United Nations, UN, 79. For peace and security, human rights, sustainable development, international law. With 193 member sovereign states. Through the General Assembly, Security Council Economic and Social Council, International Court of Justice, UN Secretariat. The Trusteeship Council was suspended in 1994. UN System includes Specialized Agencies – World Bank Group; World Health Organization; UNESCO; UNICEF; UNIDO; Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO; International Civil Aviation Organizations, ICAO; International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD; International Labour Organization, ILO; International Maritime Organization, IMO; IMF; ITU; World Tourism Organization, WTO; Universal Postal Union, UPU; World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO; World Meteorological Organization, WMO. UNDP; UNEP; UN Capital Dev Fund, UNCDF; UN Population Fund, UNFPA; UN-HABITAT; UNV; UN Women; World Food Programme; UNHCR; UNAIDS; UNCTAD. NGOs with consultative status with various agencies. WTO, IAEA are connected but operate independently of the UN. Chief Administrative Officer is Secretary General.
On one hand, the UN is considered not as effective as one wanted it to be. Demands to reorganize the Security Council, with a permanent seat given to India, are also mounting.
World Development Information. For equal political, economic, social and cultural rights for all members of society. For sustained improvement in the wellbeing of the individual, and bestow benefits on all. Still, undue privileges, extremes of wealth, social injustice persist, and development fails. There is a need to invest towards addressing these. In terms of multiple literacy portfolios for all, resources, infrastructure, architecture, connectivity, relevance, policy, capacity et al. Inclusive, participatory.
Artist. Engaged in creating, performing, and practicing art. Writers, Actors may be artists but not referred to as such commonly. Crafts persons, artisans, and aesthetic workers included. More intellectual than manual skills. Long-term practice is the way to master. The majority are self-employed. Many may have a second job. Income from art is about Rs.5 lakh a year to the artist on an average. There are extraordinary, master artists with their incomes going 1000 times this. On the other hand, every job is a work of art, or a hybrid of science and art. Can we become 7L artists – management, leadership, learning, participation et al?
We are 8.2 Billion people, with a net annual growth rate of 0.9%. We seem to be spending 10% of GDP on healthcare, 5% on education, and 7% on defence, annually. 10% people are malnourished; >20% overweight/obese. 10% still do not have access to safe drinking water. We eat 2800 calories a day, 20% more than the requirement. 0.1 meal is wasted a day. We smoke 2 cigarettes a day. We drink 1.5 litres of alcohol a week. 6 Billion people use cell phones and most of them use the internet too. Our pace has increased and is increasing. We are making 1000% more decisions than our grandparents. Maybe it is not necessary. We are talking more. Our working time, physical, has reduced by more than 50%. We are writing less. Texting more. Less text more times.
These are averages. World is more skewed than we can imagine on most fronts. 1:10^6. Can we be more equitable? Can we be more kind? Can we let go of ‘all material’, wealth, power, control, and ego?
Yes, we can. If we coexist, keep flowing usefully together. In N? sampuyoga for 7L.
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