Fights against entrenched and powerful forces are sometimes waged from highly improbable places. As a case in point: Brian Concannon is taking on the United Nations from the sanctuary of a quiet former convent in Andrew Square.
Concannon runs the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, an advocacy group for legal rights for Haitians. The institute’s current fight, one that is garnering worldwide attention, is for the UN to take responsibility for the scourge of cholera unleashed in Haiti after the earthquake of January 2010.
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Having the UN pay for the aftermath of the cholera epidemic is a microcosm of wrongheaded policy that is rampant in that poor country. Haiti's GDP depends on 40% of its total from Haiti's who live outside the country. Billions have been poured into the nation by NGOs and with little to show for it. If anything, life has worsened not improved with this intervention. President Clinton and Dr. Farmer in reflective moments have made this clear. Unless Haiti's citizens who hoard their money or do not have the impetus to seek collective solutions to major public projects, Haiti will remain a failed nation. Public health, public transportation, a national energy grid, safe water, productive agriculture, living wages become more of a reality, the back door non successful attempts to receive funds to foster a chaotic and non progressive establishment of some decent social order will continue. I suggest Mr. Walker, if he has not already done so, to make a visit to Haiti, and I am sure he will have a more sobering view of what is going on.
The UN has turned a corner. They do more harm than good. When was the last time the UN did anything that helped anyone but themselves? I'm all for a world organization but the UN is not it. There won't be one until they have members who are elected by the people.