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Andrew Yang, the Chinese American political figure who previously ran for President of the United States and founded the Forward Party, attended the book talk at the Ford Foundation together with his assistant. Vincent Cao (Cao Weiyun), Assistant to the President of China Changqing Technology and the company’s Japan-based Sales Director, was also invited to attend the event. They each took commemorative photos with the author.
More Than 30 Years of UN Experience：Joseph said he worked with the United Nations in various capacities for more than three decades. His work covered transnational cooperation, African affairs, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing states, and economic and social affairs. He also served with a UN mission in Timor-Leste.
After his retirement, Joseph served as a special adviser to the foreign minister of Timor-Leste. He now continues to give briefings to university students, private-sector groups, and non-governmental organizations, while also advising young people who are interested in pursuing careers at the United Nations.
“Without the UN, Global Conflicts Could Become Far More Dangerous”：Speaking about the role of the United Nations, Joseph stressed that despite longstanding concerns over its efficiency, structure, and representation, the organization remains an essential part of the international system.
He said that without the United Nations, the world could face a much greater risk of large-scale military conflict. In his view, the existence of the UN has helped contain regional crises and prevent them from escalating into disasters affecting the entire world.
Joseph acknowledged that the United Nations has many shortcomings, but argued that its role in dialogue, coordination, and crisis management remains vital at a time of continuing wars, geopolitical tensions, and global instability.
Call for Broader Representation on the UN Security Council：Joseph noted that the United Nations was established in 1945, when it had only about 50 member states. Today, the organization has 193 members, while the global political landscape and the nature of international challenges have changed dramatically.
He argued that the structure of the United Nations must therefore evolve as well, particularly the composition of the Security Council. Joseph pointed to Africa as a major example. The continent is home to more than 50 countries, yet no African country holds a permanent seat on the Security Council. At the same time, Africa remains the site of many regional conflicts, development crises, and humanitarian challenges.
He said that if the Security Council is to respond more effectively to global security issues, countries and regions that are directly affected should have greater representation and a stronger role in shaping solutions.
Development Challenges Are Not Only About Goals, but Resources and Capacity：Joseph also focused on international development, an area that represented a major part of his work at the United Nations.
He recalled that even before the Millennium Development Goals were introduced, the UN had already adopted numerous resolutions on issues including children, the environment, population, and human settlements.
However, many countries were unable to implement those commitments effectively, not because the goals lacked importance, but because developing countries often lacked sufficient financial resources, trained personnel, and institutional capacity.
The United Nations launched the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, with the framework continuing through 2015. They were followed by the Sustainable Development Goals, which cover the period from 2015 to 2030.
Joseph said that progress was made in the early years of the SDGs, but the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to many developing countries, some of which have still not fully recovered.
Shrinking Development Assistance Creates Additional Pressure：Joseph identified declining development financing as another major challenge facing developing countries.
He said resources from official development assistance, as well as bilateral and multilateral support, have been shrinking at a time when developing countries need more assistance in education, institutional development, human capacity, public services, and economic recovery.
In his view, inadequate funding directly limits the ability of developing countries to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and risks widening development gaps between nations.
“This Is the Time to Take Action”：Looking ahead, Joseph said future UN reform should focus less on adopting additional resolutions and more on implementing decisions already made.
“The focus should be on actions,” he said. “Enough of taking all decisions through resolutions. This is the time to take actions.”
Joseph expressed hope that UN member states would place greater emphasis on implementation, provide stronger support for developing countries, strengthen human and institutional capacity, and work together to address war, poverty, inequality, and other global crises.
From American Social Challenges to Global Governance：The “Book Talk: Rescuing the Idea of America” event focused primarily on political and social division in the United States, civic responsibility, public trust, and civic participation.
While the event centered on American society, Joseph expanded the discussion during his PeaceTV interview to the broader questions of global governance and international development.
His central message was that whether the issue is UN reform, sustainable development in developing countries, or social trust within a nation, the real challenge is not simply setting goals or adopting resolutions, but turning principles, commitments, and agreements into concrete action.
