Peace requires the united effort of all of us. Who can foresee what spark can light the fuse?

A profound 1963 speech at the UN by a visionary world leader

(Plus an exciting announcement at the end of the article!)

Until the philosophy that sustains a superior and inferior race is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned –  until there are no first and second class citizens of any nation, until the colour of a man's skin is no more important than the colour of his eyes, until basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all regardless of race – until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality, will remain a fleeting illusion, searched for but never reached. Haile Selassie I (1963, United Nations 18th Session speech)

Ethiopia once had a great leader who envisioned a world free from war. In 1963 Haile Selassie I of the still beleaguered nation of Ethiopia addressed the Eighteenth Session of the United Nations assembly on behalf of the world’s people. He called for World Peace, a remembrance of our common humanity, and a human race that could work together in harmony against fascistic manipulations.

If only Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the current Director-General of the World Health Organisation, was like his visionary countryman. Imagine how much better the world might now be.

The sentiments expressed in this speech about working together to stop war and conflict by Haile Selassie are extremely relevant to today, as we see fuelled conflicts escalating and false flag attacks anticipated.

Though Selassie’s perspective strongly highlighted the African experience of conflict and exploitation through colonisation, it is clear that what the people of Africa and other resource rich regions have been subjected to over centuries has been a process towards the colonisation of humanity as a whole.

It’s an uncomfortable place to be in, to realise that the globalists have the whole World and its children in their sights. The battlefield has been brought home. Thus, fostering peace within and between peoples has to begin in our own hearts.

Interestingly, Selassie held out high hopes for the United Nations, as a replacement for the discredited League of Nations.

Excerpts from Haile Selassie’s 1963 speech

Haile Selassie I (1963): Twenty seven years ago, as Emperor of Ethiopia, I went up to the rostrum in Geneva, Switzerland, to address the League of Nations and request aid for the destruction that had been unleashed by the fascist invader against my defenceless nation. So I spoke to and for the conscience of the world. My words were not heard, but history bears witness to the correctness of the warning I gave in 1936.

In 1936 I declared that it was not the League Alliance that was at stake, but international morality. Promises, I said then, are of little value if you lack the will to maintain them.

The Charter of the United Nations proclaims the noblest aspirations of Man: renouncing the use of force to resolve differences between States, the guarantee of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms for all without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, the safe-guarding of international Peace and security.

But these were simply phrases of the covenant. They were just words. Their value depends wholly on our will to fulfil and honour them and give them content and meaning.

The preservation of peace and the guarantee of Man’s basic freedoms and rights require courage and continuous vigilance: courage to speak and act - and, if necessary, to suffer and die, for truth and justice. Continuous vigilance, that even the smallest violation of international morality shall not go undetected and un-remedied. These lessons must be learned anew by each future generation, and that generation is fortunate indeed which learns from others rather than from its own bitter experience. This Organisation and each of its members has a crushing and awesome responsibility: absorb the wisdom of history and apply it to current problems, so that future generations may be born, live and die in peace. Should we fail to achieve this goal, we condemn the coming generations to inherit the tragedy of our time.

[…] Until this is established, humanity's future remains in jeopardy and permanent Peace a matter of speculation.

I will briefly mention today two specific matters that are of deep concern to all Man: military disarmament and the establishment of true equality among men.

Military disarmament has become the urgent imperative of our time. I do not say this because I believe that the absence of arms is synonymous with Peace; or because I believe that ending the nuclear arms race automatically guarantees Peace; or because the elimination of nuclear warheads from the world's arsenals will bring in its wake that change in the attitude required for the peaceful settlement of disputes between nations. Disarmament is vital today simply due to the immense destructive capacity which men now possess.

[…]

The goal of the equality of man that we seek is the antithesis of the exploitation of one people by another of which the pages of history, and particularly those written about the African and Asian continents, speak about.[…]

[…] until the philosophy that sustains a superior and inferior race is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned –  until there are no first and second class citizens of any nation, until the colour of a Man's skin is no more important than the colour of his eyes, until basic Human Rights are equally guaranteed to all regardless of race – until that day, the dream of lasting Peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality, will remain a fleeting illusion, searched for but never reached.

[…]Until intolerance and prejudice and malicious and inhuman selfishness have been replaced by understanding, tolerance and goodwill, until all […] stand up and speak like free human beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of heaven, until that day, we will not know peace.[…].

Here’s the link to the Bob Marley song ‘War’, which draws inspiration from Selassie’s words.

Bob Marley’s famous song ‘War’ was based on Haille Selassie’s 1963 UN speech. Link at the end of the article.

The basis of racial discrimination and colonialism has been economic […].

The great nations of the World would do well to remember that in modern times not even their own destiny is in their hands. Peace requires the united effort of all of us. Who can foresee what spark can light the fuse?

We must become something we have never been and for which our education and experience and environment have poorly prepared us. We must be bigger than we've ever been: bravest, bigger in spirit and clearer in perspective. We must be members of a new race, overcoming small prejudices, because our ultimate loyalty is not to stocks but to our fellow men within the Human community.

Final reflections…

Coming across Selassie’s speech is just another reminder to me that everything we need to navigate these times safely and wisely has already been written, said and sung! We just need to listen to the many prophets, sages, and wise men and women who have come before us, many of whom found their wisdom in Nature and quietude, to guide us to our Better World.

Lastly and hot off the press!!! I am excited to reveal that WCH Ethiopia has now been activated. Below is their logo. You can subscribe to the World Council for Health newsletter and/or Substack media to receive more good news and updates on WCH as we expand and decentralise to safeguard health and sovereignty for all countries and people!