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	Value of collective security through multilateralism stressed at UN Summit by UN News / Project Syndicate / Toronto Star   17 September 2005   "UN Security Council needs to include more members from developing world, says Brazil". (UN News)   The Security Council suffers from a “democracy deficit” and needs to include more permanent and non-permanent members from Africa, Latin America and Asia, Brazil’s External Relations Minister Celso Amorim told the General Assembly today.   In an address to the first day of the General Debate of the General Assembly’s 60th session, being held at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Amorim said the composition of the Council’s current membership is a “perpetuation of imbalances that run contrary to the very spirit of multilateralism.”   At this week’s World Summit, Member States failed to agree on how to reform the Council but committed to keep working on the issue and to review their progress at the end of this year. Along with Germany, India and Japan, Brazil was a member of the so-called G-4 that expressed their desire during the lead-up to the Summit to become permanent members of the Council.   Mr. Amorim said no Council reform will be meaningful unless the numbers of permanent and non-permanent seats are expanded to include more developing countries. “It is not reasonable to expect that the Council can continue to expand its agenda and responsibilities without addressing its democracy deficit,” he said.   Currently there are five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, each with the power to veto decisions – and 10 non-permanent members, which are elected on a geographical basis to three-year terms.   14 September, 2005   "Value of collective security through multilateralism stressed at UN Summit. (UN News)   In today's globalized and interlinked world, multilateralism is more essential than ever to meet the challenges posed by poverty, terrorism and human rights abuses, world leaders addressing the United Nations Summit meeting in New York said today.   "For the first time at this Summit, we are agreed that States do not have the right to do what they will within their own borders, but that we, in the name of humanity, have a common duty to protect people when their own governments will not," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He also called for the UN to strengthen its policy against non-proliferation, "in particular how to allow nations to develop civil nuclear power but not nuclear weapons."   Malaysian Prime Minister Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said UN reform must fundamentally aim to protect and enhance multilateralism. "This is because multilateralism is the best option for ensuring peace and security in the relations between nations; for protecting human rights, for enforcing compliance with international law, just as much as the multilateral approach is the best hope for eradicating global poverty and creating a more equitable international order, he said, adding that it is also "the only way to deal effectively with the scourge of international terrorism."   President Roh Moo-Hyun of the Republic of Korea called for "vigilance against a resurgence of major-power centrism in certain circles" and called on leading nations to be "more forthcoming in their introspection of the past and future and also exercise greater self-restraint." Only when great powers work further to achieve global peace and common prosperity can tensions can be defused, he added.   President of Argentina said any reform of the UN must render the Organization more transparent and democratic, "without creating new situations of privilege that would perpetuate the inequality between its members." He stressed that only the multilateral work of the UN and within the framework of regional and sub regional organizations would pave the way to address shared concerns.   Albert Pintat Santolària, the Prime Minister of Andorra, joined others in advocating multilateralism as a means of meeting the challenges of today's world. "It is for this very reason that we must all support institutions such as the International Criminal Court," he said. "In these uncertain times, at the beginning of a new chapter in history, we must all commit ourselves to multilateralism as a means of guaranteeing a safer and more just world."   Jan Peter Balkenende, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, also called for strengthened multilateralism through the UN. "Rather than pretending that the UN is some entity, distinct from us member states, we should acknowledge that the UN is 'us' and that we determine whether it is an effective tool or not," he said. "If we do not want the UN to be a lame duck, we must dare to give it the wings to fly."   The Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, said the challenges ahead require a new vision for collective security that will determine the responsibilities, lay down strategies and pave the way for action. He supported the view that security and human rights deserve equal attention, stressing that these, along with development, are interdependent aspects of progress.   