96. The United Nations has nade 6ubstantial contributlon€ to inEernationalsecurity, the codification of basic principles that should govern internationalrelations, the observance of international Lare, econonic and social developnent,issues of arns linitati.on and disarnanent, the process of decolonizatlon, ehest.ruggle against the evil syst€n of apartheid, the elimlnat.ion of racialdiscrimination' Ehe ob€ervance of baEfE-f,I i rights and fundamental freedons,etc. The General Aaseobly has adopte,J bV conaensus a nunber of inportantdocunents ' such as the Declaration on Ehe Granting of Independence to ColonialCountrles and Peoples (resolution 1514 (XV) of l-4 Decenber 1960), the Declarationon PrinciPles of rnternational Lau concerning t'riendly Rerat.iona and @-operationalDng States in accordance eith the Charter of the United Nations (resoluEion 2525 (xxv) of 24 october lgZO), the Definition of Aggression (resolution 3314 (xl{Ix) of 14 December 19?4), etc. sp€cial sesslons of the General Assenblyhave been held to discuss disarnament! in l9?8 at tbe tenth special session, thefirsE devoted to disarnanent, the General Assenbly adopted the Final Docunent,ehich paEr reaffirned in 1982 aE the teelft.h special session. special sessions ofthe G€neral Assenbly have also been beld to consider other najor issues 6uch as Eheestablishnent of a ner internaEional econornic order. 97. As stated in the Cbarter. the [aintenance of internationa]. peace and securiEyis one of the nain purposes of tbe United Nalions (Art. l'. The Otarter providedthe SecuriEy Council {ith a nandate to take act.ion rrith respect to threats Eo thepeaee, breaches of the p€ace, and acts of aggression (Chap. VII). In practlce, however, it has not been Pos8ible to develop Ehe United Nations collectlve eecurltysysten to prevent or counter aggression effectively, rn partlcular there bave beennunerous occasions rhen the permanent memberE of the Security Counci,l bave failedto reacb agreement on such naEters. 98. Although hunanitarian and peace-keeping operat.ions have been of grear lmportance, th€y have only bad a linited inpact on f,h€ larger needa ofinternattonal security. With respect to peace-keeping and setElenent ofinternational dispute6, serlous obstacles have been encounEered.
**Analysis**
The text discusses the role of the United Nations in maintaining international security, promoting human rights, and addressing various global issues. It mentions the UN's contributions to international law, disarmament, decolonization, and economic development. The text also highlights the limitations of the UN's ability to prevent or counter aggression and the importance of humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.

**Category**
International relations, Humanitarian aid and relief