Mohammed Al-Hammadi to Jusoor Post: UN helps maintain security and peace in region

In spite of the United Nations' ongoing efforts for more than ten years to establish security and peace, the Jusoor International Center for Media and Development held an international symposium in Geneva where it explored the problems of war and peace in several Arab countries. 

The symposium, which took place at the Geneva Press Club in Switzerland, focused on the UN's efforts in Syria, Libya, and Yemen, where the persistence of war and armed conflict worsen the human rights situation and increase the loss of security, peace and stability, despite the efforts of many UN agencies in these countries. 

The event was attended by Jusoor International President Mohammed Al-Hammadi; Thierry Valle, president of the Coordination of Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience; Dr. Mehmet Sukru, founder and president of the Center for Peace and Reconciliation Studies; and researcher and human rights advocate Aye Kari Soe. 

In an interview with Jusoor Post, Mohammed Al-Hammadi said:

Undoubtedly, today’s symposium and the papers discussed during it have tackled the great challenges in the Middle East and North Africa. We really need in our region to talk about this role because of the many successive crises in our region, starting with Palestine and the Palestinian cause from 1948 until today. 

Therefore, we find today that the role of the United Nations is almost ineffective in our region as a result of the conflicts and wars that have not ended until now. Even if they end, the role of the United Nations will be a marginal role in resolving these crises. 

Our region needs a lot of development, a lot of construction.

As we mentioned, the frequency of unstable situations, wars then terrorism, all these conditions do not create a region capable of development, building, and moving towards the future. 

Thus, the peoples of the region in the present time rely a lot on the role of the United Nations, because this is the largest global entity and is supposed to be the most capable of doing this.

First, its role helps to maintain security and peace for countries in the region. Secondly, to build, develop and prosper in the countries of the world, and finally to preserve human rights. 

Presently, a large part of the peoples of the region are really suffering. Millions of refugees, millions of missing people, millions of deaths, millions of hungry citizens, and children are in a very difficult situation. 

Thus, the role of the United Nations needs to be reconsidered in our region. In order to have the ability to play the right role, reforming the United Nations is a project that has been talked about a lot. 

I think this talk should be insisted on, especially as we are stepping into the future. 

For his part, Egyptian staff writer Ahmed Al-Muslimani told Jusoor Post: 

With regard to the United Nations, there are two levels: the first is the survival and presence of the United Nations. Even with the weakness and sagging of such international organization and its ineffectiveness in many issues, it remains very important for international peace and security.

It is a sign that things may get better; a sign that we have prevented, as much as possible, some wars and international crises. The existence of the United Nations remains, despite the global frustration with its level of performance, very significant.

Unfortunately, in order to develop the League of Nations, a second world war occurred, then the League of Nations was demolished and a new organization was built.

We do not need a third world war to create a new organization. Therefore, I support a path, which is the second path, that works on reforming the United Nations.

There is literature on how to reform, starting from Boutros-Ghali to Guterres. There is literature on mechanisms of this reform, and I support it. In this symposium, we talked about creating a mechanism for reforming the UN.

Moreover, we must differentiate between the Security Council, which is necessarily suspended as a result of its very difficult composition, and other mechanisms, including the Secretary-General and his role, the specialized agencies and their role, and the general assemblies.

Therefore, limiting the United Nations to the Security Council is not appropriate. There is a parallel framework, which includes the roles of the Secretary-General and other organs of the United Nations, as well as activating what is outside the Security Council, which can be easier.

Moreover, developing the Security Council and reconsidering the right of veto will be the basis for a later stage. 

In any case, anger at the United Nations should not be a way to destroy the United Nations.