The problems facing mankind require global solutions

Oct 25, 2014 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
We live in a world that is far from perfect. And while it is impossible to create a trouble-free and perfect world, there can be no doubt that much more could be done by those who control the reins of power to make this planet we live in much more hospitable and eco-friendly.
United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 2014, highlighted a series of disasters afflicting millions of people, most of which were man-made and therefore avoidable, only if there were more enlightened policies and greater tolerance for diversity by those in whose hands power is entrusted.
What is disturbing is the smothering of hope by so many people whose life and living conditions continue to get worse despite promises and pledges by policy-makers to put in place measures to improve the quality of life of the poor and downtrodden.
The speech delivered by the Secretary-General does not leave much room for hope.
“Every year at this time, hope fills this hall; the hope embodied in the Charter of the United Nations; the hopes of leaders who speak from this podium; the hopes of peoples across the world who hear these promises. This year, the horizon of hope is darkened. Our hearts are made very heavy by unspeakable acts and the deaths of innocents. Cold War ghosts have returned to haunt our times. We have seen much of the Arab Spring go violently wrong.”
According to Ban Ki-moon, not since the Second World War have there been so many refugees, displaced people and asylum seekers. Never before has the United Nations been asked to reach so many people with emergency food assistance and other life-saving supplies.
Diplomacy, he said, is on the defensive, undermined by those who believe in violence. Diversity is under assault by extremists who insist that their way is the only way. Disarmament is viewed as a distant dream, sabotaged by profiteers of perpetual warfare.
It may seem as if the world is falling apart, as crises pile up and diseases multiply.
The problems are not insurmountable but require concerted political action. Indeed, it was precisely for that reason the United Nations was established, but many of its decisions are being ignored or not acted upon by member countries, in particular the bigger powers who enjoy veto powers.
Unless there are fundamental structural changes in terms of governance and decision-making, the Secretary General would continue to lament the lack of progress.
My own view is that the time is long overdue to abandon the veto-system in the UN Security Council and allow for more democratic decision-making involving all members of the General Assembly, rather than leaving important decisions on war and peace in the hands of a few powerful states.
Further, decisions taken and commitments made must not be honoured in the breach. Take for example the pledges made during the 1990s, which was supposed to be the Development Decade. The industrialized countries agreed to contribute 0.7 percent of their GDP for development assistance to the developing world, but a mere 0.1 percent was actually made available in that regard.
The problems facing mankind are global in nature and therefore require global solutions. The way forward is for the developing and the developed world to work together in partnership and not against each other as is currently the case.
Indeed, the balance of forces are now shifting in favour of what was once described as emerging economies, with China now taking centre stage in terms of global trade and commerce. Brazil, India and Russia are also on the rise economically, which is altering the trade equation between the developing and the developed world, more particularly the United States and Western Europe.
Barriers to free and balanced trade between the heavily industrialized North and the developing South still exist. There are still too many trade and quota restrictions which limit the extent to which small countries can take advantage of their full market potential. In addition, rich countries still continue to offer huge subsidies to their farmers which give them a competitive edge over farmers from the developing world. There is need for a new global architecture in which the poor countries can compete on an even footing in terms of market share and access.
Hydar Ally

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