As the nations of the world adapt to life in the shadow of a global pandemic, and as countries lock their gates and their citizens in quarantine, now is the time to capitalize on what the United Nations' can offer. We are accustomed to criticizing UN institutions, and justifiably so, due to their hypocritical approach toward Israel and the dozens of unilateral resolutions adopted against it.
However, in times such as these, we must put criticisms and faults aside and focus on the advantages of the world's preeminent international body. UN institutions, particularly the World Health Organization, are proving that the UN is still the organization the world needs most to fight the coronavirus.
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In past pandemics, the limited movement of people between countries helped stunt their spread. Today, a virus that originated in a Chinese village is quickly spreading across the planet. The global nature of this attack obligates a unified and coordinated global response, and the UN is duty-bound to spearhead it. Naturally, every country is focused first and foremost on protecting its own citizens.
The UN, on the other hand, views the world as a global village without barriers. From its headquarters in New York and WHO offices in Geneva, the UN can assess the spread of the virus, allocate resources and issue universal directives to help halt the rate of infection. All these steps fall within the organization's declared reason for existing: To harmonizing the actions of countries to achieve the shared goals of global peace and security.
On the diplomatic front, now is the time to utilize our network of ambassadorial connections and relationships, in order to shorten bureaucratic processes and mobilize inter-governmental systems. Sharing knowledge at this juncture is critical. This is the time to focus on the essence, join hands and make progress on the research front. We are all hopeful that the teams of scientists currently laboring to develop a vaccine quickly will deliver good news. The UN must continue helping integrate these international efforts.
A global crisis necessitates a global response. We must utilize the UN's capabilities to defeat this virus. The most important value in Judaism is saving a life. With that in mind, we must contribute our knowledge and experience to help stop this virus that has changed the world.
