The UN and Nepal (UN Day special)

October 23, 2005
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By Kamala Sarup

Photo Source pradesh.com

Photo Source paradesh.com
The United Nations (UN) is celebrating its 60th birthday this year. The UN annually celebrates the International Day of Peace. This year, according to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the UN’s International Day of Peace “is meant to be a day of global cease-fire, when all countries and all people stop all hostilities for the entire day. And it is a day on which people around the world observe a minute of silence at 12 noon local time. Let us pledge to do our utmost to carry out the important decisions on peace taken by last week’s 2005 World Summit.

Founded by 51 Member countries on October 24, 1945 after the World War II, the organisation has grown through the years to include 191 member states. It is a noble ideal to support all the actions undertaken by the UN to accomplish its goals. Perhaps the most realistic role of the United Nations is to serve as an inspiration and goad to collectively strengthen, host and encourage all global and non-proliferation efforts by member states.

In an article published in World Security Network, James M. B. Keyser, states that the recent Nobel Peace Prize award to the International Atomic Energy Agency and its chief, Mohammed El Baradei, is another reminder of the vital role the UN possesses in the world today. UN is still taking a lead in Darfur. The WHO along with the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation are expected to take the lead in combating the Asian flu. Keyser insists that more effective United Nations is necessary for world security.

Of course, there has been strong criticism of the ‘infamous’ UN bureaucracy from far and wide. The New York Times published an op-ed piece on 26 September that called for the abolition of both the UN Secretariat and the General Assembly. “We must do away with the United Nations’ governing structures and let the agencies and programmes operate independently”, it said.

Now, closer to our region. Enormous progress has been made in the Jammu-Kashmir negotiations in the last 18 months. All parties, including China, which has not interfered, need to be congratulated. India and Pakistan are to be congratulated and further encouraged to continue this process while dealing with tragic effects of the recent massive earthquake that hit the Jammu-Kashmir area. It is also worthy to note that there has been very significant progress in cleaning up the border demarcation area in the aftermath of the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962.

Various analysts have also pointed out that there is at least potential for such international terrorist groups as al Qaeda to use a “northern corridor” stretching from the west . This route was, and probably still is, used by various drug-smuggling groups. The fear is that al Qaeda or other terrorists groups will use the same route to eventually smuggle nuclear material for use against the West, financing their activities with these same drug-smuggling activities along the way. Nepal also falls along this route.

As far as promoting world peace is concerned, Nepal can offer an ancient societal wisdom-base and the experience of being between two much larger countries, China and India. Fortunately, except for a fanatical few, Nepal is not under self-delusion. Nepal has always taken the long view of contributing to the well-being of the world through sharing the results of its long spiritual journey and its wisdom and peace. It is an exciting time to be a citizen of Nepal.

India and China, as Nepal’s biggest neighbors, have a stake in how the problem of long-running Maoist rebellion is resolved in the Himalayan kingdom. As Nepal’s closest neighbors, both are naturally very concerned with the conflict close to their sensitive, international borders.

While neighbours and Nepal’s international friends have their role to play in helping Nepal to return towards peace and democracy, the UN is best suited to help her in resolving conflict as well as in the post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction.