UN Still Going Strong

By Mohan K.C.

COME October 24 and it is a time to reflect on the achievements, thrusts and the goal of the United Nations. The day marks the beacon service that the UN has been providing for over five decades. Today, the 56th anniversary of the establishment of UN is being celebrated throughout the world. Nepal as a member country of UN has all the more to be satisfied with the role that it has played by adhering to the UN Charter.

It was no mean achievement at the end of World War II for the leaders of the West including that from USA, UK, the then USSR and others to come to decide on the formation of a world body that could be instrumental in checking or stopping any conflict between nations through the medium of discussion. That must have been a big proposition then. But the step taken to form United Nations has paid off to quite an extent.

UN has been able to act as the mediator in a number of conflicts in the past 55 years. Though the role that was expected of UN has not been fulfilled to the extent that was envisioned yet what has been achieved so far cannot be undermined. With almost all the countries of the world being its members, it is a global organisation having a say in a variety of sectors. Almost every sector that we can imagine, there are specialised agencies of the UN that offer support, assistance and guidance. Without the UN stepping into even the war zones the survival and rehabilitation of people would not have been so effective. This just goes to show how important the role of UN is even in the present times.

Conflicts and wars have been an integral part of human civilisation. But war today is more devastating, physically, morally and psychologically, than any such events in the past. The reason is obvious: the war machinery has become more sophisticated and has the power to annihilate a whole community with its sheer firepower. The atomic weapons that are in the possession of many countries offer an even greater threat. The first generation atomic bombs dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki had led to the death of millions of death. The power of the present day atomic weapons is tens of times greater. The danger is real and over and above everyone, it is the UN that is doing its utmost to stall big scale conflict.

Nepal as a member of the United Nations has been adhering to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. It is the firm belief in global peace and security that has made Nepal follow the UN ideals to the dot. A landlocked country that Nepal is, there are a number of specific problems that the country has to face. In every sector, the presence of the UN agencies is evident. Take the sector of education or health, the assistance, technical or otherwise, the country has received much support. Even in the preservation of its cultural and natural heritage, is much has been done to supplement the activities that the country is carrying out on its own.

Nepal has a firm belief that all sorts of conflicts or disagreement should be sorted out through dialogue. Wars result in fatalities and the psychological effects are just too much for the survivors to bear. It is this conviction that Nepal has offered to send its soldiers on UN peacekeeping missions in different parts of the world. Be it the trouble spots of the Middle East or in Africa, Nepal has always been willing to send peacekeepers, which is considered as its duty in a bid to see that conflicts are resolved with the concerned parties coming to amicable agreement through negotiations.

It was just last year that Nepal was a participant at the UN Millennium Summit. There also the firm faith in the UN principles were reiterated. There is no doubt that conflicts and wars do occur but with the UN being a forum the problems can be sorted out. Of course, despite the efforts there are many problems that the UN has not been able to solve. This is not because of the lack of the commitment of the United Nations but because of the complexities of the specific issue.

One of the reasons some experts have pointed out is that the UN has no army of its own. It has to rely on the peacekeepers sent from the member countries. In this context, one thing has to be remembered that UN peacekeepers are sent not to fight but act as a ‘buffer zone’ between the conflicting parties. There have been successes but failures are also there. The simmering problem of the Middle East has yet to find a solution.

However, it must be noted with satisfaction that major conflicts have been prevented with the active involvement of UN. This itself is an achievement that justifies the existence of the United Nations even 55 years after its formation.