In Praise of the UN
In Praise of the UN
The statement of Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, to the Australian Institute for International Affairs
(I know this is hard to take or credit.)
I must say it is wonderful to be here. In the past week, I’ve had the opportunity to absorb the views of many Australians on regional and global issues. And I have enjoyed it immensely.
The United Nations is one of those institutions that, to coin a phrase, has a way of getting caught “in a savage cross-fire between uncritical lovers and unloving critics”. But the Australians I have spoken to have generally been both friendly and frank in expressing their views, and I have been encouraged by what I have heard.[..]
Australians know the UN can’t build utopia, or solve all the world’s problems, and they aren’t afraid to point out the Organization’s shortcomings. But they want the UN to work effectively because they believe in strengthening international law, they value international cooperation, and they support the Organization’s work on the ground in countries hit by war, poverty or natural disasters, such as last December’s devastating tsunami, on which former President Clinton is now leading UN reconstruction efforts.
Are they right to do so? I think they are. Because the forces at work in today’s world mean that, for good or ill, we are all dependent on each other. Pick almost any issue confronting our world today: terrorism, nuclear proliferation, AIDS, bird flu, disaster response, global warming, poverty, trade. These issues affect us all, and we can’t address any of them without agreeing on norms, forging common strategies, and sharing burdens. (MORE)
Posted by Ted Belman at October 16, 2005 08:05 AM
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In Praise of the UN
The statement of Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, to the Australian Institute for International Affairs
(I know this is hard to take or credit.)
I must say it is wonderful to be here. In the past week, I’ve had the opportunity to absorb the views of many Australians on regional and global issues. And I have enjoyed it immensely.
The United Nations is one of those institutions that, to coin a phrase, has a way of getting caught “in a savage cross-fire between uncritical lovers and unloving critics”. But the Australians I have spoken to have generally been both friendly and frank in expressing their views, and I have been encouraged by what I have heard.[..]
Australians know the UN can’t build utopia, or solve all the world’s problems, and they aren’t afraid to point out the Organization’s shortcomings. But they want the UN to work effectively because they believe in strengthening international law, they value international cooperation, and they support the Organization’s work on the ground in countries hit by war, poverty or natural disasters, such as last December’s devastating tsunami, on which former President Clinton is now leading UN reconstruction efforts.
Are they right to do so? I think they are. Because the forces at work in today’s world mean that, for good or ill, we are all dependent on each other. Pick almost any issue confronting our world today: terrorism, nuclear proliferation, AIDS, bird flu, disaster response, global warming, poverty, trade. These issues affect us all, and we can’t address any of them without agreeing on norms, forging common strategies, and sharing burdens. (MORE)
Posted by Ted Belman at October 16, 2005 08:05 AM