Monday, June 02, 2003

I have posted this message on 500 Citizens of the World Network when someone addressed me to reply to her question:

Should the United Nations be scrapped, let's look back what's the history of the United Nations:

• The name "United Nations", coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was first used in the "Declaration by United Nations" of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when representatives of 26 nations pledged their Governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers.
• The forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations, an organization conceived in similar circumstances during the first World War, and established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles "to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security."
• In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. Those delegates deliberated on the basis of proposals worked out by the representatives of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States at Dumbarton Oaks, United States in August-October 1944. The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50 countries. Poland, which was not represented at the Conference, signed it later and became one of the original 51 Member States.
• The League of Nations ceased its activities after failing to prevent the Second World War.
• The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories.

If you have time, please visit also these related sites:
- Milestones in United Nations History
- Major Achievements of the United Nations

I am not aware if you have encountered the United Nations Intellectual History Project (UNIHP) site, where it says:

"Ideas and concepts are a main driving force in human progress, and they are arguably the most important contribution of the United Nations. Yet, there is no adequate historical study of the origins and evolution of the history of ideas cultivated within the United Nations and of their impact on wider thinking and international action. The United Nations Intellectual History Project (UNIHP) is filling this gap by tracing the origin and analyzing the evolution of key ideas and concepts about international economic and social development born or nurtured under UN auspices. The motivations behind these ideas, as well as their relevance, influence, and impact are being assessed against the backdrop of the socio-economic situations of individual countries, the global economy, and major international developments."

"The second main activity of the project is conducting oral history interviews with key participants in the evolution of UN ideas; Oral histories are essential, both to inform the various publications of the project and to provide a key historical resource for future generations of scholars."

The International Advisory Council for the UN Intellectual History Project was established in July 1999 and is composed of eleven distinguished individuals from around the world who have a variety of practical and scholarly backgrounds. Those whose advice and leadership bestow enhanced credibility for the project are:

Galal Amin
Margaret Joan Anstee
Lourdes Arizpe 
Eveline Herfkens
Enrique Iglesias
András Inotai
Thandika Mkandawire
Gert Rosenthal
John G. Ruggie
Makoto Taniguchi
Ramesh Thakur

The creation of Global Policy Forum monitors policy making at the United Nations, promotes accountability of global decisions, educates and mobilizes for global citizen participation, and advocates on vital issues of international peace and justice.

If you believe it's time to renounce the United Nations, especially when President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair slammed shut the window of diplomacy on the United Nations on March 17 and went forth with a "coalition of the willing" to occupy Iraq, who is then behind the New World Re-Order ???

Posted on June 2, 2003 10:45 AM TrackBack