A talk about The United Nations

Sergio Núñez Guzmán

Ladies and gentlemen

When I received the invitation to speak about The United Nations, I did not practically know anything about it.

This organization is in some other places and I am here. Why I must learn what The United Nations are doing? After that, I thought, I am a member of a family, I am not alone, and my family is a human family. What happens to another human being can also happen to me. If men have peace, freedom and justice, my own family and I will have peace, freedom and justice, so this is The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. How can I live without these foundations? It is impossible.

            I use to travel in the metrobus, and I see so many children on the streets selling newspapers, candies or whatever they can. In Mexico, we have some organizations to take care of them, but in Africa or even in South America where children must go to school, in order to learn Spanish they are punished because they talk Guarani, an Indian language. They are unable to cope with a new language, so they can not learn how to speak Spanish. As a result, children are discouraged, they do not go back to school. And I ask myself: what happens with my family? Here and now I am looking at a childish face, this girl is wearing an Indian dress. She should be at school, but why she is not? Where is the rule of law? And I consider all these things are of concern to me.

            The UNICEF as part of the UNESCO works to change this situation. Theirs representatives met with the Guarani people and Bolivian officers. And they started a new school programme to give the Guarani children a chance to learn two languages, Guarani and Spanish.

            The situation has totally changed, as one parent wrote to the UN, “Our children now learn more and better. Finally they can express themselves freely without being punished for speaking their own language.” I saw the little girl, and I said, could she speak Spanish? Do we need the UNESCO to make some changes in the social and cultural policies? I hope not, but. . .

Thanks.

Sergio Núñez Guzmán