UN still needed to tackle global problems: Gus Dur<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (JP): Despite criticism over its inability to resolve
\nemergencies around the world, President Abdurrahman Wahid said
\nhere on Friday morning that the United Nations remains an
\ninstitution powerful enough to tackle global problems.<\/p>\n
\"The United Nations has developed into an institution which is
\npowerful enough to tackle the problems of the globe,\" Abdurrahman
\nsaid before the UN Millennium Summit.<\/p>\n
\"Of course some people say that the UN is obsolete, but I
\nbelieve that in due time, the improvement will come,\" said Gus
\nDur, as the President is also called.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman said that he hoped the UN \"can develop into a more
\npowerful body which will represent all of us in many things\".<\/p>\n
\"There are many incidents and occurrences (in the world) that
\nhave to be taken care of and taken over by the UN as an
\ninternational body,\" the President said.<\/p>\n
\"Because of this, being an optimist, I will look forward to
\nbetter cooperation in the next millennium,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman's statement came as UN Secretary-General Kofi
\nAnnan told leaders of the world powers on Thursday that the UN
\nSecurity Council was facing a \"crisis of credibility\" in
\nresponding to emergencies around the world, particularly in
\nAfrica.<\/p>\n
Opening a meeting of the 15-member Security Council on how to
\nboost the UN's uneven peacekeeping efforts, Annan said \"no amount
\nof resolutions or statements\" could change the fact that many
\npeople in need around the world hesitated to ask the UN for help.<\/p>\n
He said the council had to show it could respond to crises
\neffectively, halt conflicts and restore peace in areas where the
\nUnited Nations needed to respond, either before a war broke out
\nor afterward.<\/p>\n
World leaders on the Security Council voted on Thursday to
\noverhaul UN peacekeeping operations in order to provide better
\ntrained troops that would respond faster.<\/p>\n
At issue is an understaffed and underfinanced UN peacekeeping
\norganization, which in the last year has had difficulty
\nrecruiting, directing and supplying basic equipment for troops
\nand police in Sierra Leone, East Timor, Congo or Eritrea and
\nEthiopia.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman on Friday also called for better coordination
\nbetween the UN and other international organizations.<\/p>\n
\"The institutions of course can support each other in their
\nefforts to develop our respective countries. With the assistance
\nof the UN, the continental groups as well as regional
\nassociations will be able to achieve this kind of solidarity,\"
\nsaid Abdurrahman, who received a standing ovation at the end of
\nhis speech.<\/p>\n
The Summit, which was attended by some 150 heads of state, had
\nbeen overshadowed by an attack on UN humanitarian workers in
\nAtambua, East Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday, which left three UN
\nworkers killed. (prb\/byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/un-still-needed-to-tackle-global-problems-gus-dur-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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