The President of Peru, Alejandro Toledo Manrique, underscored the need to address human rights abuses, and stressed that permanent members of the Security Council should not use their veto power when dealing with cases of genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes or massive or systematic violations to human rights. In addition, he proposed the creation of a commission of independent experts to provide early warning on cases of flagrant and systematic human rights violations.   "There is a deep connection between security, development and respect for human rights, democratic values and good governance in everything we are attempting now to reform our Organization," said Traian Basescu, the President of Romania. "This essential linkage is more evidently reflected in the notion of a Peace Building Commission," he added, voicing full support for that body's establishment and urging the allocation of sufficient resources to make it work.   Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, spoke out against unilateralism, saying it was the "negation" of all that the UN stands for and should be combated. On UN reform, he voiced "dismay that over 50 Islamic countries encompassing more than one 1.2 billion people do not have a perm anent seat in the Security Council, nor does Africa with its huge capabilities and potentials, and that the vast continent of Asia with its ancient civilizations has only one permanent seat."   Tajikistan's President, Emomali Rakhmonov, decried attempts to imply a direct link between terror and the holy religion of Islam. "There are one billion and four hundred million Muslims the world over, but those who have been involved in terrorist activities are few in number," he pointed out. "The international community must apply common criteria and standards while combating any forms and manifestations of terrorism."   Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister, Winston Baldwin Spencer, joined others in voicing solidarity with the victims of Hurricane Katrina. He added that there would be a silver lining for the global underclass "if the riveting television images of the ongoing agony of Katrina's victims could ignite among all nations, and among all peoples, the recognition that we all share the duty to be our brothers' keepers."   Owen Seymour Arthur, the Prime Minister of Barbados, noted that the United States is coming to terms with the enormity of the destruction inflicted by Hurricane Katrina, just about a year after Grenada was devastated by Hurricane Ivan. "These recent events have highlighted our interdependence, reinforced the need for sustained and effective international cooperation and have placed before us, forcibly, the need to carry out a programme for global development to stop poor people from being poor, no matter where they live."   The Prime Minister of Bangladesh said her country has weathered many severe floods and cyclones and the toll in terms of life and property has been huge and could "feel the torment" of those affected by Hurricane Katrina. She added that Bangladesh's experience suggests that development, security and human rights goals "are best achieved against a backdrop of pluralism, democratic social ethos, greater gender balance and good governance."   Haiti's Prime Minister, Gérard Latortue, said his country had little to show for the massive assistance that had been poured into it over the years; the infrastructure has been ravaged, electricity remains a luxury that most people do not enjoy, and more than half the population is illiterate. "It is true that bad governance is partly responsible for this state of affairs, but the international community must also reflect on the question, undertake a self-critique and seek to develop a culture of effectiveness," he said.   President Remengesau Tommy Remengesau, Jr., the President of Palau, spoke about the threats faced by small island countries. "As global warming worsens, bleaching our corals and threatening our land; as overfishing by foreign fishing fleets continues to deplete our vast fish stocks; as certain fishing practices threaten to destroy our marine biodiversity; and as the combination of these forces place our diverse island cultures in jeopardy; the challenges mount," he said, calling on the UN to move beyond studies on past failures and take aggressive action to protect small island States.   General Pervez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan, said weapons of mass destruction must not fall into the hands of terrorists. "The catastrophic consequences of a nuclear war make it imperative to prevent one from ever taking place," he said. "Both the proliferation and the perpetual possession of nuclear weapons pose an unacceptable global danger." He called for a new global consensus to achieve disarmament and non-proliferation.   Slovakia's President, said maintaining the status quo "could lead to the UN losing its relevance completely." The draft outcome document slated for adoption at the Summit, while not perfect, is a basic starting point for a more effective multilateralism with the UN playing a central role. He added that the text is "first and foremost just a framework for further steps" and called for "much political will and many compromises" over the course of the General Assembly's current session to achieve progress.   