Talk - Reform of the UN in the Economic Social Fields

“People tend to think about the United Nations purely in terms of the Security Council in which the politicians in charge of the ‘P5’ - the Permanent Five of China, Russia, The USA, France and Great Britain - can veto any proposals that are attempted to be pushed through,” says Neville Grant, the Chair of the London and South East Branch of the UNA (United Nations Association). “But actually 80% of the UN’s work is involved in trade and social development. The talk we have arranged in Lewes is by a very big fish in this area of the UN, Dr Carlos Fortin, who was twice the Officer-in-charge of UNCTAD [the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development].”

The UNA are an independent body dedicated to lobbying the UN to reform itself, and lobbying our government to support it. “We see ourselves as being like a critical supporters’ club which sees the UN as the best way to keep the world in order, but feel that it is a flawed organisation that needs reforming,” continues Mr Grant. “Something needs to be done to stop organisations like the IMF and the World Bank from establishing a new sort of colonisation where underdeveloped countries’ industries are subject to untrammelled invasion by foreign investors. We want to press the UN to do more about this. Mr Fortin will speak about what the UN are doing, and will field questions from the audience afterwards.” AL