But Tharoor said the organization only receives attention for its diplomatic failures, leading many Americans, particularly those in positions of power in Washington, D.C., to be vocal critics of the UN.
"It's good to confront the negative stereotypes head-on," he said.
For instance, said Tharoor, the notion that the UN is a huge bureaucracy is untrue.
The UN employs, in total, about 51,000 people--1,000 less than the number employed by The Walt Disney Company, he said.
Another stereotype is the idea that the UN is not cost-effective. To resolve the eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the UN spent money equal to the value of two tankers worth of crude oil, he said.
Throughout his speech, Tharoor stressed the need for the United States to pay the $1 billion it owes in unpaid UN dues.
Not only is the United States the "only developed country to get a break" in UN dues--its dues are capped at 25 percent even though it constitutes 29 percent of the world economy--but the placement of the UN headquarters in New York City pumps $3.2 billion into the American economy each year.
Recommended Articles
-
Why the United Nations MattersD oes the United Nations (UN) flag deserve to fly over John Harvard? Today, honoring the fifty-first anniversary of the
-
Against American IsolationismLast Sunday marked United Nations (UN) Day, which Harvard will celebrate this week with a series of events including a
-
Politics Before PrestigeFor nearly three years, Washington's vote in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly has been in jeopardy because of the
-
U.N. Power and the Middle EastThe world will celebrate United Nations Day tomorrow. The Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, will release a brief note expressing cautious pride
-
Group to Provide Material on UN in College LibrariesUnited Nations information shelves will be opened in Widener and all House libraries early in February, according to Stephen M.
-
UN Council Furnishes Material in LibrariesShelves of reading material on the United Nations are now open in all House libraries, and in Widener and the