President Halonen Tarja Halonen, President of Finland, said the draft outcome document "provides basis for further work during the coming months." She added that the text's firm commitment to fight terrorism should be accompanied with progress in the areas of disarmament and non-proliferation. She also welcomed the proposed establishment of a Peacebuilding Commission and a Human Rights Council, adding that "for the real progress, we must ensure that enough women will participate in the work of these new bodies."   Malta's Prime Minister, Lawrence Gonzi, said the Summit's draft outcome document represented some progress, but voiced disappointment that it could have been more ambitious. "In particular, we would have wished to see a more forceful reference to the question of impunity, and especially the important role that is being played by the International Criminal Court," he said, adding that sections on the environment, human rights and disarmament could have been stronger.   Latvia's President, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, emphasized that the UN has reaffirmed its commitment to achieve the MDGs of reducing poverty and disease, promoting children's education and gender equality, fostering sustainable development, and creating an international climate of peace and security. Any aid programme must be administered responsibly through good governance in an honest, open and transparent manner, she said.   Mexican President Vicente Fox said the draft outcome document already contains many of the elements that will pave the way toward comprehensive UN reform, but there are still pending issues that must be addressed, especially nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. "Making sure that our Organization remains as the best means to attain international peace, security and development requires our shared commitment," he stressed.   Ireland's Prime Minister Bertie Ahern recommitted his country to reaching the UN target of 0.7 per cent of its national income to development assistance. "Quantity is important, but so also is quality," he pointed out. "Ireland is one of the very few donors all of whose aid is untied. Our aid will remain untied. Our aid is effective aid," he said.   King Juan Carlos I King Juan Carlos I of Spain said his country is spearheading "projects to swap debt for public investment in key areas of sustainable human development, such as education, environment and infrastructures, with specific emphasis on heavily indebted middle-income countries." This initiative is taking shape within the framework of the Ibero-American Summits, with the next slated to be held in Spain next month.   Hungary's President, László Sólyom, announced the establishment of an International Centre for Democracy in Budapest. "The Centre will promote research and offer assistance for those who seek advice," he said, adding that Hungary would continue to champion the international promotion and protection of minority rights by the UN.   Sept 12, 2005   "Redeeming The United Nations", by Shashi Tharoor. (Project Syndicate)   For a United Nations official to discuss reform of the international system is rather like an Englishman talking about the weather: It is a staple of daily conversation, but it always seems that real change remains just over the horizon. On Wednesday, 166 heads of state and government will gather in New York for a summit that we hope will take the reform process a major step forward.   Ambassadors in New York are now working day and night to hammer out the details of the current reform proposals. But whatever they manage to agree upon, as a long-time U.N. official I am conscious of how much the United Nations has already changed since I joined 27 years ago.    If I had suggested to my superiors at that time that the U.N. would one day observe and even run elections in sovereign states, conduct intrusive inspections for weapons of mass destruction, impose comprehensive sanctions on the entire import-export trade of a member state, or set up international criminal tribunals and coerce governments into handing over their citizens to be tried by foreigners under international law, they would have told me that I did not understand what the U.N. was all about.   Yet the U.N. has done all of these things, and more, during the last two decades. It has administered territory, conducted huge multi-dimensional peacekeeping operations with nearly 80,000 soldiers in the field, and deployed human rights monitors to report on the behavior of sovereign governments. In short, the U.N. has been a highly adaptable institution, one that has evolved in response to changing times.   Today’s reform imperatives can be traced to international divisions over the Iraq war. In the summer of 2003, a poll conducted by the Pew Organization in 20 countries revealed that the U.N.’s standing had declined in all of them. The U.N.’s reputation suffered in the United States because it did not support the Bush administration on the war—and in the 19 other countries because it was unable to prevent the war. We got hit from both sides of the debate and disappointed both sets of expectations. Some famous and rather powerful voices began to speak of the U.N.’s irrelevance.   