While dashing through the lobby of Portage's Written Word Treasury, otherwise known as the Portage Public Library, my step was halted at the sight of the informational display in the center of the floor.

I learned then that Sept. 21 was United Nations International Day of Peace. I smiled at the sight of the peace display, and chose the privilege of this column to express my appreciation to Amy Bedessum, the reference librarian at the library, for her attractive and important reminder that peace is still a sought-after goal, and that the United Nations was founded in that pursuit. Thank you, Amy, and the Portage Public Library.

The United Nations is sometimes called "The Town Meeting of the World." It acts as a place where countries can meet to discuss their differences peacefully. It is not a world government or a military order, although it has the right to enforce its decisions.

The United Nations was organized in 1945, at the end of World War II - a war in which more than 50 nations were involved and battles were fought in almost every part of the world. It killed an estimated 22 million armed forces members and civilians. World War II cost more, damaged more and affected more people than any previous war.

On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered. Japan surrendered in September 1945. People, most of whom had experienced the brutality and deprivation of war, were hungry for peace, and had a determination not to repeat the mistakes of World War I that had led to World War II.

A conference of 51 countries met in San Francisco on April 25, 1945, and prepared a charter for the United Nations. The organization was born Oct. 24, 1945.

The preamble to the United Nations Charter reads in part: "We, the people of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women, and of nations, large and small, and other sources of international law can be maintained ... to live together in peace with another as good neighbors."

The United Nations is attempting to give small nations a voice in world affairs that is equal to the one possessed by the larger nations. Sounds fair to me.

It is also easy to understand why a large nation, which has created fictitious reasons to invade a small country, does not speak highly of the United Nations. Others have compared the role of the United Nations to that of a school principal who stops the big kids from bullying and beating up the little kids on the playground.

The United Nations has kept many international disputes from developing into major wars within its role as mediator. In its earliest years, it had halted the 1949 Arab-Israeli war, terminated the Korean conflict in 1953, and the Suez Canal dispute in 1956. At this time, there are 15 United Nations ongoing peacekeeping missions around the world.

Specialized United Nations agencies are involved in social issues throughout the world, such as living standards, health and death statistics, education availability, agriculture, water and labor, naming only a few. The comparative health studies between countries is easily available, as it is published by the United Nations World Health Organization. It often shatters misconceptions.

Climate change is a global challenge that no single nation can resolve. The United Nation secretary general has pushed climate change to the forefront of its agenda. It is very disappointing that the U.S. continues to refuse to sign the Kyoto Protocol that addresses climate change as a worldwide problem.

The United Nations is funded by its members with the stipulation that no member be responsible for more than 30 percent of the budget. The U.S. pays less than that. As the world's greatest economic power, the U.S. has failed to pay its dues on time, or in full. It is an international embarrassment.

In viewing the world about us, it is time for the United States to recommit to the guiding principles of the United Nations, and acknowledge that it is the only organization available in solving world problems in which nations can work together, within common goals, in the search for the common good.

Blanche Murtagh is a longtime Portage resident and activist who has had many of her stories published.