Wiping out the harsh statistics. (Moorings)."What if I don't understand something?" My nine-year-old niece, Cristina, had agreed to watch with me the PBS PBS in full Public Broadcasting Service Private, nonprofit U.S. corporation of public television stations. PBS provides its member stations, which are supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials, with educational, cultural, broadcast, Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1 1997 to January 1 2007, serving two five-year terms. He was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. : Center of the Storm. "Just ask me", I encouraged. The ninety-minute television biography, which aired on 7 January 2003, focused on United Nations activities toward reconstruction of Afghanistan after the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. bombings, the Secretary-General's acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. in Norway in December 2001, and the celebration of Timor-Leste's independence in May 2002. She surprised me and watched more than half of the programme. The segment with Mr. Annan's appearance on Sesame Street--a children's television show--helped. To solve conflicts, the muppet Elmo suggested "the Secretary-General can go around and give love". If only the work of the United Nations was so simple. A gruesome recap of the 1994 Rwandan genocide The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutu sympathizers in Rwanda and was the largest atrocity during the Rwandan Civil War. , with bodies strewn strew tr.v. strewed, strewn or strewed, strew·ing, strews 1. To spread here and there; scatter: strewing flowers down the aisle. 2. about the fields and villages, concerned me. Amazingly, my niece asked, "What happened to them?" and accepted my answer without angst. Author William Shawcross William Shawcross (born 28 May, 1946, Sussex) is a British writer, broadcaster and commentator. Shawcross was educated at Eton College and University College, Oxford, and worked as a journalist for The Sunday Times. described the Rwandan mission as "peacekeeping on the cheap" and "probably the greatest catastrophe the UN has faced". "I accept these criticisms fully ... for what the UN tried to do", was the Secretary-General's response in an investigative report An investigative report is a document that is meant to provide information on a certain topic that is not easily obtained. It is meant to present the reader with a wealth of easily understood information and usually contains an interview or two on the subject. on Rwanda by the Organization. The episode instigated a sharp rebuke from an eighth-grade student. "Isn't that what the UN does--keep peace? How could they let things get to that point?" the thirteen-year-old daughter of a colleague said. Asked if she'd like to work for the UN when she grew up, she replied, "No, I'm going to be a physician". When told she could work for the World Health Organization, she inquired about a stint at the Peace Corps. My niece also declined to work at the UN, stating, "I don't want to go to war". Clearly, UN work is not child's play child's play n. 1. Something very easy to do. 2. A trivial matter. child's play Noun Informal something that is easy to do Noun 1. . I was intrigued by the behind-the-scenes shots of United Nations staff at work. "The Taliban kept the bad guys off the street. You could drive the roads", Carolyn McAskie, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, explained. That teleconference--on how to get truckloads of food to Afghanistan's population and provide security after the bombings--revealed how the United Nations was uniquely qualified to handle the situation. To avert worse disaster, immediate collaborative action had to be taken by the UN and its agencies. "We don't start it, but we often have to clean it up", Mr. Annan confided. The film also captured the efforts of "team Kofi Annan", who manage a whirlwind of tasks to prepare him for the next assignment. Spokesman Fred Eckhard types, two-finger style, a press statement on the collapse of the Taliban, then sprints along UN corridors and down the escalator to catch and brief the Secretary-General en route to one of many meetings. Improvising in East Timor: "Just listen and tell him if it's right", Chief of Protocol Nadia Younes said, persuading a baffled house attendant to assess Mr. Annan's ability to speak the local language. As a prominent symbol of the UN and its ideals, the Secretary-General inspires hope for a better future. Perhaps that's what an Israeli father in an Oslo synagogue meant when he pleaded with Mr. Annan, "Please, do your job!" He hoped the bodies of three soldiers would be returned for proper burial. A procession of well-wishers lifted torch lights in recognition of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to him and UN staff. Girls in Afghanistan, back in school after the fall of the Thliban, raised signs bearing the word "peace" during the Secretary-General's visit there. "Nobody has the credibility in Afghanistan the way the UN does", observed journalist Ahmed Rashid. Hope burns in the hearts of UN staff like John Sebesta. "It was refreshing to see something good about the UN." The film was an elixir elixir /elix·ir/ (e-lik´ser) a clear, sweetened, alcohol-containing, usually hydroalcoholic liquid containing flavoring substances and sometimes active medicinal ingredients. e·lix·ir n. for me as well, and I drank heartily. UN work is challenging, but we must remember our motivation. The documentary's closing statistics indicated that worldwide, 40 million people were living with HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome , 13 million people were refugees, 24 major armed conflicts were ongoing, and over half the world's population lived on less than $2 a day. Our dream is to wipe out those harsh statistics. "Without a dream you'll not get anywhere", Kofi Annan remarked. |
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