought she was some kind of latter-day Hilary Clinton. She came late to the meeting apologising because she bumped into a friend. Good oh - catch up with them for a drink later. It was only the good advice of our locally engaged WFP advisor who encouraged me not to follow my mother's rule: Wait 20 minutes then leave because the person clearly isn't interested in your meeting. Unphased by her rudeness, she then proceeded to insist I should have a photo-op with her in front of the flags in her office. A photographer had been sitting around waiting. Seriously.

Words and pictures are fine. Actions speak louder. They have the job of helping manage and reduce conflict. If only they'd do it.