World Bulletin
Connecticut Welcomes Tom MillerBy Joseph J. Baxer
Jan. 20 – On Tuesday, Ambassador Tom Miller, president and chief executive of the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA), spoke to about 125 Rotary Club members and guests at its monthly luncheon at the Inn at Longshore in Westport, Conn.
Miller also met later with representatives of the five Connecticut chapters of UNA, where the Ruth Steinkraus-Cohen Ambassador of Peace Award was given to Jim Gould for his 30 years of extraordinary volunteer service in creating the international peace calendar.
Miller’s 29 years of experience as a career diplomat in the US Foreign Service, including ambassadorships to Greece and to Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as serving tenure as a Cyprus negotiator, came through in his speech to the Rotary Club. His keen insight on critical issues facing the UN was clear as he outlined suggestions for UNA to find ways to build awareness of the UN in the US and to continue to foster the ideals of the UN Charter.
Haiti was on everyone’s mind as Miller discussed the drastic losses of UN personnel, the Herculean relief efforts being undertaken by the UN, the amazing engagement of numerous NGOs and the collaboration of the Rotary International. How best respond to this devastation of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere?
“Give money,” Miller told the audience. “Give to an organization you are familiar with.” [Read an update on the efforts of UNA-USA members and supporters for Haiti earthquake relief.]
Miller went on to highlight the wider work of the UN, starting with the 116,000 “blue helmets” keeping the peace in 16 countries around the world. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, for example, the UN is the major humanitarian presence amid the suffering of a failed government. Unicef provides relief and promotes education for millions of children globally. More than 10 million refugees are lodged and fed when exiled by war or natural disaster from their homeland. In surveys across the US, the secretary-general of the UN is identified as the second-most respected person in the world.
Nonetheless, the average American holds unrealistic expectations for the UN as an entity to resolve all the major humanitarian tragedies on the planet. Consequently, the UN is often criticized for the failures of the global community to act and resolve crises. Yet Miller was optimistic that renewed efforts to strengthen the UN and greater support from the US in this process would lead to a more effective UN on the global stage.
Miller also focused on the UNA in the US. In addition to its 135 chapters and divisions and its 12,000 members, UNA is also a leading voice in the World Federation of United Nations Associations and its 105 member associations.
UNA is not, as Miller said, a “cheerleader for the UN, but a bridge to education about the UN and an advocate for issues that speak of the humanitarian objectives of this world body with its 192 members.”
The crown jewel of the UNA agenda is Global Classrooms, an expansion of the Model UN program. Global Classrooms is now offered in most large cities in the US and around the world, teaching life skills so that youngsters can become active, responsible global citizens.
A major effort of UNA, through its semi-independent chapters, is leadership in urging US senators to confirm international conventions that have been signed by the majority of members of the UN, e.g., the Convention Against the Discrimination of Women. The lifeblood of UNA is not its headquarters in New York but more appropriately its grassroots membership. Some chapters focus on climate change, others on nuclear disarmament. These chapters act as catalysts for change individually and together. It is the potential to make a difference.
Moreover, when the US takes the lead, the world pays attention. When UNA takes the lead on crucial timely issues, an energy is released that moves the concerns forward toward resolution. Miller noted the response to the US delegation at the August WFUNA conference in South Korean, which was “Welcome back America!”
Indeed, participants at the Rotary Club luncheon heard Miller’s hopeful message and left feeling certain that each of us has the capacity to make a difference in building a positive future for humankind.
Joseph J. Baxer is a member of UNA-USA based in Kent, Conn.
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