 Global Integration UpdateCommon Ground for the Common Good
Special News--July 2018UN Web TVThe United Nations Live and on Demand(Perspectives on the world from the multifaceted lenses of the United Nations)
"We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom…" Preamble, Charter of the United Nations (1945)
In this Special News Update we focus on tools to help you track with the work of the United Nations. We feature UN Web TV, a major online media platform, as well as four other UN resources for staying current with the issues and operations of the United Nations.
Regardless of your views on the United Nations itself, we believe these materials will help you better understand the complexities and challenges of the world as well as the shared commitments and efforts to make the world a better place for all. Check them out--regularly!
Warm greetings from Geneva,
Kelly and Michèle
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Featured ResourceTracking with the United NationsUN Web TV etc.
"The UN Web TV Channel is available 24 hours a day with selected live programming of United Nations meetings and events as well as with pre-recorded video features and documentaries on various global issues." (from the website)
The best way to familiarize yourself with this vauable resource is to simply go on the website, have a look around, and watch a live or archived event that interests you. For example, some of the current live coverage is on the annual progress review for the Sustainable Development Goals (General Assembly, High Level Political Forum, 9-18 July 2018).
UN Overview
The United Nations currently has 193 member states and is guided by the purposes and principles in its Charter. The United Nations' five overlapping functions are: to maintain peace and security, protect human rights, deliver humanitarian aid, promote sustainable development, and uphold international law.
The six main bodies (organs) of the United Nations are the Secretariat, General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, International Court of Justice, and Trusteeship Council. More than 38,000 staff work for the UN Secretariat (more personnel statistics HERE).
Final Thought
“The United Nations is a 20th-century organization facing a 21st century challenge as an institution with impressive achievements but also haunting failures, one that mirrors not just the world’s hopes but its inequalities and disagreements, and most important, one that has changed but needs to change further . . . The single greatest problem facing the United Nations is that there is no single greatest problem; rather there are a dozen different ones each day clamoring for attention. Some, like the crisis in Lebanon, the Palestinian situation and the nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, are obvious and trying. Others we call “problems without passports”—issues that cross all frontiers uninvited, like climate change, drug trafficking, human rights, terrorism, epidemic diseases, and refugee movements. Their solutions, too, can recognize no frontiers because no one country or group of countries, however rich or powerful, can tackle them alone.” (Tharoor, S. 2006, p. 15. The Good for Something UN. Newsweek, 4 September 2006, p. 15)
Member Care Associates Inc. (MCA) is a non-profit, Christian organisation working internationally from Geneva and the USA. MCA's involvement in Global Integration focuses on the wellbeing and effectiveness of personnel and their organizations in the mission, humanitarian, and development sectors as well as global mental health, all with a view towards supporting sustainable development for all people and the planet. Our services include consultation, training, research, developing resources, and publications.
Global Integration is a framework for actively integrating our lives with global realities by connecting relationally and contributing relevantly on behalf of human wellbeing and the issues facing humanity, in light of our integrity and core values (e.g., ethical, humanitarian, human rights, faith-based).
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