Général de Gaulle once made a famous comment on the United Nations (UN), calling it a useless “grand machin”. Yet, in the Internet era, in a world where “bold decisions have never been so necessary”, to paraphrase secretary general Kofi Annan, the need for such an organization seems greater than ever before. More important, its action has been proved in many fields and needs to be better known.

The UN is celebrating its 60th birthday this year and its importance has not diminished. For this anniversary, special activities are going on this month. The coming week will be of particular interest as we approach UN Day, on October 24. One highlight is the Interactive Roundtable on the UN for college and university students to be held on Friday. Organized with the University of Mauritius, in collaboration with the Association of Former International Civil Servants (AFICS) at Octave Wiehé Auditorium, this round table will be the opportunity not only for students but also for the public at large to learn more on the current activities of the UN, notably in Mauritius, and on its agencies. The UN system will be presented by speakers like C. Flore (UN structures and agencies) or C.N. Bissoonauthsing (World Health Organization); without forgetting Mariam Gopaul/C.Dalais (UNICEF) or Philippe Hein (UNCTAD/IMF/ World Bank) who will be there to share their UN experience.

The roundtable, from 1 p.m to 3 p.m will be followed by an exhibition on UN agencies and programmes. The event will be launched in the presence of the UN Resident co-ordinator, Aase Smedler, AFICS-Mauritius secretary-general, the Vice-chancellor of the University of Mauritius, and, as guest of honour, the minister of Education and Human Resources, Dharam Gokool.

Yesterday, the International Day for the eradication of poverty was marked by an exhibition on poverty initiatives and a panel discussion in Rodrigues. Mrs Aase Smedler was present for the inauguration.