October 1997

 

Expect Change in the U.N., Experts Say

Several hundred people are expected to gather at the Grand Staircase of the State House on Oct. 24 for the United Nations Day Celebration. But for some local United Nations supporters, the celebration is undermined with a mild pessimism. Without reform, paying up of members' dues, and continued education about the organization, the United Nations may not see another half century.

"You can look at it now as a very frustrating time or a very exciting time," said Kari A. Heistad, executive director of the United Nations Association of Greater Boston, a 650-member organization that teaches people about the United Nations and its functions and importance. "I know the U.N. is going to undergo a lot of changes. I know it will not continue as it is," she said.

"I'm not tremendously optimistic," said Political Science Professor Robert Weiner, who teaches on the United Nations in his courses. "Much of the future depends on the willingness of some of the most powerful countries to give it what it needs," he said.

One debtor is the United States, which owes the U.N. $1.4 billion for past and 1997 payments. "One of the things I try to emphasize is that the United States should recognize its role of leadership to the United Nations, and it should pay up," Weiner said.

Weiner says United Nations Day is a special occasion for him. "It means a lot in terms of trying to support an institution with limited resources," he said. "If the United Nations did not exist, something like it would have to be invented," Weiner said. "I think the United Nations is indispensable."

Leonard Robinson, visiting fellow at the McCormack Institute, agrees. "The United Nations today is more important than ever before in terms of insuring that there is a dialogue between leaders and representatives of all nations," he said.

"We now live in a world where the threat of nuclear conflict has been minimized significantly," Robinson said. "However, there is the justifiable concern that the proliferation of technology around the manufacture of nuclear weapons could imperil the world all over again," he said.

Weiner expressed confidence that reforms proposed by the new secretary-general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan of Ghana, will work. On July 16 Annan announced his intent to create a United Nations that is leaner and more cost-effective, committed to solvency, better coordinated, more accountable, operated by a staff that is committed to excellence, and positioned to take on the new global challenges of the twenty-first century.

Robinson adds his thoughts about the organization's future. "You are going to see an emergence of developing countries, particularly African nations and the countries in South America, assuming a more visible role in the debate as well as the operations of the United Nations," he said.

Robinson, Weiner and Heistad say Americans ought to be taught more about the United Nations.

"I think that Americans in general are woefully uninformed and misinformed about the realities of the world community," Robinson said.

Weiner said many American students have critical views of the United Nations. "Once the students understand the limitations of the United Nations, they tend to become more sympathetic," he said. One of those limitations is finances. The organization's regular budget is $1.3 billion a year -- equal to about four percent of New York City's annual budget. "The U.N. is so strapped for cash that in order to cover its regular budget expenses, it has been periodically forced to borrow from peacekeeping funds," the U.N. Department of Public Information reports.

"I would say quite easily that the United Nations is the most misunderstood organization that exists," Heistad said. "I think what people don't realize is that the U.N. affects their lives every day." If you use the Internet, make international telephone calls or watch the weather forecasts on television, thank the United Nations, she reminds.

The United Nations Association of Greater Boston holds model United Nations in schools, provides a curriculum for teachers and holds educational programs to inform students about the organization. The Oct. 24 celebration starts at noon and is free and open to the public.

For more information, call 617-482-5487 or email unagb@gis.net.