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The UN soldiers on

Fifty seven years into its eventful existence, the United Nations Organisation is continuing to be a rallying - point for its increasing membership although there is unlikely to be a unanimity of views among the states of the world on the UN's effectiveness. Nevertheless, what is remarkable is that no member state of the UN ever wants to leave it. The UN's founding ideals which appeal to humanity's nobler instincts seem to be yoking the majority of the organisation's member states into a common exalting purpose which gives them a collective identity and direction.

The going has very often been rough for the UN, particulary in the thorny area of ensuring international security, but without the UN, anarchy and endemic conflict would be the lot of humanity. In other words, our preferred position is to consider the UN's cup as half full rather than half empty.

Even in the current crisis relating to Iraq, precipitate, unilateral action has been avoided thus far on account of the restraining presence of the UN. The threat of war is, no doubt, present but no State has, as yet, acted in open defiance of the UN. Besides, the UN fora and mechanisms are continuing to be used by the main States concerned.

Whether it was decolonization, disarmament, international peace keeping or development, the UN came in and continues to come in for the overall good of mankind.

Today, the UN's specialized agencies enjoy an almost ubiquitous presence on earth.

If not for the substantial role played by the UN and its agencies, the condition of the majority of humanity would be appallingly abject. True, conflict and wars of a particularly regional nature are continuing but if not for the presence of the UN in the States concerned, an astounding number of humans would be dying on account of physical and mental torment and want. The UNHCR, for instance, has under its care a vast number of those displaced by war and destruction.

Even in the case of Sri Lanka, besides backing the Norwegian facilitated peace process, the UN has offered to help out in the provision of humanitarian services in the war-affected areas. Countless local internally displaced persons are under the wings of the UNHCR.

In the field of international law, the UN has been substantially responsible for taking its parameters and frontiers to new, explored territory. These conquests are most noticeable in the area of fundamental rights. Children, women, the indigent and other vulnerable groups are today relatively empowered and rendered effective on account of the new legal regimes ushered in by UN agencies and other concerned organisations.

The UN Human Rights Commission, the apex body overseeing the establishment and protection of fundamental rights worldwide, could be approached by anyone who considers his or her rights as having been violated by States and their agencies. Although it is no stranger to internal division and discord, the UN has forged ahead in the onerous task of placing a restraining arm on those States which are bent on developing weapons of mass destruction. Universal disarmament continues to be a distant dream but the UN has not failed in the task of keeping the issue alive and in doing its utmost to curtail the spread of weapons of mass destruction and other lethal devices.

So, whatever its limitations, a world without the UN is unthinkable. Its member states are obliged to support it at all times and ensure its vibrancy. We don't think it would be in the interests of world peace and stability to curtail financial resources to the UN, for instance. Members need to ensure that the organisation continues to be financially viable although the UN is obliged to find ways and means of economising its operations and ensuring that it is not castigated as an overblown bureaucracy.

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