By JOHN NORTH

Despite its many flaws and the ever-present need for reform, the United Nations serves an indispensable function that makes its future “very bright,” Will Davis, director of the U.N. Information Center in Washington, D.C., told an Asheville audience last week.

While many Americans feel that the U.N. is no longer relevant, the U.S. government would do well in continuing to support the world body for a number of reasons — especially because U.N. efforts in “peacekeeping” are much less expensive than American unilateral action, he said.

Davis addressed “The Future of the United Nations” last Thursday night in the Parish Hall at All Souls Cathedral in Biltmore Village. Davis spoke for 25 minutes and then fielded questions for 45 minutes from a decidedly older and pro-U.N. audience of about 40 people.

Davis’s talk was sponsored by the Western North Carolina chapter of the United Nations Association-USA and co-sponsored by Church Women United at All Souls and the World Affairs Council of WNC.

In introducing Davis as someone with North Carolina roots, local UNA chief Jim Roush noted that he earned bachelor’s (magna cum laude) and master’s degrees from Duke University.

After graduation, Davis worked for the U.S. State Department for a number of years, particularly serving as a liaison to Congress, as well as on the White House’s National Security Council and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, prior to his current job with the U.N.

Davis began his address by noting that last Thursday was International Peacekeepers Day.

He said the U.N. is facing new challenges, not only with a new secretary general (South Korean Ban Ki-moon), but also with a U.S. presidential race.

Davis then polled the audience, composed largely of UNA members, asking, “Is the United Nations still relevant?”

When nobody responded negatively, a female audience member stated evenly, “So, you’re preaching to the choir.”

Agreeing, Davis said, “I am preaching to the choir,” but he noted that an unscientific poll he heard recently showed Americans voting 79-21 that the U.N. no longer is relevant, supporting other data he has seen.

“It’s an indication of the animosity and antagonism felt in the U.S. toward the U.N. by Americans,” he said of the negativity toward the U.N. in the general American population.

When the U.N. was founded in San Francisco in 1945, it numbered roughly 50 member-states, while now 192 nations belong to the organization, which is based is New York City.

“At first, it was a talk show — just a bunch of diplomats talking,” Davis said. “The United Nations today has gone from oratory — diplomats talking — to operational. We’re on the ground” in “peacekeeping” capacities around the world.

“Right now, the United Nations is the second largest peacekeeping force, with 100,000 troops and rising — the most in the history of the U.N.” (The U.S. is No. 1, with an estimated 200,000 troops in action around the world.)

Davis said a second trend is globalization — “it’s inevitable and it’s happening.”

To that end, he said the U.N. sets standards on many international issues, such as regulating airlines and postal traffic, among many others.

A third trend, Davis noted, is changing threats and challenges, such as dealing with climate change, the food crisis and avian flu.

Regarding the food crisis, he said the price of rice and certain other grains has doubled recently and “if you’re living on $1 per day, you don’t have a lot of leeway” in cutting other costs to leave more money for pricier food.

“The new challenges that are facing countries are challenges that the U.N. is uniquely suited to address” as an international body, Davis said.

He added, “For all its problems — and there are many — the U.N. is bringing much to bear” to resolve the aforementioned issues.

As for the future of the U.N., “from my eyes, it’s very bright,” Davis said. “The United Nations needs to reform. It’s always needed to reform” and has undergone a continuing process of reform through the years.

Among reforms needed, Davis cited the following:

• “All the (foreign) diplomats like the New York lifestyle,” to the point that they are distracted from their jobs.

• Procurement reform is needed. However, in its defense, Davis noted that “the U.N. is operating in some of the world’s nastiest places,” where formal procedures are hard to initiate and maintain.

He pointed out that “the United Nations is always going to reflect the world” — for better or worse.

Moreover, “every time the U.N. decides to send in troops, it passes the hat and gets volunteers who don’t exactly strike fear in anyone’s heart. The U.N. volunteer troops mainly come from poor countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Uraguay, Jordan and others.

These U.N. troops “are not set up to fight a war,” he said. “Quite frankly, these countries use the United Nations service to professionalize their militaries — and they get paid” well for providing the troops.

Further, Davis said, “Peacekeeping works best where there’s peace to keep — and as a buffer and a deterrent.”

In the U.S., “we have to do a better job of explaining ourselves” and make the citizenry aware of the U.N.’s benefits to America, he noted.

He termed the U.S. the biggest donor — by far — to the U.N., with 22 percent of U.N. salaries paid by America and 25.9 percent of peacekeeping costs covered by the U.S.

“The U.S. also is the biggest deadbeat — the biggest country in arrears” to the U.N., Davis said. As a result, the Bangladeshis (U.N. peacekeepers) get paid late and are, understandably, hesitant to send in troops the next time” the U.N. calls for volunteers.

“All that said, I still think the future of the U.N. is very bright,” he said. With the U.S., “its largest contributor, the world’s superpower, I’m optimistic.”

On a personal note, Davis told of acting as “official note-taker” for former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (of Ghana) in a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush. Theoretically, at least, Davis said, “The U.N. is studiously apolitical,” so he was curious how the meeting between Annan and Bush would go.

To Davis’ relief, it went smoothly, with both leader agreeing on goal for peace in the crisis in Darfur and “some kind of outcome on world climate change, among other issues discussed.

“The president even said, ‘Kofi, I can’t work” with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and asked for his help, a request for which Annan agreed to help, Davis noted.

“The United Nations needs the United States. The United States created the United Nations. The U.S. is still the 800-pound gorilla” in the world.

After a pause, Davis asked, “Does the United States still need the U.N.? Maybe not, but if it’s smart, it will work with it” to make the resolution of international problems smoother.

“Sure, the U.N. is imperfect, reflecting the flavor of the world, but it can be a powerful force” to achieve good ends, Davis concluded.