Accra, Oct. 26, GNA - Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso of the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA) on Tuesday said the United Nations (UN) could only lead in combating terrorism if it ensured peace and stability through equity in the international division of labour. He said one country or an individual should not lead the UN in the fight against terrorism, but the world body should rather be the leader in the campaign through a "proper global architecture".
Dr Antwi-Danso was speaking at a symposium to mark this year's 59th United Nations Day celebration in Accra under the theme: "Maintenance of International Peace and Security Against the Growing Threats of Terrorism - The Role of the United Nations."
He said, even though, terrorism was not a new phenomenon in international politics, it had now taken on a new dimension that defied solution.
Explaining what he called "global architecture" instituted by the UN in 1945, Dr Antwi-Danso said this consisted of four main pillars, the United Nations Organization, that ensured peace and security in the world and the IMF that ensured global liquidity and managed world finances.
The other two were the World Bank that ensured reconstruction of war ravaged Europe and assisted developing countries and the International Trade Organization that saw to order and equity in world trade.
"However, that global architecture put in place after the Second World War to ensure peace and security is no longer able to cope with the magnitude of its new remit, because of unilateralism; the cold war, clash of civilizations and the fact that the UNO was not fully created," he said.
Dr Antwi-Danso, who defined terrorism as "an act or threat of violence against non-combatant targets with the objectives of exacting revenge, intimidation or otherwise influencing an audience" said it raised several ethical questions, "The debate shall never end until we know, who really is a terrorist and whether other alternatives cannot be employed to address political issues. The usual clich=E9 is that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."
Mr Ahmed Akpa, Acting UN Resident Coordinator, reading a statement by the UN Secretary-General said each nation needed a government that truly served its people in addition to an effective United Nations that could meet future challenges.
He said the UN would soon put before world leaders a package of measures to renew the Organization. "It will be up to your leaders to respond with vision and goodwill. They must find a common ground at a historic meeting this time next year."
