Rapports annuels > Rapports annuels 2000

Ce document est disponible seulement en anglais.

President’s Message

Harry Qualman Geoffrey Pearson

As you will read in the following report, this has been a year of both success and challenge for our Association. In that respect we mirror in some small way the kinds of challenges with which the United Nations, and the global community as a whole, has grappled in the last year. There are the myriad issues which call for attention and concerted action – the continuing hot spots in the Balkans, the Middle East, and parts of Africa; the devastating impacts on whole communities of disease, and especially of AIDS; the mounting concerns about environmental issues; the impact of huge population migrations due to economic and/ or conflict circumstances; etc -and the financial constraints which make it difficult to respond to the host of important and urgent demands with which the UN is daily faced.

I believe profoundly in the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and I am convinced that the broad Canadian public remains committed to supporting an active and creative Canadian presence within that institution. All of us must endeavour to find ways through which the UN can be reformed and strengthened so that it can be the instrument this world needs to handle the threats to peace and security as they arise in difference corners of the globe, and to meet the challenges which underlie so many of those conflicts – poverty, pollution, crime, discrimination and the rest.

The primary mandate of UNA-Canada is to enhance public education about the UN. Much of the focus of the work of the National Office has been on outreach to, and in collaboration with young people. There is an extraordinary energy and idealism to be encouraged and supported which can ensure that this country continues to be a leader in global initiatives and negotiations in years to come. There are also many local programmes, orchestrated by dedicated local activists without whose efforts much of our outreach would not reach so effectively into communities across this country. I commend the various initiatives, at both the national and branch levels of our Association to you and encourage your continuing involvement and support .

We have always enjoyed the support of key government officials and of significant corporate partners. There is a continuing imperative to strengthen those partnerships and to develop new ones in order to increase and improve our effective role as a voice for the United Nations. You will note that our Association’s financial circumstances are again stretched and it is important that we solidify a regular base of support from all sectors of our community.

There is no question but that we need the UN more than ever in these turbulent times. We can take pride in our accomplishments to date – and by continuing to work together we can further the contributions our country can make to the global community through the United Nations.