Letter no 2 from the chairman of ISCI to the Secretary General at the UN regarding the nervos system
30.7.2015
His Excellency, Mr Ban Ki moon
United Nations Secretary General
UN Headquarters
First Avenue at 46th Street August 2015
New York, NY 10017
USA
Excellency,
I am writing this letter to offer my sincerest thanks to you and your colleagues at the UN for your
declaration, in Chapter 26 of your report “Transforming Our World”, that the UN is committed to the
prevention and treatment of neurological diseases. This move by the UN is of great benefit for all
humanity, as the international neurological sciences community desperately needs the help of the
international community in order to improve treatment and seek cures. Up to a billion people suffer
from neurological damage and diseases, and neurological disorders are becoming increasingly
common. The next major breakthroughs in medicine will most likely be in the area of neurology, and
this commitment by the UN will help pave the way for a knowledge revolution that will lead to major
advances. As you know, lack of knowledge is the reason for the current difficulties in treating and
curing neurological disorders.
I would furthermore like to thank you and your colleagues for Goal 3.6 in your Development
Goals. That is also a very positive commitment. No organ system sustains more damage in
automobile accidents than the nervous system, e.g. the spine and brain, and the nervous system is
the organ system that can cause the most disability. By reducing the number of automobile accidents
and supporting international neurological research, we can, with time, greatly reduce disability on a
global scale. You and your colleagues at the UN, along with Mr. Jean Todt, president of FIA, are to be
commended for your efforts.
As you know, I am a mother who has supported her paralysed daughter for many years, dealing
with all the attendant mental and physical complications. Armed with motherly love, I have strived
for many years to get Icelandic authorities and the Icelandic people to join my campaign for
increased awareness of neurological disorders. The effort has been successful beyond all
expectations, as can be seen in my letter to you dated 5 November 2014 and the letter to you from
over 25,000 Icelanders, dated 15 June of last year. Icelandic authorities have promised me that they
will raise global awareness of neurological disorders, and I harbour the hope that the UN will lead the
way in a global initiative to increase knowledge of the nervous system. Knowledge is a prerequisite of
progress.
Finally, I wish you and your colleagues at the UN good luck in carrying out your demanding work.
I especially want to thank Mrs. Amina J. Mohammed for her positive and kind words for my and me
daughter in her letter to me, dated 24 November 2014.
Sincerely yours,
Auður Guðjónsdóttir ( sign)
Chairman Institute Spinal Cord injury, Iceland
Nesbala 56, 170 Seltjarnarnes Iceland
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Tel: 354 562 4924 354 897 4925.
