For me, it was Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, who had described it the greatest: “More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations.”
In the present state of affairs, the United Nations undeniably grapples with geopolitical tensions and contends with numerous member states pursuing their very own conflicting pursuits, thereby testing the world order. However, it might be unjust to disregard the pivotal function it has undertaken in delivering very important healthcare help to these in dire want, combatting the most deadly well being crises, and contributing to the pursuit of a extra inclusive world for everybody.
As we mark the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, we must always take a second to replicate on all that has been completed in phrases of common well being protection, and the function that the UN and World (*78*) Organisation (WHO) can play in shaping the future that’s forward of us.
The world guardian of public well being
The United Nations, since its inception, has been actively concerned in selling and defending well being worldwide. The transformation of the UN from a passive observer right into a dynamic platform for world discourse and a pivotal participant in shaping insurance policies has been outstanding. By specializing in its inherent strengths as a platform for dialogue and the identification of rising challenges, the UN has made substantial contributions. Through its numerous particular person initiatives, the UN has persistently succeeded in elevating health-related issues onto the agenda of policymakers and public officers worldwide. This achievement stands in stark distinction to what one may need anticipated just some many years in the past.
Global well being has undergone a profound transformation, evolving right into a extremely seen and politically important area in latest many years. This shift has been characterised by a sequence of commitments, the growth of a wide selection of worldwide well being coverage instruments, the institution of new organisations and initiatives, and an growth of the scope of health-related discussions by the UN and its specialised businesses, significantly WHO. They have harnessed their constitutional capabilities, notably their convening energy and their work in setting norms and requirements.
Over the years, the United Nations has achieved noteworthy milestones in the realm of well being. These milestones embrace pushing the 30-year-old tuberculosis epidemic into historical past, expanded immunisation programmes, smallpox eradication and the institution of the Millennium Development Goals, which marked the inaugural recognition of the very important significance of girls’s and youngsters’s well being, in addition to the urgent want to fight infectious illnesses. The dedication to addressing world well being challenges continued with occasions equivalent to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, the place the profound urgency of the HIV/AIDS epidemic was emphasised, significantly relating to its influence on human life, dignity, and human rights.
These accomplishments prolong additional to embody numerous vaccination programmes and initiatives. Additionally, the United Nations has maintained its dedication to well being with initiatives like the High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases, which culminated in a major political declaration and the launch of the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s (*78*). All of these efforts align with the ongoing pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the UN’s enduring dedication to world well being.
UN’s purpose is not only to stop one other World War
The United Nations was based in the wake of World War II, when the world was prepared to have peace once more. But over the years, the organisation has performed extra than simply stopping conflicts and sustaining peace. Global well being is way extra multifaceted than is usually perceived, and requires greater than growth assist to obtain. To obtain what we now have at present, we would have liked an built-in method which included motion on social determinants, social safety, the assist for main well being care programmes at the native and nation stage, and the world agreements. It was via the UN and its specialised businesses that we’re in a position to be right here.
The United Nations serves as greater than only a venue for world leaders to interact in discussions, articulate their views, and collectively decide methods relating to issues of battle, peacekeeping, and sanctions. It stands as the world’s most in depth engine for growth, comprising an enormous workforce of tens of 1000’s devoted to enhancing numerous sides of world well-being. This devoted workforce endeavours to advance causes equivalent to the welfare of kids, the assist of refugees, the enhancement of world well being, and a large number of different vital initiatives.
Without a doubt, the Security Council wants to be reformed. As time has handed, it has grow to be more and more evident that the everlasting members of the Security Council exhibit minimal inclination in the direction of inner reform. Given this actuality, it stays crucial for the different United Nations member states to persistently advocate for reform, as it’s of their collective greatest curiosity. Nonetheless, eliminating the UN will likely be of no assist. It would possibly even push us again in our world efforts to obtain Right to (*78*) for all.
While it will not be flawless, in the spirit of our collective humanity and our shared aspiration of reaching Universal (*78*) Coverage for everybody, nations should collaborate to outline the roles of the UN in the twenty first century.
Mahek Nankani is Lead, Growth & Partnerships at The Educational Initiatives. Views expressed in the above piece are private and solely that of the writer. They don’t essentially replicate News18’s views.
