Sunday, January 25, 2009

Charter of the United Nations


PREAMBLE

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED

  • to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and

  • to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and

  • to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and

  • to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

  • to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and

  • to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and

  • to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and

  • to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS

Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.

Charter of the United Nations


The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site


2 Comments:

At January 26, 2009 12:25 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Sounds nice and all, but I don't think they're doing a very good job at all. I've always loved the idea of UN, but I think given the last 8 years and even the years I remember as a youngin that preceded them, I can't say that the UN has done anything significant. Maybe it's just because I've not seen it on TV, and you can probably enlighten me Mr. Sawyer, but it has always seemed to me that the UN is more of an idea than an organization that does much of anything useful with the exception of sending aid here or there.

 
At January 26, 2009 12:40 AM , Blogger RobertJSawyer said...

Well, I'm not going to debate the merits of the UN, but I'll tell you this: when I visited United Nations headquarters for the first time, I was moved to tears reading those words I just posted on the plaque in the lobby.

Canadians and Americans, I suspect, generally have different views of the UN. The US, famously, is $1.3 billion dollars in arrears on its dues to the UN.

I happen to live 15 minutes away from Canada's largest airport, Lester B. Pearson International. Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize, and was significantly responsible for the establishment of United Nations Peacekeeping Forces.

Oh, and "with the exception of sending aid here or there" is no small exception.

And, gently, your choice of wording tempts me to quote the Preamble to the US Constitution, and then review the history of the last 8 years -- but that'd be shooting fish in a barrel, so I'll just quote the words and leave them unremarked upon:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

 

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