Irish Examiner view: United Nations a long way from what is required
As world leaders gather in New York this week for the UN General Assembly, they will undoubtedly reflect on the successes of an organisation which has — over the course of its history — so far managed to keep us from obliterating ourselves and the planet upon which we live.
The UN emerged 80 years ago this year from the ashes of the Second World War. It was born out of a bright gleaming ideology that envisaged a world at peace with itself but burdened by the reality that humankind is incumbered by one intrinsic truth: We are incapable of living in peace with ourselves or our neighbours.
As world leaders gather in New York this week for the UN General Assembly, they will undoubtedly reflect on the successes of an organisation which has — over the course of its history — so far managed to keep us from obliterating ourselves and the planet upon which we live.
It has not always been an easy ride for the organisation; trying to find middle ground between disputing parties, be they world superpowers showing their muscle, or poverty-stricken minnows fighting over a strip of land that might or might not contain valued mineral resources of one description or another.
Under a variety of secretaries general from a variety of countries, the UN has acted as peacemaker and peace broker in any number of conflicts, from the Korean war, to the Vietnam war, the Suez crisis, the Cuban missile crisis, the Congo war, the Iran-Iraq war, Israel’s Six-Day and Yom Kippur wars and, latterly the Ukraine war, the Gaza war, and the crisis in Sudan.
It has not always found favour with the Russian, American, or Chinese superpowers and has often been strangled by their ability to veto moves supported by a majority of its members — but it has always been a powerful voice of mediation and common sense in situations where there is little appetite for either.
Today, the UN looks far from the organisation once described by the second secretary general, Norwegian Trygve Lie, as having been created “not to bring us to heaven, but to save us from hell”. As world leaders meet in Manhattan, the organisation faces interlocking crises of financing and relevance, as current world conflicts — which it was created to prevent — stubbornly continue. The US has traditionally bankrolled its operations, but under the Trump administration, that is imperilled — while the Security Council, its chief decision-making body, is paralysed by rivalries.
At a time when the world most needs an effective body to promote multilateralism, climate awareness, and end intractable conflicts, the UN appears to be a long way from its idealised status as “a constructive force in a dangerous world”.
Sport always has the capacity to turn the inconceivable into the unbelievable and, for Irish track and field fans, that is what transpired at the World Championships in Japan.
The silver medal won by Dundalk’s Kate O’Connor in the heptathlon not alone broke new ground for an Irish athlete, it gave fans hope that we had unearthed another star.
As if that was not good enough, the performance of Cian McPhillips finishing fourth in the 800m final indicated that, in the Longford man, we have found the middle-distance ace we have craved since the winning days of Eamonn Coghlan and Sonia O’Sullivan.
At 24 and 23 respectively, O’Connor and McPhillips represent the future of Irish athletics. They produce results which would have been unthinkable just nine months ago.
Of course, there are no guarantees here. Injury and other outliers can intervene cruelly in their future careers but, on the basis of what we saw last week, this pair has the ability to lead this country on the track and in the field to places we never envisioned.
Along with already established young stars such as Rhasidat Adeleke, Andrew Coscoran, Sharlene Mawdsley, and Ciara Mageean, as well as exciting Bandon AC hammer-thrower Nicola Tuthill, these athletes have started writing a new chapter in the history of Irish athletics.
It is fitting that we pay tribute to a world great who capped off a stellar career in Japan by — literally — passing the baton to a younger generation.
In the nation where she made her first appearance on the world stage 18 years ago, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made the 25th — and last — global podium of her illustrious career. Nine world championships and five Olympic Games later, the 38-year-old signed off in Tokyo by helping a Jamaican quartet featuring 21-year-old twin sisters Tia and Tina Clayton to world 4x100m silver.
As she posed for photos with her fans in the stands, there was no doubt the record five-time world 100m champion and the most decorated female 100m sprinter in history had departed the sport as a legend. Hers is the sort of inspirational legacy that O’Connor, McPhillips et al can aspire to.
The ongoing crisis in a flagship special school in Cork, as highlighted in yesterday’s is yet another example of dysfunction in the disability sector.
The problems at Carrigaline Community Special School and the associated Rochestown Special Community School, especially with regard to children being suspended for behaviour intrinsic to their disabilities, is a source of concern not alone to parents, but also the wider community.
Providing proper care and welfare for children with disability is a core issue for any socially inclusive society and the concerns of understandably worried and frustrated parents must be addressed immediately.
The key issue highlight by parents is the lack of full-time in-school therapies, including behavioural therapies, occupational therapy, and speech and language.
The crisis has been ongoing for some time and, despite reassurances from the Cork Education and Training Board and the Department of Education, who both said there has been intensive engagement, it seems little or nothing has been done to address the parents’ concerns.
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