---beginning of world war three?
By Alhaji Alhasan Abdulai
The United Nations was established after the world war two on 24 October 1945 to prevent another such conflict and to ensure cooperation, peace and stability in the World. However recent developments reveal that the UN is faced with challenges emanating from the ‘daily extinction’ of many people through various human activities. This situation is so bad that some people have a feeling that the world is drifting to or already in world war three.
The attempts by many migrants from Libya, Syria, Iraq and other nations to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe has caused many of them to die after some hired rickety boats in which they venture to travel to Europe capsize midway. As a result it is estimated that about half a million refugees’ being assisted by ‘travel agents’ to cross to European nations of Greece, Germany, Spain and others have lost their lives. This number does not include those who die in civil war conflicts across the world and those who die from suicide bombs in Arab nations and Africa.
The movement of the refugees across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe has led to disagreements between leaders and citizens of the European Union. Since many of the migrants are victims of wars in Libya, Iraq, Syria and other Arab nations the European Union nations are required by the UN to accommodate the teeming numbers of the refugees coming to their nations.
However some of the European nations seem to disagree with the position with some of the nations feeling that most of the refugees are economic migrants who deserve no dignity. Even though some of the EU nations might wish to accept more refugees their citizens are opposed to it because they feel the refugees would damage the welfare system in the EU. However leaders of some of the European nations such as Germany are ready to accommodate the political refugees from Syria and other warring nations. Due to many factors, It looks like the problem of migration to Europe would not go away anytime soon.
Apart from The conflicts in the Arab nations that lead to many people escaping to move to Europe, some people from Asian nations and Africa where a large number of people are unemployed also move through deserts to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea.
As a result the UN Secretary General feels frustrated. Ban ki moon is crying out daily to the world leaders to assist him deal with the wars and the migration problems. According to the UN although the situation is serious, the European Union nations have no right to turn away any refugees who are moving into their countries. This position by the UN although appropriate has posed a problem for some nations of Europe especially those nations preferred by the refugees.
To address the worsening migration crisis, and work in line with the UN protocol the executive arm of the European Union has decided to prepare and submit a proposal to distribute migrants across the 28-member bloc, a plan meant to stabilize the situation. But that would definitely be accepted with mixed feelings by the EU nationals. However the EU has no choice for that is what the world through the UN expect from the European nations
While the UN is putting pressure on the EU nations to accept the refugees in their nations, the world body has a duty to do the following to solve the problem;
The UN and world community must reconsider the causes of the numerous internal conflicts in the Arab and Middle East nations concerned. This way the UN would be able to deal with the conflicts especially in Libya, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan that lead to large number of people leaving their nations to Europe. .
The UN and the world community should also help address the economic problems leading to unemployment in Asia and African countries. This way the world body would succeed in helping these nations to provide opportunities for job openings in Africa and Asia. If this is done the world body would help in controlling the flow of large number of migrants to Europe where they are manhandled by citizens of their host nations in Europe.
Executive Director
EANFOWORLD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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