I think it’s time to tell the world to consider moving the United Nations headquarters to Canada. I do not write this as an attempt at wry wit or with any other humour intended. I say this with sincerity.
It has been awhile since I went to New York City but not that long. I can tell you that the renovations to the United Nations building are ongoing and will be never ending until they build a new one. It is time to do just that. The old one was built in 1952. Think of the innovations and technology that could be put into a new building complex like that today.
Few people know that Canada has put forward proposals to locate the United Nations Headquarters here in Canada several times in its history. Two specific locations; one on Navy Island near Niagara Falls and one in the dockland area of Montreal, were put forward with detailed plans. Each time the proposals were rejected.
I suggest that Canada once again marshal a proposal. Neither of those previous two locations should be put forward as potential locations but rather an area in the far north. An area first discussed and agreed to with Aboriginal First Nations as well as all other souls. A place in northern Canada would function well in an atmosphere of respect for humanity and the earth.
Today the United Nations is borderline if not completely dysfunctional. The majority of delegates that come to New York come to party and soak up the night life under the guise of having to unwind after working long hours for peaceful resolutions. If the U.N. headquarters were located in a remote area, away from nightclubs and parties, I would wager a great deal more work would get done.
Constructing a building as complex as the United Nations would be a challenge, but what an opportunity it could be to build a place that would be a beacon of self-reliant clean energy and recycling. An environment that would not just inspire a better stewardship of the earth, but demand it.
A location like that would drive the potential for comprise. A place like that would make the exercise of compromise fly and thrive like no other. An environment where world peace could be envisioned and made real.
Security would not be as great a challenge because unauthorized access would be daunting for any would be trouble maker.
Have you ever been to the UN headquarters? I can tell you first-hand that when you stand on the corner of East 42nd Street and First Avenue, you feel a gamut of emotions ranging from the excitement of being in a vibrant, lively place to real concerns for your safety. How do you think a 30-something UN delegate feels as he or she tours around on an expense account without fear of even a parking ticket due to their diplomatic immunity? Whatever they would be thinking, I doubt that dedicating themselves to world peace would be top of mind.
Now imagine standing before a beautiful forest setting or a pristine mountain. A place like that would inspire peace, compromise and an understanding that there is far more to the world than someone’s self centred backyard.
Canada is the only country in the world that can provide a place like that. We could build such a place with corruption no worse than any other country and in many cases less. We have so much land, so much space and so much potential. We could spare a great deal of land, providing it is truly put to good use and that it is respectful to the environment. Think of the innovation and technology we could apply to erecting a place that could be so much more than the place the United Nations has now.
Canada is a country like no other in the world. We are a living United Nations. We have more cultures, more religions, more ethnic groups, more languages and more understanding than any other country on earth. Why wouldn’t anyone believe that the United Nations could work better here?
Ask a Realtor the three most important things of where a person lives and works and he’ll say location, location, location.
Come on. Let’s get to work. Let’s fix the world from here.
Heino Molls is publisher of REM. Email [email protected].
