“ Finally the UN is structurally flawed. Its nature ensures that it is run by careerists whose chief motive is to avoid taking responsibility. Now with child abuse on the increase by its peace-keepers, the trading of food for sex, and corruption the UN has become notorious! The eyes of the world will be on the UN to see whether it will reform itself to deliver what it promised to deliver when it was formed 63years ago.”
by Saybhan Samat
(October 24, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) October 24th, 1945 marks the official day on which the United Nations came into existence. This year then is the 63rd birthday of the United Nations. In 1948 the United General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human rights. All the world’s nation agreed that every human being in the world had the right to adequate food, water, housing, healthcare, education, political participation and employment. Sixty years later, a global economic system based on competition and profit has failed to provide these essentials for the majority 800 million people still starving to death in a world of plenty and the gap between the rich minority and the poor majority has increased and continues to increase.
On the occasion of its inauguration on October 24th 1945 the principal purpose for the creation of this international body which now has 192 members was to bring all nations of the world together to work for peace and development, based on the principles of justice, human dignity and well being of all people. The UN was established after the imperialistic powers were compelled to decolonize the countries which they held. The powerful nations who were colonialists earlier, structured the UN in such manner to continue to exploit their former colonies in a covert manner by forming UN agencies like the IMF, World Bank and W.T.O.
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), both established immediately after the second world war, are technically part of the UN. The IMF was originally set- up to lend money to governments in order to stabilize the International Monetary system. Prominent economists at that time predicted that it would lead to unpayable indebtedness between nations.
By 1971, the IMF had re-written its articles of association in order to grant itself permission to interfere in almost any aspect of a country’s governance. Instead of facilitating stable exchange rates and helping countries protect themselves against financial fluctuations, it began pushing aside any and all obstacle to capital flow and unfettered profit. This was virtually the opposite of its original mandate. At the same time, the unpayable indebtedness of the poorest countries was becoming apparent.
By 1971, the IMF had re-written its articles of association in order to grant itself permission to interfere in almost any aspect of a country’s governance. Instead of facilitating stable exchange rates and helping countries protect themselves against financial fluctuations, it began pushing aside any and all obstacle to capital flow and unfettered profit. This was virtually the opposite of its original mandate. At the same time, the unpayable indebtedness of the poorest countries was becoming apparent.
By the 1980s, Wall Street and the United States Treasury Department were inextricably linked with and able to influence the World Bank. Instead of facilitating investment on behalf of the local poor economies, the World Bank began providing and withholding loans in order to facilitate corporate access to these countries. They financed more and more projects that would benefit major corporations and greedy multi-nationals.
The World Bank began to impose stringent conditions, known as “ Structural Adjustment Programmes” on recipient countries, forcing them to unwillingly adopt reform which in the long run would be detrimental to their economies. Conditions for the third world countries then worsened as a result, in essence it was a debt-trap.
As long as developing countries continue to be dominated by debt repayments as part of a “ debt sustainability” frame work, the World Bank and IMF cannot honestly claim that they are working for poverty reduction or financing development. Debt relief comes with conditions which undermine the sovereignty of the people of the countries affected, and keep the economies of the south tied to the interests of global profit.
In 1995 the WTO was formed to replace the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Its apparently democratic aims were to lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers in order to increase international trade. However although 149 countries are members of the WTO, it does not function democratically. The majority of the world’s poor countries are not permitted to influence the WTOs predetermined trade talk agendas.
This has resulted in global trade rules which favour the economically dominant countries. The trade agreements have stripped away trade barriers previously imposed by the third world countries in order to protect their fragile home –grown industries, their environment and their social institutions. At the same time the rich countries pay out huge subsidies to protect their own industries.
Over the years the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO have gained more and more power and, rather than surviving the interests of the UN seek to dictate UN policies in a completely undemocratic fashion. The UN which was set-up for achieving noble ideals has lost its way mostly on account of rich, powerful and former colonial countries using the UN to covertly undermine their former colonies in a subtle manner.
The structure of the UN itself is flawed. It must be freed from the constraints of the Security Council veto. The Security Council is a relict of the second World War and should not hold the powerful position within the UN that it does today. A truly democratic UN should not have to concede to the victors of a war which took place 65 years ago. The Security Council must be dissolved and the General Assembly Council must take its place as a democratic world council, without veto powers. In this way, matters of security, economy and human rights can be dealt within a democratic framework, to benefit the majority of the world.
The UN should implement global taxation. The current system of tending does not work. The current level of funding is insufficient to run the UN properly even if every member paid their dues on time. A UN dependent on the meager alms meted out to it by reluctant nations can never carry out the work needed to protect human rights. Global taxes would produce far greater and more reliable revenue and result in a properly funded UN, able to carry out its policies.
Several forms of global taxation have been put forward even by the UN itself, before the US forced it to withdraw these proposals by threatening to continue its non-payment of dues in1997. These include taxes on the arms trade, the trading of currencies, air transport and pollution.
International taxation will enable the UN to carry out the millennium goals, would rid the poorer countries of the burden of payment in always dollars of UN dues and would also prevent any one country from having undue influence on UN policies.
In order to fulfill its humanitarian mandate and secure basic human needs across the world, a new economic system based on sharing essential resources, such as land, food, water and medicine must be implemented. A system of sharing would be based on cooperation, not competition. It would replace existing aid and development structures and would exist alongside an overhauled market-based economy that can continue to supply essential and non-essential goods.
Through global co-operation and sharing resources for development purposes, the World Bank would be rendered largely redundant and any remaining development funding requirements could be administered through the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Lasting international peace and security are only possible if the economic and social well-being of people everywhere is assured. This can only be secured by implementing a new economic system based on the principle of sharing, co-operation and not competition. Economic reform must be iniated by forming a new agency such as a UN Council for Resource Sharing ( UNCRS). The first activity the UNCRS should undertake is to initiate UN emergency redistribution programme (UNERP) to redistribute food and other essential resources to those living in extreme poverty.
Sharing the world’s resources is the most efficient way to eliminate poverty and create social and economic justice. It has the potential for uniting nations through co-operative action and establishing peaceful international relations.
It is very unlikely that the UN will initiate the suggested reform as it will be detrimental to the powerful countries in the UN who implement their own agenda to neo-colonize their former colonies. Apart from the unjust economic systems and other unjust policies in settling of disputes by the UN, the masses of ordinary citizens have begun to hate the UN. The UN peace-keepers have a long tradition of sexual child abuse. Around the world.. UN officials have run smuggling and prostitution rings, stolen and sold supplies and traded food for sex.
Sometimes the racket becomes institutionalized with the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussien on the oil- for - food programme.
The UN, many claim is greedy and self-serving. It was revealed that the UN voted (stg) 2.5 pounds million to refurbish the Secretary General’s residence in New York. Until the refurbishing was complete Ban Ki-moon and his wife put up in a suite at the Waldorf Astoria paying an astounding rent. Some accuse the UN of having a beauracracy that is careerist and utterly inefficient, referring to it as a “beauraucratic monstrosity.” The UN beauraucy has become flabby, immobilist and increasingly sleazy.
Finally the UN is structurally flawed. Its nature ensures that it is run by careerists whose chief motive is to avoid taking responsibility. Now with child abuse on the increase by its peace-keepers, the trading of food for sex, and corruption the UN has become notorious! The eyes of the world will be on the UN to see whether it will reform itself to deliver what it promised to deliver when it was formed 63years ago.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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