Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that the UN has a huge challenge on its shoulders to bring peoples, cultures and civilizations together on a common platform to fight against the forces of extremism and terrorism.“The UN needs to act to foster understanding and build bridges among different civilizations and religions in an attempt to calibrate a concerted and united global response,” the prime minister said in a message on the occasion of the United Nations Day (Oct.24).This calls for initiation of a mechanism for interfaith dialogue so that those at the fringe of any religion do not exploit the teachings of their religions for their nefarious agendas, the prime minister said.
He said that there is also an acute need of strengthening of the multilateralism in the UN system to ward off dangers posed to international peace and order.
Such a multilateral approach, he said, would play a significant role in evolving international consensus on dealing with issues through broad-based participation of the world community.
The prime minister said that despite showing appreciable performance in social sector, the UN is confronted with the complex and evolving challenges today.Threats to our future come from non-state actors who are faceless, nameless, region-less and religion-less.
An attempt to evolve comprehensive strategy to counter them can only succeed if the nature and dynamic of the threat is understood in its entirety and the factors that generate these threats are not taken care of, the prime minster said.
He said that though Pakistan has largely contributed to UN peace keeping missions there is need for going beyond military response to the contemporary issues.
“Let us resolve on this day to do everything possible to make our world a worth-living place free of hunger, poverty, disease, deprivations and violence. We owe this much to our succeeding generations and let us vow not to fail them,” the prime minister said.
The prime minister said that October 24, 2010 marks the 65th birthday of the United Nations when on October 24, 1945, delegates from 50 countries of the world brought into existence an international body to promote peace, advance justice and equitable development around the world.
The day draws our attention to the achievements of the UN besides familiarizing people with the principles and aims that underlie the functioning of this world body in a bid to win their support and backing for the work of the UN, he said.
Prime Minister Gilani said that the United Nations has done remarkably well in various fields such as education, gender equality, humanitarian assistance, climate change, overcoming child mortality and deadly diseases, controlling acute hunger and international peacekeeping in volatile parts of the world.
He said its role in the promotion of international cooperation on social sector, which matters so much to the people around the world, has been appreciable and owes itself to the dedicated leadership of the UN system.
It also signals the emergence of international consensus on fighting the factors that hinder the upward trajectory of the nations in these key sectors, the prime minister added.
He said that the outcome of the UN’s Summit on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in September 2010 reaffirms the resolve of the UN to pool together all resources and energies for a better world for our coming generations.
The adoption of eight goals followed by practicable strategies to achieve them by 2015 represents the establishment of global alliance and initiation of global effort under the UN’s leadership, he said.
The establishment of the UN’s fund with pledges of $40 billion would go a long way in saving the lives of more than 16 million women and children, protecting 120 million children from pneumonia and 88 million children from stunting due to malnutrition, advancing the control of deadly diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, and ensuring access for women and children to quality health facilities and skilled health workers.
