The cost of doing nothing is immeasurable

The names and places associated with the atrocities that stain the world's recent history are only too well known: Guernica, Babi Yar, Sharpeville, Treblinka, Hiroshima, Halabja, Rwanda, Srebrenica and, more recently, Aleppo and Yemen, to name but a few. The memories of those who have suffered are as painful as the list is long.

After every new crime against humanity, we say "never again." Yet new names continue to be added to the list. Many conflicts have occurred not because we failed to see them coming - the signs of exclusion, marginalization, human rights violations and political, social and economic inequality are all too easy to see - but because we failed to respond early enough or quickly enough. The sad reality is that the choices we make or do not make can lead to conflict and violence. Today, on United Nations Day, we call upon everyone to ensure that no new...