Seventy years of peace-keeping

October 24 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. It was Dag Hammarskjold, the second UN secretary-general who said the United Nations was created not to lead mankind to heaven but to save humanity from hell. Since 1945, the UN has helped millions caught in many kinds of hell - deepest poverty, starvation, children dying of treatable diseases, conflict and war.

Has the UN rid the world of the scourge of war? No, but today over 125,000 peacekeepers serve in 16 missions world-wide.

With adequate, well-focused funding many more could be trained in the hugely important skills of peacemaking and peace-keeping.

How can we make the UN work better?

By political will, for it is the UN’s member states that set the UN’s priorities and budgets. If they chose to, they could look beyond narrow national internet and give the UN the authority and resources it needs to serve the long-term interests of the world. Since 1983, the Scarborough and District United Nations Association has championed (not uncritically) the cause of the UN recognising how essential it is finding global solutions to the hells of today and tomorrow.

The association meets on a monthly basis.

Please contact (01723) 375112 if you are interested in joining us. Hester Miller

chairman, Scarborough and District United Nations Association