Miguel Ángel Velasco cmf

cmfUNteam member

 We are celebrating the 75th anniversary
of the United Nations. The world has changed a lot since the creation of the UN
at the end of World War II. We have moved through the Cold War, through the
Unilateralism that was born after the Fall of the Berlin Wall, and we are
entering a new plurilateral or multilateral era. The UN and all the
organizations of the “UN system” such as the associations around the
UN are working on proposals for the renewal of the Organization. The
“OBF” (“Faith Based Organizations”), hasalso made its proposal for improvement. It is the document that we attach
and that we invite you to read. 

DOCUMENT

 In its contribution, the OBF, recognizes
the enormous work that the UN has done since its foundation and highlights two
starting points that make the contribution of the “Faith Based
Organizations” especially significant. In the first place, the
organizations of the OBF have, for the most part, been in operation for
centuries, during which they have changed their structure in an effort to be faithful
to their founding principles. In a second place, the OFB organizations are in
direct contact with Civil Society, spread throughout the world (global
organizations) and in direct contact with the recipients of many of the
resolutions taken by the UN. Taking into account these two points of departure,
the express recognition of the FBOs and their presence in the deliberations and
decision making of the bodies of the “UN System” is strongly
requested.

 The proposal document develops four
sections throughout its eight pages of presentation:

 1.     
Make the role of
civil society, including FBOs, in UN processes more central and meaningful.

 2.     
Reform the
Security Council’s structure and scope of work to reflect a modern,
communityfocused understanding of “security” and the UN’s championship of
democracy.

 3.     
Develop a UN body
dedicated to the coordination of both the internal (i.e. UN institution-wide) and
national-level reviews of implementation of UN treaties, declarations,
resolutions, and compacts.

 4.     
Scale-up technology
capacity, affordability, and accessibility and revise the logistical approach to
UN processes to allow remote participation to become a primary mode of
operation.

The end of the “OBF” reform
proposal is clear:

 With seventy-five years of trial and
tribulation behind us, and in the midst of a uniquely challenging present:

 1.       We pledge our
steadfast commitment to the common good of the international community.

2.     
We stand ready,
as first responders in times of crisis and community builders with lasting
roots on the margins, to rise to the unforeseen challenges ahead alongside our
partners in UN agencies, governments, and civil society.

3.     
We offer our
grounding insights, our community-animating passion, and our unifying
dedication to truth in service of human rights, in affirmation of the dignity
and equal worth of every person, and in support of a sustainable relationship
between humanity and the natural world.

4.     
We keep faith
that a better UN and a better world are possible, if only we are willing to
build them through collaboration across nations, faiths, cultures, and
generations.

 Miguel Ángel Velasco cmf

cmfUNteam member