The world is not a lovely place. The question is how much closer it would have been without the UN to Dag Hammarskjöld's inferno.
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| [United Nations] |
It's a day late. I understand.
It must be like this since Norran does not come out on Sundays.
For the time being, we shall pay respect to someone, like Lasse Kronér did in Doobidoo. Or, as the case may be, something. The 76-year-old United Nations will be honored.
World War II has come to an end. Large swaths of the globe are in shambles.
It's the 24th of October, 1945. The United Nations Charter came into force, formally establishing the organization.
Over time, the 51 founding members have grown to 193. (2021). Sweden joined the club in 1946. The Vatican City State is the only sovereign state that has opted to remain outside, although it does so as a permanent observer.
We'll never know what happened in the Northern Rhodesian woods on September 18, 1961. However, the jet carrying Dag Hammarskjöld crashed. They discovered if it was an accident or something altogether else. Recent attempts to shed light on Hammarskjöld's tragedy have turned up evidence that suggests the accident was actually a pre-planned murder. (SVT News, 13 January 2019)
Nobody put it better than Dag Hammarskjöld, the UN Secretary-General from 1953 to 1961, when he said, "The UN was not founded to carry mankind to paradise, but to preserve it from hell."
That remark seems more timely now than it has in a long time.
A vast number of wars are happening across the planet. Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Mali, and Chad are among the countries affected. Nigeria is being ravaged by the Islamist terrorist organization Boko Haram. IS soldiers detonate suicide bombs.
Add in climate change, which is forcing millions of people to evacuate their homes, as well as the corona epidemic. 240 million people have been infected (confirmed cases) and over 4.8 million have perished, according to the World Health Organization, one of the United Nations specialized organizations (19/10 2021).
No, the world is not a lovely place. In any case, it's a long way from everywhere. The question is how much closer it would have been without the UN to Dag Hammarskjöld's inferno. In all likelihood, quite a bunch.
Tents and blankets for Syrian migrants, as well as food and drink for South Sudanese refugees. It's not much, and the need for assistance is great, but it's a step toward keeping Hammarskjöld's hell on Earth at bay.
When examining the UN's actions and activities, it's important to note that the UN is not a global government with the authority to rule over its members. The United Nations (UN) is an international, worldwide platform for collaboration, decisions, and agreements on matters that affect everyone. Where international leaders may meet to discuss issues. Where both big and small countries may have their say.
However, the UN is not without flaws and inadequacies. Those looking for flaws don't have to look very hard.
Electing Saudi Arabia to the UN Human Rights Council in 2016 was a low point, since the country whips bloggers and commits beheadings, among other atrocities. It is a country where women are subjected to extensive legalized and socially entrenched discrimination.
No, it wasn't a low water mark; it wasn't even close; it was a real bottom button. As a result, the US withdrew from the Human Rights Council. Yes, the United Nations may be described as an expensive debate club that legitimizes renegade regimes.
However, there is a bright side: smallpox has been eradicated, due to the World Health Organization. Thanks in great part to the World Health Organization (WHO), polio is on the verge of elimination. During the epidemic, massive efforts were made to disseminate information about Covid-19.
More than two billion people have had access to safe drinking water since 1981. UNDAC (United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination) aids governments in disaster-prone nations during the initial stages of a disaster.
There was a lot that could have been done differently. An institution like the United Nations is usually a victim of the power struggle between major powers, to a greater or smaller extent, sooner or later. It's unavoidable.
But, on the day following UN Day, let us celebrate in the UN's existence. The organization's annual operating costs are estimated to be over $30 billion. This works out to around four dollars per person on the planet. Some people have a lot of money, while others have no change. However, in 2010, it accounted for less than 2% of global military budget.
It's sometimes necessary to consider how persons in positions of authority think. In that context, $ 30 billion is a rather minor amount. But a sum, in the words of Dag Hammarskjöld, "saves mankind from damnation."
The author Mikael Bengtsson is a Swedish journalist.
[Translated from NORRAN]