LETTER | In recent times, there have been criticism, and regrettably, efforts to undermine the efforts of the United Nations and its agencies, especially in peacekeeping and humanitarian relief.

While it is valid to provide feedback and even criticism to the UN and its agencies for constant improvement and progress, there are no solid grounds for undermining and hampering the crucial work of the UN, as millions of our fellow human beings depend on the UN.

In 2006, the late Daisaku Ikeda (who passed away in November last year), a lifelong peace activist and advocate and supporter of the UN, published a proposal for UN reform titled “Fulfilling the Mission: Empowering the UN to Live Up to the World's Expectations”.

This proposal was published at a time when the world was facing various challenges and crises, including a deadlock in Iraq following an invasion and the Middle East as a whole, the possible development of nuclear weapons capabilities by North Korea and Iran, the deteriorating state of affairs in Afghanistan and ongoing regional conflicts in Africa and elsewhere.

In his proposal, he acknowledged the UN’s challenges and weaknesses in keeping up with changing realities, and people’s disenchantment with the UN as it struggles under the perception that it is powerless to resolve the world’s crises.

But Ikeda also pointed out: “…the UN is the most universal forum available; the UN alone is capable of promoting international cooperation and conferring legitimacy to such efforts and actions. Therefore, I believe that there is no other realistic solution than to provide effective support to the UN and work for its revitalisation”.

As Ikeda says, there is no other global forum as universal and expansive as the UN. Without the UN, how would humanity confront and coordinate the response against the various challenges that we have faced and continue to face, such as the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and the abolition of nuclear weapons?

It is impossible to envision how each country would have been able to overcome these challenges based on isolated efforts. The role of the UN in bringing countries and regions together and acting as a forum for global dialogue where international consensus can be reached on issues of importance is indispensable.

Reform and revamp

The UN has done much since its birth to constantly reform and revamp itself in facing the challenges of a continuously changing world.

The book “Reforming the UN: The Challenge of Working Together” by Joachim Müller, a former senior UN official, puts together a detailed account of UN reform efforts, including attempts to reform the Security Council, arguably the most contentious and controversial body within the UN.

When read together with “Reforming the United Nations: A Chronology”, edited by Müller, we can see that the UN is a constantly evolving and improving organisation that listens to the voices of the world’s peoples, even if some of these changes take time and may not be as revolutionary as hoped.

In his proposal, Ikeda reminds us that, “..it is essential we remember that the core strength of the UN is its ‘soft power,’ the power of dialogue and international cooperation. … the United Nations was born out of the determination never to repeat the horrors of World War II.

“As members of the human race, we must put into action our determination to save our planet from the repetition of this kind of tragedy. We must further strengthen the UN in order to enhance global governance for the sake of all the planet’s inhabitants.

“The determination to never repeat the horrors of World War II.”

Even as humanity has avoided the catastrophe of a World War for almost 80 years, two regional crises in Europe and the Middle East threaten to embroil the entire world in wider, possibly global, conflicts. Thus, remembering the critical mission of the UN of never repeating the horrors of World War II and supporting the UN in its efforts are extremely crucial in preventing humanity from plunging into the abyss of yet another World War - one that can possibly wipe out humanity.

Ikeda reminds us: “We are compelled to take the courageous first step towards this goal. To this end, it is essential to build momentum for reform from the bottom up, bringing together the voices of the people in support of the UN. We cannot afford to wait passively for top-down reform to emerge from intergovernmental deliberations.”

While the efforts of governments are important, as Ikeda points out, we cannot simply leave UN reform to governments. NGOs, even ordinary people, play a crucial role in supporting the UN and allowing it to thrive and grow.

In his message for this year’s International Day of Peace on Sept 21, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said, “Our world needs peace. Peace is the ultimate prize for all humanity. And as this International Day of Peace reminds us - the solutions are in our hands.

“Cultivating a culture of peace means replacing division, disempowerment, and despair with justice, equality and hope for all. It means focusing on preventing conflict, propelling the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting human rights, and tackling all forms of discrimination and hate.

“Together, let’s lay the groundwork for peace. And let’s nurture a culture where equality, peace and justice thrive.”

It is imperative that not only our government supports the UN, but the various NGOs and even individual citizens support this “Parliament of humanity” and its efforts to create a peaceful world where the dignity and rights of every single human being are upheld and protected.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.