We need a Primer on the workings of the United Nations.  Most everyone I know personally has no idea of its workings.  Most people, when they think of the UN, only think of it in terms of the General Assembly (GA) or the Security Council (SC) – the government sector only.  They only know of the broken part.  The government sector is broken because instead of having 193 countries working together, you have 193 countries working under the paradigm of competition and control rather than working together collaboratively. 

To see the UN working in a paradigm of collaboration and cooperation, you need to look at the Civil Sector rather than the Government Sector.  The Civil Sector works collaboratively with more than 25,000 Non-Government Organizations (NGOs).  People may have heard about UNICEF and maybe even World Health Organization (WHO) and maybe even UNESCO, but that’s all.  These “arms” are done mostly through the ECOSOC (the Economic and Social Council) of the UN.  I don’t know anyone who knows what they do or what they have accomplished.

Since none of the Main Street Media (MSM) that I’m aware of covers their work, none of us here in the United States are even slightly aware of their workings.  This is not true in Europe and other countries. 

Rotary International was determined to eradicate polio throughout the world and started their Polio Campaign back in the 80’s.  Because they had local Rotary groups in every country, they could develop programs locally without having to go through the hoops that the government would require.  They became so successful that the WHO worked with them to not only give the polio vaccines around the world, but also a measles vaccine, vitamin A supplements, and deworming tablets.  This program became so successful that polio was declared to be eradicated everywhere but in two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan – largely due to their internal conflicts. 

In the year 2004, when the great tsunami hit Southeast Asia.  This tsunami caused a death toll of over 227,000 people, hundreds of thousands of injuries, over 1.7 million people displaced, and tens of thousands of children orphaned.  The recovery of this disaster was accomplished effectively and efficiently by the collaborative work of over 150 NGOs.  The United Nations does not do this work, but they are the ones with the training and experience and expertise to organize the efforts of this army of NGOs. 

In the year 2000, the UN approved the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be met by the year 2015.  These eight goals included 1) eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; 2) achieve primary education for all; 3) promote gender equality and empower women; 4) reduce child mortality by 50%; 5) Improve maternal health; 6) combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases; and 7) ensure environmental sustainability.  Goals were made and their progress was tracked and reported every year.  The goal of reducing extreme poverty and hunger by 50% was actually met by the year 2010.  (This was because of the rise of India and China from the category of Least Developed Nations (LDN) to a Developed Nation.)  Other goals, if not met fully, were nearly met.  These goals and their accomplishments were primarily for the Least Developed Countries and by the NGOs of the Civil Sector.

Then, in 2015, the MDGs developed into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which included many of the MDGs and several other Sustainability goals (17 in total).  These goals were for all countries – including the most developed countries.  They included goals for clean water and sanitation; sustainable cities and communities; climate action; life below water; life on land; and peace, justice, and strong institutions. 

While the MDGs were accomplished by the NGOs, these SDGs would require an integrated approach of all sectors.  The government sector would be responsible for funding research through the educational sector.  The educational sector would be responsible for developing solutions.  The business sector would then be responsible for providing these solutions to their required scales.  And then the civil sector would be responsible for applying and using these solutions. 

Some of the main programs of UNICEF are the following:  1) Child health and nutrition; 2) Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH); 3) Education; 4) Child protection; 5) Emergency and humanitarian Response; 6) Social policy and inclusion; 7) HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment; 8) Adolescent development and participation; and 9) Early Childhood Development (ECD). 

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) has as its mission promoting peace, sustainable development, and human rights through education, science, culture, and communication.  Their chief programs include 1) Education including the Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM); education in emergencies and post-conflict areas (such as refugee camps); 2) Natural Sciences such as STEM education and research; Ethics of science and technology including bioethics and AI; 3) Culture through preserving and promoting cultural heritage and diversity; 4) Communication and information promoting free expression, media development, and access to information (including support for public service broadcasting); 5) Social and human sciences through anti-Semitism and anti-discrimination programs, and the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) program. 

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) runs major programs that focus on improving global health around the world.  It’s programs include 1) Universal health coverage of ensuring that all people have access to needed health care without financial hardships; 2) Health emergency programs; 3) Communicable disease control; 4) Noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, cancers, etc; 5) Mental health and substance abuse; 6) Immunizations and Vaccines; 7) Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH); 8) Health research and data systems; 9) Environmental health and climate change; and 10) Health system strengthening.

There is a lot of good coming out of the United Nations.   There is a lot of good that most Americans are unaware of.  This is because none of the media report on these good works.