The World Needs the United Nations
演讲人：Julian Hunte朱利安·亨特
Secretary General of the Model United Nations，Members of the Faculty，Distinguished Delegates of the Yale University Model United Nations，Ladies and Gentlemen，students：
I am deeply committed to the United Nations and to multilateralism.It is this commitment that underpins my Presidency of the Fifty-eighth Session of the United Nations General Assembly，and which is the incentive that brings me to Yale University to join you at the opening of this Model United Nations.
I wish to thank President Levin and all at Yale University who have so warmly welcomed me here，and Mr.Favors and the organizers of the Model United Nations for affording me this opportunity.
Multilateralism-the belief that nations act more effectively when they act together to address issues of a global nature-has been an organizing principle andthe foundation of the work of the United Nations from the start.We all know，however，that obstacles to economic and social progress，human right and fundamental freedoms and peace and security remain，notwithstanding strong support for multilateralism.Daily，the United Nations faces new and emerging challenges，some of which have proved to be quite daunting.
When the United Nations Charter was signed at San Francisco in 1945nearly fifty-nine years ago，it would have been difficult to predict what would be the shape of the world of the early twenty-first century.Today，we can say authoritatively that it is a time of challenge and change for the world，and indeed，for the United Nations.
I imagine that it would have been difficult to contemplate at San Francisco that the ranks of the United Nations fifty-one founding members would be swelled to the one hundred and ninety-one Member States it is today.A forward-looking United Nations took up the cause of colonial countries and peoples for self-determination and independence.Some，no doubt，may have quibbled about this open door policy and about what in fact constituted a viable nation state that might take a place in the United Nations.Today，nations large and small sit in the United Nations General Assembly-the organization"s only universal organ-with equal rights and duties under the Charter.
The reality we face today is that the achievement of national independence has not significantly reversed the economic imbalances between former colonies and colonial powers.Disparities between rich and poor nations，in many cases compounded by globalisation and trade liberalization，is marginalizing many countries，particularly in the developing world.Poverty worldwide-the burden of which falls unequally on our most vulnerable groups-children，women，the elderly and the disabled-harbour the seeds of instability，hatred and conflict.At the same time，there has been a marked drop in official development assistance from richer to poorer countries.
We could not have known in 1945that as we work to improve public health and eradicate disease，new and deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS would emerge to threaten societies and nations.Yet this disease，in particular，continues to wreak havoc among the most productive sectors of the population，and especially our youth，and to negatively impact the economies of many countries，particularly in the developing world.We also could not have anticipated how difficult it would be to erase age-old attitudes like racial discrimination and religious intolerance.Nor could we foresee the extreme contemporary forms these now take.
At San Francisco，we could not have foreseen the "internationalization"of major perils we face today-the illicit traffic in drugs and small arms and light weapons，the organized criminal networks that control these nefarious trades and other transnational crime，and the ever present threat of terrorism-to name a few.National borders，even those of the most powerful，cannot protect nations against these perils.Even international credentials and a mandate to act on behalf of the international communityis no longer a safeguard.For last August in Baghdad，the United Nations itself became aterrorist target.
Today，conflict and war continue to be major challenges for the United Nations，threatening international peace and security and constituting a major impediment to development in many regions of the world.While the United Nations continues to act inrespect of conflict and war，many situations seem to be intractable.
There is much to be said for the manner in which the United Nations is rising to today"s challenges and to change.It has been credibly demonstrated that the nations of the world acting through the United Nations on behalf of their peoples，can come together to overcome obstacles to progress and to peace.
Notwithstanding the high anxiety of war and conflict，the world has managed to avoid a major international conflagration and to prevent or shorten a significant number of regional conflicts.The United Nations has，in almost every situation of conflict and war，been able to play a meaningful role.In so doing，the Membership has，by and large，sought to live up to the Charter obligation to maintain international peace and security.When we have failed or delayed longer than we should，it is because we could not，as Member States，achieve consensus on how to proceed.
We have recognized and accepted，including through our signature，ratification and accession of international treaties，that we cannot alone protect ourselves from perils such as drug trafficking，organized crime and terrorism.These critical global problems know and respect no national borders.Therefore，we have accepted obligations to uphold international standards and to act together to protect us all.
