For me, it was Kofi Annan, the previous Secretary-General of the United Nations, who had described it the very best: “More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations.”

In the present situation, the United Nations undeniably grapples with geopolitical tensions and contends with numerous member states pursuing their very own conflicting pursuits, thereby testing the worldwide order. However, it could be unjust to ignore the pivotal function it has undertaken in delivering very important healthcare help to these in dire want, combatting essentially the most deadly well being crises, and contributing to the pursuit of a extra inclusive world for everybody.

As we mark the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, we should always take a second to replicate on all that has been achieved by way of common well being protection, and the function that the UN and World Health Organisation (WHO) can play in shaping the longer term that’s forward of us.

The international guardian of public well being

The United Nations, since its inception, has been actively concerned in selling and defending well being worldwide. The transformation of the UN from a passive observer right into a dynamic platform for international discourse and a pivotal participant in shaping insurance policies has been exceptional. By specializing in its inherent strengths as a platform for dialogue and the identification of rising challenges, the UN has made substantial contributions. Through its numerous particular person initiatives, the UN has constantly succeeded in elevating health-related issues onto the agenda of policymakers and public officers worldwide. This achievement stands in stark distinction to what one might need anticipated only a few many years in the past.

Global well being has undergone a profound transformation, evolving right into a extremely seen and politically vital area in current many years. This shift has been characterised by a sequence of commitments, the event of a big selection of worldwide well being coverage instruments, the institution of latest organisations and initiatives, and an enlargement of the scope of health-related discussions by the UN and its specialised businesses, significantly WHO. They have harnessed their constitutional capabilities, notably their convening energy and their work in setting norms and requirements.

Over the years, the United Nations has achieved noteworthy milestones within the realm of well being. These milestones embody pushing the 30-year-old tuberculosis epidemic into historical past, expanded immunisation programmes, smallpox eradication and the institution of the Millennium Development Goals, which marked the inaugural recognition of the very important significance of girls’s and kids’s well being, in addition to the urgent must fight infectious ailments. The dedication to addressing international well being challenges continued with occasions such because the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, the place the profound urgency of the HIV/AIDS epidemic was emphasised, significantly concerning its affect on human life, dignity, and human rights.

These accomplishments lengthen additional to embody numerous vaccination programmes and initiatives. Additionally, the United Nations has maintained its dedication to well being with initiatives just like the High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases, which culminated in a big political declaration and the launch of the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. All of those efforts align with the continued pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the UN’s enduring dedication to international well being.

UN’s objective isn’t just to stop one other World War

The United Nations was based within the wake of World War II, when the world was able to have peace once more. But over time, the organisation has completed extra than simply stopping conflicts and sustaining peace. Global well being is way extra multifaceted than is usually perceived, and requires greater than improvement help to attain. To obtain what we now have as we speak, we wanted an built-in method which included motion on social determinants, social safety, the help for main well being care programmes on the native and nation stage, and the worldwide agreements. It was by the UN and its specialised businesses that we’re capable of be right here.

The United Nations serves as greater than only a venue for world leaders to interact in discussions, articulate their views, and collectively decide methods concerning issues of battle, peacekeeping, and sanctions. It stands because the world’s most intensive engine for improvement, comprising an enormous workforce of tens of 1000’s devoted to enhancing numerous sides of world well-being. This devoted workforce endeavours to advance causes such because the welfare of kids, the help of refugees, the enhancement of world well being, and a large number of different crucial initiatives.

Without a doubt, the Security Council must be reformed. As time has handed, it has grow to be more and more evident that the everlasting members of the Security Council exhibit minimal inclination in direction of inside reform. Given this actuality, it stays crucial for the opposite United Nations member states to persistently advocate for reform, as it’s of their collective finest curiosity. Nonetheless, getting rid of the UN might be of no assist. It would possibly even push us again in our international efforts to attain Right to Health for all.

While it will not be flawless, within the spirit of our collective humanity and our shared aspiration of reaching Universal Health Coverage for everybody, nations should collaborate to outline the roles of the UN within the twenty first century.

Mahek Nankani is Lead, Growth & Partnerships at The Educational Initiatives. Views expressed within the above piece are private and solely that of the creator. They don’t essentially replicate News18’s views.