Kurdistan Observer

The Charter of the United Nations was signed on June 26, 1945. On October 24, 1945 the Big Five and most other signatories at the time, ratified the United Nations into existence. The single most influencing international conditions under which the United Nations was born was the devastation that the WWII had produced in Europe and elsewhere in the world. At that time the fighting nations were divided along two camps. One group, the Axis Powers, included Germany, Italy and Japan; who were at war with the Allied Powers, which included the Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, the United States and China. The latter camp, along with other nations who fought along side them during WWII, were collectively, referred to as the United Nations. After the victory over the Axis Powers, the Big Five formed a postwar world organization. After more than three years of meetings and diplomatic negotiations, the Big Five secured for themselves permanent seats at the Security Council. The United Nations came into existence with its purpose outlined in the first Article of its Charter.

The first Article declares that the primary objective of the United Nations is the maintenance of international peace and security. Furthermore, it calls for resolving conflicts among nations by peaceful means and to bring solutions to economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems around the world in conformity with the principles of justice and international law.

The Preamble to the United Nation’s Charter proclaims:

We the people of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war….

To realize this dream of international peace and security, the United Nations has been created on a structural foundation which currently consists of five principle organs. They are:, (1) The General Assembly, (2) The Security Council, (3) Economic and Social Council, (4) International Court Of Justice, (5) Office Of Secretary General. It may be added that in the beginning a sixth organ called the Trusteeship Council was created to transfer independence to colonial territories that were put under the trust of the United Nations. Under this organ whose work ended in 1994, about eighty nations received their independence from the colonial powers.

In addition to these principle organs, there are “Specialized Agencies” helping to achieve the goals and objectives of the United Nations. Among them are the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), The World Bank, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the World Health Organization (W.H.O.).

There are also, many other smaller, and some well known Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) who are affiliated with the United Nations and operate internationally on social, economic and humanitarian projects.

The most powerful member of the United Nations is the United States of America. The annual budget of the UN is just over one billion US dollars out of which the US contribute about 22%. Due to its overwhelming financial contributions, at times, the United States has reserved the right to disagree with political positions of the United Nations on a variety of issues. In other situations, such as the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, the US and the UN have shown a spirit of cooperation.

As we all know too well by now, one area of severe disagreement between the UN and the US has been over the war with Iraq.

On this one issue, under the current US administration, the UN has been accused of being an irrelevant bureaucratic organization, incapable of delivering on the promises made in its Preamble and its original Charter founded in 1945.

Furthermore, the US claims that the UN has become the international Hyde Park where country after country goes to the podium to accuse the United States of imperialistic intentions.

Therefore, the US has come to the conclusion that the United Nations does not have in mind the political, cultural and economic interests of its strongest member. According to the new US policy, the UN can not create the peace and security that the US, under the new world order is seeking. The current US administration feels going it alone unilaterally, is the only solution, regardless to the consequences it may bring in the long run.

So where do the Kurds stand in this international arena, where the giants disagree? Are we going to be like the grass which always suffers when the elephants fight? Or are we facing a new world where the giants know if they don’t stop their conflicts peacefully, they too, will suffer irreversibly and forever. Particularly in the world where the potential for nuclear conflict is very real.

What the United Nations stands for is bigger than the war in Iraq. We the Kurds need to know that the United Nations remains very relevant to the future of peace and security of the world. The United Nations is not just a tall building in New York with a little over a billion dollar budget to sparingly spend here and there. We need to think of the United Nations as the embassy of all the people around the world coming together for a common cause. A place where Russia, China, Japan, India, Germany, France, Brazil and fifty seven Islamic countries with twenty two members of the Arab League hold power. A place where meaningful goals are set as in the Millennium Development Goals (UN-MDG). A place where it promotes education, health, human rights, particularly women’s and children’s rights, and shares and exchanges science and information among cultures. A place where it can look at its own shortcomings and reform itself so it will not tolerate tyrant leaders and regimes who violate respect for human dignity. It will be a place where serious issues facing the world will be discussed and solutions will be found cooperatively. A place where issues related to economic and social development are discussed by its various organs to eradicate poverty, diseases, inequality, racism and injustice. Safeguarding the environment, curbing the world’s growing population and dealing peacefully with a myriad of other issues facing our world are what the United Nations is all about. We the Kurds must be, and consider ourselves a part of this noble process to achieve mankind’s dream in life for meaning, peace and security.

Many of us did not agree with the United States war with Iraq. Though we could not stop the war, we must not stop working for a peaceful solution to this conflict. Kurds are grateful to all concerned, and particularly to the United States for the protection of their gained autonomy in the last 13 years. Now that the election in Iraq is coming nearer, the Kurds have a historic opportunity to reach out to the United Nations, as well as to the United States, to secure a long lasting peace and security for Kurdistan. What the Kurds should ask these two great institutions in their demands should be the following:

1-Kurds are willing to stay within a federal Iraq, as long as the future constitution of Iraq recognizes equal rights and self-determination of Kurdish people.

2-Furthermore, to safeguard these rights, Kurds should demand that the United Nations and the United States be signatories and guarantors of such agreement.

3-If the future government of Iraq is unwilling to sign such agreement, the Kurds, in all righteousness and in legitimate defense of their national rights should not hesitate to consider themselves fully independent of Iraq.

Toward these goals, the Kurds should not waste time to organize, rally around these demands and designate a leader who can be democratically elected on these plan in the upcoming election. This leader, who ever he or she may be, must be given the full support by the Kurdish people to present for endorsement, the election result and the demands of the people of Kurdistan at the United Nations.

Kurdish-American Education Society

KurdistanObserver.com