World Unity (ctd 3)

International unity key to tackling swine flu threat, Ban says

Global solidarity is critical if a pandemic of swine flu is indeed imminent, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, as he made an unscheduled press appearance to lay out the rapid United Nations response to the new threat.

“The swine flu outbreak shows yet again that, in our interconnected world, no nation can deal with threats of such dimension on its own,” Mr. Ban said, stressing that it is the first test of the pandemic preparedness work the community of nations has been undertaking in the past three years.

Mr. Ban emphasized that the UN system is responding quickly and effectively, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the head of which was in constant contact with him, as well as other senior UN officials.

A WHO emergency committee has been set up as the front line against the deadly new swine influenza A (H1N1) which has broken out in Mexico, the United States, Spain and Canada and is currently meeting to determine the pandemic alert level that should be declared.

Announcing that the World Bank and other UN development and humanitarian agencies will provide funding to countries needing additional resources to combat an epidemic, Mr. Ban declared that the poorer nations must not be hit disproportionately hard by a potential health crisis.

“So far, our response has been an example of multilateral cooperation at its best. I am confident that it will continue to be so,” he said.

www.un.org 27 April 2009


Without the spirit the world of mankind is lifeless, and without this light the world of mankind is in utter darkness. For the world of nature is an animal world. Until man is born again from the world of nature -- that is to say, becomes detached from the world of nature, he is essentially an animal, and it is the teachings of God which convert this animal into a human soul...

In fine, such teachings are numerous. These manifold principles, which constitute the greatest basis for the felicity of mankind and are of the bounties of the Merciful, must be added to the matter of Universal Peace and combined with it, so that results may accrue. Otherwise the realization of Universal Peace in the world of mankind is difficult. As the teachings of His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh are combined with Universal Peace, they are like a table provided with every kind of fresh and delicious food. Every soul can find at that table of infinite bounty that which he desires. If the question is restricted to Universal Peace alone, the remarkable results which are expected and desired will not be attained. The scope of Universal Peace must be such that all the communities and religions may find their highest wish realized in it. At present the teachings of His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh are such that all the communities of the world, whether religious, political or ethical, ancient or modern, find in the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh the expression of their highest wish.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, pp. 30-31