United Nations Day 2021

In a special address to the United Nations Association of the USA, Dr. Hans Köchler, President of the International Progress Organization (I.P.O.), earlier today called for a major structural reform of the United Nations. He said that, more than 75 years after the organization’s foundation, the global balance of power has fundamentally changed. The composition of the Security Council, the UN’s highest decision-making body, should reflect global diversity as it has evolved in the 21^st century. The five permanent members that were the sponsors of the organization after World War II should be prepared to share responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security with the states of regions that are not represented at the level of permanent membership, in particular Africa, Latin America and South Asia. This alone will preserve the unity of purpose among all members of the world organization. Addressing the issues of cultural diversity, the President of the I.P.O. expressed the hope that the United States will rejoin the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and will accede to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions of 2005. Without active participation of the United States, the international community’s policies and programs for the preservation of cultural diversity at the global level will not be effective, Dr. Köchler explained.

The Executive Director of the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA), Ms. Rachel Bowen Pittman, expressed the hope that the United States will reconsider its position vis-à-vis the United Nations peacekeeping program.  She said that the administration should settle outstanding arrears and contribute its quota as a member state so as to enable the UN to efficiently carry out its missions all around the globe. Commenting on the challenges before the world organization, including the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, the Ambassador of the United States to the United Nations, Ms. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, conveyed the special appreciation of the US administration to UNA-USA, ermphasizing the importance of the volunteeer work of civil society organizations in support of the UN. The Mayor of Long Beach, Dr. Robert Garcia, Ms. Elizabeth Yang of the National Association of Asian American Professionals, and Dr. Tomoko Takahashi, Vice-President of Institutional Research, Soka University of America, also adressed the convention.

In the second part of the event, representatives of the youth conveyed special “Diversity Messages” to the delegates. Addressing the challenges faced in an ever more complex global environment, they presented specific proposals how to achieve “unity in diversity” under the conditions of today’s multicultural societies.

The event was organized by UNA-USA Long Beach Chapter (California) in cooperation with the Global Peace Foundation. In her concluding remarks, the President of the Global Peace Foundation, Dr. Manorama S. Gupta, invited the youth to join UNA-USA and to help making Long Beach a “City of Peace.”

Text of speech of Hans Köchler

UNA-USA Long Beach

Program