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international

United Nations at 80:
success stories

worth

remembering

As the United Nations celebrates its 80th electoral monitors, and civilian staff to ensure
anniversary, the organization stands at a a peaceful transition. Namibia became fully
crossroads. It has been criticized for inefficiency, independent in March 1990.
bureaucracy, and failure to act decisively in times
of crisis. Yet, focusing solely on the shortcomings Then–UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de
risks obscuring the very real successes that the Cuéllar described the moment as:
UN has delivered over eight decades. At its “A triumph not only for the Namibian people but
best, the UN has shown that cooperation across for the principle that the will of a people cannot be
borders can transform societies, save lives, and denied indefinitely.”
set global standards. Here are some of the most
significant achievements. Eradication of Smallpox
If ever there was a global success story, it is the
The End of Apartheid in South Africa eradication of smallpox. With the UN’s World
One of the United Nations’ proudest moments Health Organization leading the charge, a
came with the dismantling of apartheid. For worldwide vaccination campaign was launched
years, the UN imposed sanctions, mobilized in the 1960s. By 1980, smallpox was declared
international pressure, and gave a global voice eradicated—the first human disease ever to be
to the anti-apartheid movement. Its observer eliminated.
mission in 1994 supported South Africa’s first
free and democratic elections, where Nelson As WHO Director-General Halfdan Mahler put
Mandela was elected president. it when the eradication was certified:
“The world and all its peoples have won freedom
Mandela himself acknowledged the role of the from smallpox — the most devastating disease
UN: since the Black Death.”
“The United Nations played a leading role in the
struggle against apartheid. Without the support of Peacekeeping in Conflict Zones
the international community, our freedom would Peacekeeping has often been controversial, but
have come at a much greater cost.” there are undeniable successes. In Cambodia
in the early 1990s, UN operations helped end
Namibia’s Independence decades of conflict and organized democratic
Namibia’s path to independence had been long elections. In West Africa, missions in Liberia and
and painful, under South African occupation Sierra Leone brought stability after brutal civil
since the First World War. The United Nations wars, allowing war-torn societies to rebuild.
made Namibia’s sovereignty a priority for
decades, adopting resolutions and condemning Kofi Annan, who began his UN career in
the illegal occupation. peacekeeping, once said:
“Peacekeeping is not a soldier’s job, but only a
In 1989–1990, the UN Transition Assistance soldier can do it. When it works, it saves countless
Group (UNTAG) deployed peacekeepers, lives and offers hope where there was none.”

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