Great idea for a thread and very well put.
What good is the UN?
Firstly,
consensus.
Without the UN providing all countries with a voice, actions taken by the US, NATO or the EU (for example) smack of unilateralism.
Secondly,
legality.
Like it or not, the US is a signatory of international and UN treaties. It is the UN that decides what is legal or illegal with regards to international law (often by interpreting Geneva Conventions for example).
Thirdly,
morality.
Believe it or not, UN actions are often the
right thing to do. The UN funds and manages hundreds of international organisations, international tribunals and committees that try to improve social, economic, health and cultural issues throughout the world. The UNHCR, UNESCO, UNDP, ECA, ECE, ELAC, ESCAP, ESCWA, ICJ, E-MINE, UNOB, UNOCI, UNMIL, MONUC, UMEE, UNAMSIL, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, UNMISET, UNMOGIP, UNFICYP, UNOMIG, UNMIK, UNDOF, UNIFIL, UNTSO, UNIFEM, UNCTAD, ITC, UNDCP, UNEP, UNIFEM, UNV, UNCDF, UNFPA, UNICRI, UNITAR, UNRISD, UNIDIR, INSTRAW, UNOPS, UNU, UNSSC, UNAIDS, PfII, WTO, IAEA, CTBTO PREP.COM, OPCW, ILO, FAO, WHO, IBRD, IDA, IFC, MIGA, ICSID, IMF, ICAO, IMO, ITU, UPU, WMO, WIPO, IFAD, UNIDO, OSG, OIOS, OLA, DPA, DDA, KPKO, OCHA, DESA, DGACM, DIP, DM, OHRLLS, UNSECOORD, UNODC, UNOG, UNOV, UNON and so on.
If you want, I can give details on each and every of the above organizations or groups (all
directly part of the UN, or in sponsored activities).
Let's just take a very few to actually expand upon.
UNDP - United Nations Development Programme -
www.undp.org
The United Nations Development Programme assists and co-ordinates various activities such as Democratic Governance, poverty reduction, crisis prevention and recovery, energy and environmental issues, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention and human development reporting.
"It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.
UNDP helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively and integrates information and communications technology for development into its work in democratic governance and poverty reduction. In all our activities, we promote the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women."
UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund - www.unicef.org
The United Nations Children's Fund is an advocate and contributor to children's issues around the world. They promote and provide child protection, education (and especially girl's education in developing countries), immunization for tens of thousands, childhood development, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, nutrition, gender equality and children's rights issues to name but a few.
Were UNICEF to cease existence, tens of thousands of children would die and/or live much worse lives.
WHO - World Health Organization - www.who.org
The World Health Organization is at the forefront of combating disase across the globe, especially in (but not limited to) developing countries. One of its most famous successes was the eradication of smallpox (some outbreaks have reoccured in Africa due to lack of education on the benefits of vacination). WHO is driving towards providing HIV/AIDS treatment to
three million people by the end of next year. It promotes disase prevention, treatment and vacination across the globe. It co-ordinates inter-national response to epidemics and pandemics (including recent outbreaks of Ebola, SARS, TB, Bubonic Plague etc etc), and works not only for physical health but also mental and social well-being.
UNHCR - The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - www.unhcr.org
This agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and help address refugee problems worldwide. Since 1950, when it was founded, the UNHCR has helped an estimated
fifty million (50,000,000) people restart their lives. Currently it is actively assisting approximately
seventeen million (17,000,000) people. It provides concrete assistance in the form of food, selter, resettlement, assylum and many other "real" activities as well as its co-ordination mandate. It is currently engaged in Southern Africa, Colombia, Europe, the Balkans, West Africa, North Caucasus, Central Africa, Iraq etc. The list goes on.
UNAIDS - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
UNAIDS is the "main advocate for global action on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS leads, strengthens and supports an expanded response to the epidemic." It provides leadership and advocacy, information and reporting, tracking, monitoring and evaluation of the epidemic and mobilization of resources to support an effective response.
IFAD - International Fund for Agricultural Development - www.ifad.org
The International Fund for Agricultural Development target groups (those whose lives are directly impacted positively by its programmes) are the poorest of the world's people. This includes small farmers, rural landless, nomadic pastoralists, artisanal fisherpeople, the indigenous and rural poor woman. The fund contributes funds directly for assistance and development activities in an effort to help the rural poor overcome poverty, disase and malnutrition.
The above are just a
FRACTION of the agencies, bodies, organizations and groups that make up the UN. As you can see from the list I gave at the beginning of this post, there are many many more than the few I provided extra detail upon.
Is the UN perfect? No.
Does it need reforming? Yes.
Would it benefit if the US actually paid their dues? Absolutely.
Should it be disbanded? Categorically not.
The United Nations is so very much more than the General Assembly and the Security Council. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why there is so much animosity against the UN in the United States. Don't you people understand that it's an organization that is there to assist people, prevent suffering, promote development? The world would suffer an incalculable disaster were the UN cease to exist. Yes, there have been problems. But EVERY ORGANIZATION on the world has problems.
And from an earlier post...
Quote:
I could easily say "What good is the United States for?" and list a litany of travesties and disasters in which America was involved. But that also would be stupid. The United States is undoubtedly the most powerful nation on the Earth. And, for the vast majority of issues, is a force for good. It would serve the world community better if it handled its power responsibly and partnered with its neighbours and the world community, rather than take the current arrogant, unilateral stance it seems to be at the moment.
With regards to the United Nations, there is always room for improvement. As there is in what Australia does, what Ireland does, what the US does, what the Post Office does, what your local TV station does... See the pattern?
You probably don't have all the answers in the world. Everything can be improved. It takes a "better" man (or nation) to help improve things rather than stand around bleating about how things are no good and are not worth the effort.
Hopefully you and the rest of the anti-UN cabal can see that.
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Please note the slightly provocative tone used above was appropriate to the original thread. :-)
I should be delighted to discuss this (very interesting and very important!!) topic further. It's a relief after all the US election hype!!
Mr Mephisto