ISSUE 47: SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2007

FRONT PAGE | ARCHIVE |

COMMENT

The UN: Seeking to build a 
better home for humankind

By Konrad Osterwalder

Each year, on 24 October, Member States of the United Nations observe “UN Day” to commemorate the founding of that organization in October 1945. In the 62 years since it was established, the UN has served as a vital forum where the world’s peoples can identify common problems, agree on feasible solutions and take joint action. 

The world today is a very different place than that in which the UN was founded; many of the difficult and complex challenges that we now face were unforeseen in 1945. Yet, over the decades, the UN has grown and evolved to constructively address not only issues of international peace and security, which were foremost on the minds of its founders, but to deal also with broader issues of human security and welfare, economic development and environmental protection. 

In the words of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “Global problems demand global solutions — and going it alone is not a viable option.” Indeed, it is only by working together in global partnership that we can successfully address such pressing issues as regional and local conflicts; international terrorism; large-scale humanitarian crises; poverty, hunger and disease; natural disasters; or persistent environmental deterioration and resource depletion. And it is only through an organization like the UN that such partnership, aimed at making the world a safer and better home for humankind, can be effectively implemented. 

To celebrate UN Day 2007, the Japan offices of 20 United Nations agencies have joined together to organize activities at UN House in Tokyo on the theme “The United Nations, Africa and Me: The First Step is Knowledge”. The focus on Africa for UN Day 2007 was selected for several reasons. 

In May 2008, the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) will be convened. This quinquennial forum, organized by the Government of Japan and co-hosted by the United Nations, Global Coalition for Africa and World Bank, has evolved into a major global framework to facilitate the implementation of initiatives for promoting African development, and particularly for cooperation between Asia and Africa .

TICAD IV will be followed in July 2008 by the G8 Summit, to be hosted by Japan for the first time since 2000. African development is expected to be prominent on the agenda of the 2008 G8 Summit.

But perhaps most significantly, 2007 marks the midway point for achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The eight MDGs — which include halving extreme poverty, reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters and achieving universal primary education — form a blueprint that was agreed to in 2000 by all the world’s countries and leading development institutions. The target date for achieving all of the MDGs is 2015, but sub-Saharan Africa is not yet on track to achieve any of them.

“We must redouble our efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in Africa ”, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declares in his UN Day 2007 message, adding that “we will be judged in the future on the actions we take today”. While the goals remain achievable in most African nations, this is an initiative that requires a global effort. And the UN, through its various agencies, programmes and funds, is doing its part to help Africans address the underlying issues that are hindering progress toward the MDGs.

Among UN agencies undertaking fieldwork in Africa (and elsewhere) are the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which seeks to ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives; International Labour Organization (ILO), which is devoted to advancing opportunities for decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life; United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which promotes the right of everyone to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity; Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which leads and co-ordinates international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems; United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNIC EF), which works to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path; United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) , which provides people, tools and operational know-how to help build peace, recover from disaster, and create sustainable development; and United Nations Volunteers (UNV), the UN focal point for promoting and harnessing volunteerism for effective development. 

And, of course, there is United Nations University (UNU). UNU activities in Africa include facilitating dialogue, building capacities, particularly in the area of natural resources management, providing training for higher education professionals and promoting innovations. UNU also serves as a bridge between the academic, scientific and political communities.

The UN Day 2007 celebration at UN House in Tokyo focuses on UN field operations in Africa . Activities include an academic symposium with keynote lectures and panel discussions, exhibits in the UN Gallery, and a “UN Fieldwork Experience Zone” and “Kid’s Play Zone” in the courtyard. For those who are unable to join us on UN Day 2007, the symposium can be viewed online.

As we celebrate UN Day, let us also reflect on how the United Nations has benefited us, both individually and collectively, and on how each of us can contribute to making the UN a more effective actor in dealing with the common interests of all humankind. 

Konrad Osterwalder is Rector of United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. This commentary was first published in The Japan Times. These are his personal views.

© 2007  United Nations University