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New Realities
49
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Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000700010001-9
The United Nations
Still the Best Hope for Humankind?
By Douglas Mattern
Although often maligned, misunde :-
stood, and even maliciously used as a
scapegoat by governments and unin-
formed individuals, the United Nations
remains the only pivotal global force to
move toward the world community that is
imperative for our civilization to survive
and move forward to the 21st century.
It is important to remember that the
creation of the UN was something of a
miracle itself, coming as it did during one
of the darkest periods of human history:
World War II. A foundation of principles
began as early as 1941, as embodied in
the Atlantic Charter designed by President
Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill.
In 1942, a total of 47 allied nations agreed
to a Declaration of the United Nations
(named by President Roosevelt) which
supported the Atlantic Charter. In 1943, a
major step was achieved through the
Moscow Declaration when the allied na-
tions first openly committed themselves to
the creation of this new world organiza-
tion. In 1944, representatives from the
major allied powers met at Dumbarton
Oaks in Washington, D.C. to establish the
first blueprints for the UN Charter. In
1945, at Yalta, the U.S., USSR, and the
United Kingdom ironed out the final de-
tails of the new global organization.
Later in that same year the United
Nations Charter was completed in San
Francisco. Representatives from 50 na-
tions worked for three months in harmony
to produce one of history's greatest
documents. Moreover, this work was not
confined to the ideas of government rep-
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE UNITED NATIONS
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New Realities
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