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The UN in the service of all nations

Here at Princeton, we’re pretty close to New York. People always talk about taking the train to Grand Central for the weekend — not to mention the fact that all of our residential colleges frequently offer bus rides up to see Broadway shows. And in general, we’re all happy with our proximity to New York. It’s close but not too close.

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Despite the enviable proximity, I’d be willing to bet that not many students know what happened in New York on Sept. 13. It wasn’t a Kanye West concert or a hot-ticket showing of “Hamilton;” it was the opening of the 71st session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Or, more recently, would students even be aware of what happened last week on Oct. 6, when the Security Council formally nominated António Guterres as the next UN secretary general?

Maybe you saw something about GA Week on Snapchat when it was featured as a live story during that week. Maybe you didn’t. In any case, it is a big deal. It’s a time when world leaders from all over the globe come together in one building — one room — in New York and do something that they usually never do: Talk to each other and listen. Everyone from Barack Obama, Justin Trudeau, and the recently chosen British Prime Minister Theresa May to newly elected Brazilian President Michel Temer and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisimakes the trek to the UN Headquarters for GA Week. Even some A-list celebrities like George and Amal Clooney and Emma Watson attended.

International diplomats take this time to address some of the year’s most pressing issues and discuss possible solutions to the topics that have dominated the news for months. The ongoing international conflict in Syria along with the ensuing refugee crisis was a hot topic — along with the recent Brexit decision’s effects on the global community. But the assembly also focuses on larger, more long-term projects, such as the previous year’s Sustainable Development Goals, a universal effort by the member nations of the UN to reduce global poverty levels, protect the planet, and foster peace and welfare throughout the world. In a way, GA Week is a time to regroup, to assess the state of our world.

Undoubtedly the most pressing international situation, the expansive war in Syria, proved a contentious topic for the assembly of world leaders. The problem is complex and diverse, entailing not only the fight against the constant spread of ISIS but also the international community’s reaction to the Assad regime, the question of international involvement in Syria, and the most pressing refugee crisis since the outbreak of World War II. With the Summit for Refugees and Migrants, Leaders’ Summit on the Global Refugee Crisis, and Security Council meeting on the Syrian conflict, delegations spent much time discussing how to bring an end tothe carnage in Syria.

Some people don’t believe in the United Nations, calling it inefficient and unnecessary in today’s world. Some see the supranational organization as more of a bureaucratic formality than an organization of real substance. There seems to be a resounding cry, especially this year with the Brexit decision in the UK, against globalization and the such unifying organizations.

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In a world where nations sometimes forget how to interact with each other, the United Nations renews faith in a concept that some would call idealistic and irrational: diplomacy to combat our problems. The UN gives the countries of the world a place to meet, a place to talk, a place to cooperate.

Granted, it doesn’t come without problems. The organization is not perfect, but fundamentally, its ultimate purpose (redundant) is worthwhile. We need the UN, especially in a world that gets more complicated, contentious, and volatile with each day.

It’s up to us, the next generation, to maintain interest in what goes on at the UN, in what these world leaders discuss and propose and argue. But it’s not enough to simply pay attention and listen. Get involved. If we want to make tangible change to any one of our global problems, we need to make our voices heard. So get involved in any way you can, whether that be spreading awareness about a cause or taking a more direct, pointed approach towards resolving an issue. Because the UN and any organization for that matter truly succeeds when it gains the support and enthusiasm of the people.

Diplomacy is hard; it’s a game of inches. However small or seemingly meaningless those inches, though, it’s a continuous effort. Maybe, just maybe, we can do something to make those inches mean a little more.

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Kaveh Badrei is a freshman from Houston, Texas. He can be reached at kbadrei@princeton.edu.