KANSAS CITY, Mo — In the wake of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, the United Nations Association of Greater Kansas City (UNA-GKC) has been at the forefront of efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In order to support the UN's vital work and principles, the UNA-GKC works to educate, inspire and mobilize the Greater Kansas City Area. It also works to promote positive U.S. leadership, strengthen the UN system, and advance the UN Charter's objectives. The UNA-GKC serves members in western Missouri and eastern Kansas.
“The United Nations Association is a voluntary organization. We have about 20,000 members across the country, and basically, we advocate for strong and constructive American leadership and participation in the United Nations and its humanitarian programs," said Jay Sjerven, president emeritus of the UNA-GKC.
The Israel-Hamas War has taken a devastating toll on the Gaza Strip, leaving millions of Palestinians in dire need of basic necessities — including food, medicine and shelter. The region has been under strict blockade, with limited access to vital supplies.
“We have two-and-a-half million people in a very small area. And the question is, how can you carry out an assault on Hamas without killing many, many more thousands of innocent civilians?" Sjerven said. "So that's a real difficult conundrum that the world is facing. But we do know, and we can agree at the very minimum, that children shouldn't pay the price, that they have to be fed, they have to be sheltered, they have to be clothed, and that is incumbent upon us to provide those necessary resources.”
On Saturday, the efforts of many global humanitarian relief advocacy groups came into fruition as the Gaza Corridor officially reopened, allowing a significant flow of humanitarian aid to enter the strip. This marked a critical point in addressing the crisis and bringing much-needed relief to those who have been suffering on Palestinian territory. Sjerven said it's the resources coming into the region as the only hope many there have.
“I mean the devastation that is wrought you know is cataclysmic. You can't and the thing the important thing to understand about the Palestinians who live in Gaza they've got no place else to go," Sjerven said. "The Egyptians don't want them. Other Arab countries don't want them. They're kind of there because they have to be there. And they're trying to make their homes under very difficult conditions. They have this Hamas group that is using them as shields for all of its vicious ventures against the state of Israel and the Israeli people. So yeah, they're in a real pickle.”
The UNA-GKC is hosting its 52nd Annual Mayor's UN Day Dinner event on Monday, Oct. 30. It's an annual event in which the city of KC expresses its support for the creation of the United Nations and for the humanitarian work it undertakes.
