At 71, UN at a crossroads | Daily News

At 71, UN at a crossroads

Seventy one years ago, on October 24, 1945, the world had just seen the end of World War II at a massive human and material cost. There was a general understanding that the world needed a new union of States to stop World War III and establish lasting peace. Thus the United Nations (UN) was born out of a collective desire to make the world a better, peaceful place.

Seventy one years on, the world has fortunately not seen World War III, but many conflicts are still raging around the world. Nearly one billion people suffer from extreme poverty and the majority of them do not have enough to eat. Easily preventable diseases still claim millions of lives a year. Millions more do not have access to drinking water and sanitation facilities. Education is out of reach for many children in the developing world. The gap between the haves and have nots, the rich and poor countries is widening.

This does not necessarily mean that the UN has failed in its mission. The UN and its multitude of agencies have accomplished much around the world. Some diseases have been eradicated while many countries have made vast gains in the health and education sectors with UN assistance. The UN is acting as a peace keeper in many countries and regions, preventing outbreaks of violence and conflict.

Perhaps the UN’s biggest contribution is the ongoing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) programme – 17 goals which encompass health, education, peace, climate change, poverty eradication, hunger, gender equality, clean water, clean energy, employment, economic growth, sustainable cities, marine life and resources, land-based life and resources and of course, international partnerships that will make these goals happen. Under this initiative, all Member States have pledge to accomplish these goals by 2030.

This is a major challenge for the UN, for which the incoming UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres, a former Prime Minister of Portugal, will have to strive hard. Being the UN Secretary General is no easy task - Trygve Lie of Norway, the UN’s first Secretary-General, warned his successor Dag Hammarskjold in 1953: “Welcome to the most impossible job on this Earth.” Even though the UN failed once more to elect a female Secretary General, the UN will no doubt be in good hands as Gutteres who is a veteran of the UN system with 10 years experience as head of the UN Refugee Agency. Gutteres will be heading the UN from January 1, 2017, which is likely to be a very challenging year. With the theme “71 (Years) and 17 (Sustainable Development Goals)”, the UN has already encapsulated the challenges ahead.

The other major challenge for Gutteres and the UN is conflict resolution. The world has watched in horror the unfolding events in Syria but the situation is no better in scores of other countries such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Libya, South Sudan and Somalia. “I believe it is the international community's first priority is to be able to end this conflict in Syria and use this momentum created by it to try to address all the other conflicts that are interlinked,” Gutteres recently told the media. “That is absolutely central if you want to live in a world where a minimum of securities are established, where people can live a normal life,” he added. The immigration and refugee crisis is another issue that he will have to devote time on.

Climate change will be another major challenge, with the UN climate change treaty already operational by January 1. Yet, getting all the countries to fall in line with emissions benchmarks will not be easy. Since this a question that threatens the very existence of our planet, Gutteres will have a lot on his hands in terms of climate change. The UN can indeed lead the world on this vital issue.

However, there are many who question the UN’s power, leverage and relevance in a world where a few powerful nations actually call the shots. These countries routinely bypass the UN Security Council and take action on their own regarding various issues. The UN thus needs reforms to keep pace with a changing world and ensure that all countries act only within the UN systems and structures. There have also been growing calls for the UN to do away with the veto power of the five Permanent Member States to make all countries equal at the forum. This is easier said than done, but there is no doubt that the UN must be drastically transformed to be a more effective player on the world stage. Internally too, the UN must free itself of the vast bureaucracy and shed its image as a talking shop where nothing much happens. But the UN must never lose focus of the vision of its founding fathers and the core principles that must always govern it: Economic development, human rights and peace. Let’s hope the next 71 years will be much more fruitful for the UN. 


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