The UN really has as much power as we give it, in situations like this. It comes down to your contempt or otherwise for global consensus opinion. But, if we're

The UN really has as much power as we give it, in situations like this. It comes down to your contempt or otherwise for global consensus opinion. But, if we're justifying the UN, as seems to be necessary by this thread, the UNHCR and the WHO make huge differences, these are the organizations which have been coordinating help for refugees in Syria, and efforts to completely eradicate Polio, for instance. The Security Council is the major means for forcing Russia, China and the West to come to a shared position on Syria, which has led to the decommissioning of chemical weapons. It's also instrumental to avoiding war in Iran - the non-proliferation treaty provides a framework for negotiations, and the IAEA does the actual inspections - and failure to reach consensus in the Council was a major reason why the war in Iraq went so badly. It's a bit tiring hearing the old John Bolton-esque bullshit about the UN; it's a vital international institution, even if just for diplomacy and discussion.