The UN was Not Created to Take Mankind to Heaven, but to Save Humanity from Hell
“The UN was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell” were the words of the then Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld in 1945, after the formation of United Nations. These words delivered & catered to the needs of the world at that time, where there were uncountable atrocities, war crimes and extermination of races. United Nations was formed due to the necessity after the time of World War II to solve international conflicts, wars, negotiating peace, protecting human rights and help develop sustainable nations.
When this was said, the Secretary General was right about saving humanity from Hell. The war crimes and the power to take over lands made Earth a hell to live in. Heaven was like Mars, an impossible escape. Or the Earth could have been heaven if people, specifically those in authority, would have wanted it. The greed for power, the hatred against different races and religions, and loyalty to nations led to massacre of prisoners of war, rape of women, torture of people for information, killing and ending a whole race in extermination camps, and the dropping of atom bombs in Japan. The earth at that time was no less than the hell and that is why humanity had to be saved from it.
From that time onwards, the world and its conditions have changed considerably. The UN has worked side by side with every country in need. A number of countries have been improved in terms of international relations, all together in global governance for the liberation of international peace and order. United Nations should keep working on peacekeeping and global development, with advancing new goals to achieve. Some parts of the world are now more calm and progressive but many nations are engaged in wars, bombardment, facing another extermination, religious turmoil and terrorism taking over the world like never before.
There has been ongoing war in Afghanistan since 2001, a Mexican Drug War in North America, the tragic Syrian civil war is going on since 2011, and so is the Yemeni crisis with multiple stakeholders involved in it. The mass shootings have increased from several past years. Mosques have been specifically targeted. The most recent event of being the New Zealand mass shooting in a mosque killing at least 50 Muslims. There have been killing of Muslims in China, forcing them to convert to atheism, around 24,000 Rohingya Muslims were killed by the Myanmar army in 2018 and the list goes on. The current war being held on Gaza strip is devastating, where civilians are locked from both ends and they are being bombed to death. There have been unending crimes being executed in Kashmir which led to fired up arguments between Pakistan and India. What else could define a hell on earth?
In the result of every annihilation, people migrate and try to move to other nations which leads to deaths, and no allowance in other nations. The number of refugees is significant and the UN should make certain rules and regulations, or set some targets to achieve for them. A report has stated that there were 6.3 million refugees from Syria, 2.6 million refugees from Afghanistan, 2.4 million from South Sudan, 1.2 million from Myanmar and 986,400 from Somalia. For heaven to be on Earth, we may want sun and imagine ourselves on a beach having sunbaths, but refugees have the same water under their boats and the same scorching sunlight but a crisis in their lives. Just in 2018, nearly 370,000 tried to escape the war zones through the Mediterranean. A glimpse of those gloomy results was visible in the images of Aylan Kurdi, a Kurdish boy who was washed up to the shore. Refugees who migrate from African countries have to pass through Sahara desert and then reaching Libya, where the government has allowed for labor camps. Labor camps is another horrific insight into the treatment to refugees because they don’t get paid, and physical assaults and mental torture are a part of its routine now.
The UN estimates that almost 1,100 folks daily —girls, women and kids — were forcibly displaced by violence in 2017. Today, over half folks displaced by conflict in Asian country have displaced a minimum of twice before, compared to merely 7% five years ago. UN should work with stable and successful nations to promote inclusion for people who are fleeing from danger. Their effectiveness is dependent on their ability to work hand in hand with the third world & developing countries, with the aid of established sovereign states to decrease famine, war crimes, enhance the goal to equal distribution of basic needs.
India and Pakistan, the two nations with many identical traits in their culture and lifestyle, have been going through rough patches as well. The rape rate, honor killings, bombing in schools, murdering, killings, thefts, and sexual assault cases towards the third gender has been on the rise. Some people say this has always been going on but it’s due to media only that these cases are coming into the surface. With so many crimes instilled in the lower-class population, corruption and money laundering are a way of life for those who have authority and power. Additionally, both countries have been onto each other on the matter of Kashmir and targeting down each other’s jets. The matter escalated to the point that it seemed as if another world war would ignite if these two nations were to decide to go to war. Positioned in a uniquely beneficial location in South Asia, such a conflict would possible be catastrophic not just for these nations but the world in itself.
The motto of saving humanity from hell was totally right in its vision and still is. It is the vision to reform rather than punishing the wrongdoers, it is about going deep into the roots of the issues and changing the environment and enabling it to bring the change. UN have been able to provide food to 90 million people in 75 countries, helped more than 34 million refugees, initiated 71 international peace keeping agreements and missions, has been working with above 140 nations to reduce global warming and work for the better climate change, supported 50 nations per year in their elections, sustained vaccinations for almost 60% children all around the world, helped 30 million women in their maternal issues and protected humans and their basic rights with 80 declarations and peace treaties.
UN was originated with primary purposes of work to maintain peace and security in the world, to take every measure to preserve it and to remove any such threats and dangers against humans and their rights. It also included to help harmonize friendly relationships between countries and settle their disputes. Additionally, it supported the cause of solving international issues based on cultural, social and other differences. These goals may have been sufficient in the time of 1945 but not anymore. Nowadays, with many international organizations and NGOs, it has become common to give speeches and stand for something which leads to no actions. Goals now should be to end discriminations against many cultures and religion, end terrorism or help in it, identify non-military threats and issues that are globally concerning. With such end goals to achieve a lot of work and struggle is required to solve these deeply rooted flaws in the systems and societies.
The UN, therefore, was created in a time when humanity had shown the world the extreme atrocities it was willing to commit, in order to serve self-interest as a nation, or to occupy another. It is safe to say that it was not formed to help good people be better, but to ensure that the worst of us do not cause the end of humanity as a whole. If it were being created for saints, one may have concluded that it aims to take us all to heaven, but it came at a time when the world was at its worst and it was fair to say that a repeat occurrence would be fatal. UN’s initial efforts have led to a global pandemic of awareness and continues to aim towards a bigger and better world. There have been criticisms about their efforts being one sided or biased towards the more influencing nations, but without it we may lose all hope in humanity.
The mission should be evolved around the world where the people in danger get the opportunity to rebuild their lives in secure regions, have communities who can help them to drive start a new life, and welcome people from different races and religions to maximize diversity in ideas.
References
- Thunborg, A. (1976). Sweden and United Nations peacekeeping operations: Views on United Nations peacekeeping operations. Australian Outlook, 30(3), 363-370. doi: 10.1080/10357717608444575
- Lahouaoula, I. (2019). Are All Refugees Treated Equally?. Retrieved from https://www.mironline.ca/refugees-treated-equally/
- Key facts about refugees and asylum seekers' rights. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/refugees-asylum-seekers-and-migrants/
- Freedman, R. (2019). THE LACK OF BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD: A HARROWING REALITY. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-lack-of-basic-human-rights-around-the-world-a-harrowing-reality-9913644.html
- India-Pakistan crisis: What we know so far. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/india-pakistan-crisis-190228062102896.html
- Global Issues Overview. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/global-issues-overview/
- 20 Forgotten Atrocities Committed by the Allies During World War II. (2019). Retrieved from https://historycollection.co/20-forgotten-atrocities-committed-by-the-allies-during-world-war-ii/3/
