TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE TOGETHER

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The United Nations – the name devised by President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States of America – was first ever used in the Declaration of 1942 when government representatives of 26 nations pledged to continue fighting together against the Axis powers.

The United Nations Charter, ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories, officially came into existence on 24 October 1945. Therefore the day has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948 to mark the anniversary of the Charter entering into force. It has traditionally been observed throughout the world by meetings, discussions and exhibits on the achievements and goals of the Organization. In 1971, the General Assembly recommended that Member States observe it as a public holiday (resolution 2782 (XXVI)). 

Till date UN conferences have accomplished a lot. Some 30,000 people journeyed to Istanbul to seek solutions to urban problems at the Habitat II Conference. Nearly 50,000 went to Beijing to set new standards for the advancement of women. And some 47,000 converged on Rio de Janeiro to find a better balance between environmental protection and economic development at the Earth Summit.

To some, the series of large-scale United Nations conferences held in the 1990s seemed like an extravagant talk-fest. But most of the world’s leaders and policy-makers have viewed these events as a worthwhile investment — and even a watershed — in shaping our global future.

Global conferences have made a long-term impact by mobilizing national and local governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to take action on a major global problem. They have establishished international standards and guidelines for national policy besides serving as a forum where new proposals can be debated and consensus sought. They have set in motion a process whereby governments make commitments and report back regularly to the United Nations.

Breaking New Ground

Conferences have played a key role in guiding the work of the UN since its inception. In fact, the world body was born when delegates from 50 nations met in San Francisco in April 1945 for the United Nations Conference on International Organization. The recent high-profile conferences on development issues, which have continued a series that began in the 1970s, have broken new ground in many areas.

By involving Presidents, Prime Ministers and other heads of State — as pioneered at the 1990 World Summit for Children — these events have put long-term, difficult problems like poverty and environmental degradation at the top of the global agenda. These problems otherwise would not have the political urgency to grab front-page headlines and command the attention of world leaders. The participation of thousands of NGOs, citizens, academics and businesspeople, in both the official and unofficial meetings, has turned these conferences into true "global forums". The UN has encouraged this, knowing that the support of a wide spectrum of society is needed to implement the policies being discussed.

Recognizing the valuable role that these major meetings play, the UN held several conferences on key socio-economic issues such as Millennium Summit in September 2000, and global conferences in 2001 on financing for development and on the world’s least developed countries.

Tackling Various Issues

During the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit, June 1992, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) gathered 108 heads of State, who adopted Agenda 21, a global blueprint for sustainable development that has become the basis for many national plans. Over 1,800 cities and towns worldwide have since created their own "local Agenda 21".

It motivated some 150 countries to set up national advisory councils to promote dialogue between government officials, business people, environmentalists and others on sustainable development policies that further led to four new international treaties - on climate change, biological diversity, desertification and high-seas fishing. It also set up the UN Commission on Sustainable Development to monitor the implementation of the Rio agreements and serve as a continuing forum for negotiating global environment and development policy.

In June 1997, a special session of the UN General Assembly to assess the implementation of Agenda 21 found that, despite progress in many areas, the global environment continues to deteriorate. Government leaders, including over 50 heads of State, agreed to further action — notably on fresh water, energy and transport — but few concrete commitments were made.

The World Conference on Human Rights (June 1993, Vienna) reaffirmed international commitment to all human rights and to strengthening the mechanisms for monitoring and promoting human rights worldwide. This led to the appointment of the first High Commissioner for Human Rights to improve the ability of the UN to act quickly and efficiently to prevent rights violations and promote fundamental freedoms besides, prompting the inclusion of human rights as an integral element in UN peacekeeping missions, and declared the link between democracy, development and human rights.

The International Conference on Population and Development (September 1994, Cairo) built consensus for integrating family planning programmes into a new comprehensive approach to reproductive health services and won international recognition that educating and empowering women is the most effective way to reduce population growth rates and promote sustainable development. It also adopted a plan of action which sets specific resource targets for international population assistance, to enable countries to make reproductive health and family planning accessible to all by no later than 2015.

The World Summit for Social Development (March 1995, Copenhagen) brought together 117 heads of State who committed their governments to eradicating poverty "as an ethical, social, political and economic imperative". Since the Summit, a number of countries have set specific target dates for reducing poverty. Many have launched poverty assessment studies to plan long-term strategies. It also focused attention on the negative side of economic globalization - growing gaps between the rich and poor, shrinking social safety nets, and increasing insecurity about jobs and social services in both the developed and developing countries besides integrating the decisions of other conferences into a comprehensive and holistic plan for meeting basic human needs, reducing economic and social inequalities, and providing sustainable livelihoods.

Fourth World Conference on Women (September 1995, Beijing) agreed on a five-year action plan to enhance the social, economic and political empowerment of women, improve their health, advance their education and promote their marital and sexual rights. The action plan set time-specific targets, committing nations to carry out concrete actions in such areas as health, education and legal reforms.

It galvanized some 130 countries to announce new initiatives to carry out the action plan, including, in the USA, a $1.6 billion programme to fight violence against women, and the formation of a President’s Council on Women.

It also added a new urgency to providing women with greater legal protection. The 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, often described as a Bill of Rights for women, has now been ratified by 163 countries (as of June 1999), up from 139 in May 1995.

The Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II, June 1996, Istanbul) adopted a global plan and declaration setting out policy guidelines and Government commitments to improving the living conditions in urban and rural settlements, and to the "full and progressive realization of the right to adequate housing".It also promoted information-sharing by showcasing over 500 "best practices" for improving the living environment—initiatives by government authorities and grass-roots groups in over 90 countries that have proven effective in solving pressing housing and community problems.

To ensure an effective follow-up of the conferences, a series of special sessions of the UN General Assembly is being held to assess the implementation of each Conference’s action plan at the five-year mark and to set future priorities. Hence, the UN Day is an occasion to look back and take stock of the achievements and shortcomings to reflect upon where the nations of the world stand as a community and to think about the challenges that lie ahead. (PIB Features)

*October 24th is The United Nations Day