'The UN matters, but it should do more': a conversation with journalists from Bangladesh.

Let me begin with a confession. The idea of meeting in a trendy, if slightly pricy, mid-Manhattan restaurant was mine; it was only a stone's throw away from UN Headquarters, but more important it touts having as its culinary guru Madhur Jeffrey, a world-class actress and culinary expert, who is also a former UN guide. I was going to meet four old friends and obviously wanted to have the right food to go with it. The four journalists--all from Bangladesh's vernacular press--were in New York as part of a multi-state trip arranged by the United States Information Service. The United States elections were only days away, and USIS wanted the journalists to get a first-hand experience with the electioneering here.

I wanted to know how they viewed the United Nations. The four seemed almost unanimous: the world body is very important, but it is no longer the master of its own decisions. A handful of nations, especially the superpowers, are calling all the shots. Some nations that do not agree with the overall thrust of the Organization are easily shut off. Abed Khan, Editor of Bhorer Kagaj, articulated a view that clearly resonated with the rest. "When we see the UN bowing to the wishes of one or two major powers, we get deeply hurt. We have invested so much in this Organization and in its future. Yet, it is no longer capable of either reflecting our hopes or defending our rights. It speaks of great ideals, but does little to uphold them."

Sanaullah, News Editor of Prothom-Alo, quickly grabbed Khan's last words. "The UN role should be to unite the nations, not divide them." With an irreverent look, he said: "Look how the UN is dominated by one superpower. If its survival is linked to the whims of a single Member State, that does not bode well for this body touted as a universal organization." Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, Editor of Manav Jamin, stressed that "one can criticize the UN for its failures, but nobody can dismiss its successes as well." The United Nations was very popular in Bangladesh, he said, and its role was evident everywhere, from development work to illiteracy campaigns to child immunization.

Kazi Nabil Ahmed, Executive Editor of Ajker Kagaj and the youngest in the group, picked up the same thought. "In Bangladesh, we greatly value the role of the United Nations, especially its specialized agencies and programmes, such as the United Nations Children's Fund, the UN Development Programme and the World Health Organization. They are Bangladesh's development partners, and the progress the country has made is indelibly linked with them", he said. He also drew attention to another aspect of UN-Bangladesh relations. "We help the UN keep peace in various troubled spots the world over", sounding proud but also hopeful as he referred to the growing role his country plays in UN peacekeeping missions. Since participating in the United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group in 1988, Bangladesh has served in 31 peace missions, including 16 current ones.

Khan, who had looked a little bored, warmed up a little. "One area where the UN can do more is the environment." Global warming is a reality, he said, and if scientists are right, one third of Bangladesh could go under water within the next thirty years. "What is the UN doing to stop the catastrophe?" A treaty on global warming was good, but implementing it on a global scale was really what the world needed, he continued.

The conversation then shifted to the UN Department of Public Information's new outreach initiative--"Unlearning Intolerance" seminar series. DPI held the first event in June 2004, on anti-Semitism, which was well attended; the second seminar, also well attended, was on Islamophobia (see pages 4 and 38). Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim country, found this initiative relevant. Khan readily agreed. "We, too, have our own share of intolerance. Communal violence aimed at religious minorities is nothing new. There is so much we need to do in this area: educate people, bring people together, and break down the walls that divide us". He was pleased that the UN was paying greater attention to promoting a dialogue among civilizations. "Intolerance initially may appear to be limited to a country or region, but it could soon spread to other countries and even become a global phenomenon. Look at what happened in Afghanistan," he said, suggesting that the UN should do more to involve civil society organizations to stay vigilant against Taliban-type transgressions.

Sanaullah, actively negotiating with a chicken wing, raised another point. "Dialogue is good, but it is equally important to understand the underlying causes of the so-called Islamic rage." He quickly ran down a list: poverty, underdevelopment, neocolonial expansion, authoritarianism, widespread illiteracy and lack of human rights. "Of course, the Muslims should also realize what has driven them to this state of despair: it is not just the West but also the failure of their own political leadership." Chowdhury quietly nodded. "I think the UN can do a whole lot in this area", he said. "There is so much bigotry, so much misunderstanding, and yet so little real effort to close the gaps."

Hasan Ferdous of Bangladesh is an Information Officer in the United Nations Department of Public Information.

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