It was at the peak of this unprecedentedly intense scrutiny that Secretary General Kofi Annan seized the moment. In an historic speech to the General Assembly, he said that we could either continue with business as usual, potentially leading to disaster, or we could review the entire post-1945 architecture of the international system and construct a more effective structure of global governance.   Annan named a high-level panel of eminent persons to look into issues of peace and security, while a parallel group of economists, led by Jeffrey Sachs, studied what was needed to fulfill the development commitments made by world leaders at the Millennium Summit in 2000. In March, Annan synthesized their key recommendations in a report entitled In Larger Freedom .   The title comes from the preamble to the U.N. charter, which speaks of striving “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.” By that magnificent phrase, the U.N.’s founders meant that human rights, development, and security are mutually interdependent.   Of course, the U.N. often falls short of its noble aspirations, since it reflects the realities of world politics even while seeking to transcend them. At its best and at its worst, the U.N. is a mirror of our world: It reflects our differences and our convergences, our hopes and aspirations and our limitations and failures.    But the cause of political freedom has been making headway. When I joined the U.N., it was almost unthinkable for the organization to take sides between democracy and dictatorship, or to seek to intervene in members’ internal affairs. Even on the meaning of human rights there was no universal agreement, with some states regarding them as a tool of Western neoimperialism.   Today, by contrast, the U.N. does more than any other single organization to promote and strengthen democratic institutions and practices around the world. In the past year alone, it has organized or assisted in elections in over 20 countries—often at decisive moments in their history—including Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq and Burundi. The U.N. is setting up a Democracy Fund to increase assistance for building democracy, and we have proposed establishing a Peace-Building Commission to help countries move from war to durable peace. Annan is also pressing for a more effective and credible international machinery for defending human rights.   As we face the new challenges of our time, let us not forget the old ones, especially the persistent horror of underdevelopment. The combination of poverty, drought, famine and HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa threatens more human lives than terrorism or tsunamis ever did. This summit must reaffirm the Millennium Development Goals and recommit the world to achieving these targets by 2015. There is no longer any excuse for leaving well over a billion people in abject misery.    As Mahatma Gandhi put it, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” The U.N. is no exception. To change the world, we must change too. The U.N. can be a much more effective instrument if its member states in the General Assembly and the Security Council are better organized and give clearer directives to us in the Secretariat—along with the flexibility to carry them out—and then hold us clearly accountable.   This week’s summit will be the largest single gathering of world leaders in human history. If world leaders rise to their responsibilities, the rebirth and renewal of the United Nations will be at hand. With its renewal, we will also renew our hope for a fairer and safer world.    (Shashi Tharoor is an undersecretary general of the United Nations).   Sept.12, 2005.   "U.N. faces fight of its life", by Olivia Ward. (Toronto Star / Canada)   It's the Big One: the 900-pound gorilla of world summits, the largest in history, as more than 170 leaders gather in the United Nations complex on New York's East River from Wednesday to Friday.   Its weight is, literally, the weight of the world, combining the hopes and fears of all the disparate member countries, rich and poor, secular and religious, peaceful and embattled, technologically advanced and deeply disadvantaged.   "The 2005 World Summit is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the world to come together and take action on grave global threats that require bold global solutions," says Secretary-General Kofi Annan.   It's not empty rhetoric. The decisions made at the summit will vitally affect the lives of people everywhere, as leaders accept or reject a 45-page document spanning anti-poverty programs, human rights and anti-terrorism measures, as well as managerial reform.   For the poorest, that may mean the difference between life and death — whether they receive medicine to alleviate deadly diseases, and desperately needed economic programs that will give them jobs, food and shelter.   For the oppressed, it could mean rescue from genocide and appalling human rights violations. For those living in countries struggling from war to peace, the support they need to stop a new slide into conflict.   For developed countries — and all the world's citizens — it could mean stronger international efforts to fight terrorism across national borders.   Underpinning it all, however, is the need for strengthening the U.N.'s management, recently criticized by a report investigating the failures of the Iraq oil-for-food program.   Without those reforms, confidence in the world body could weaken badly, crippling its ability to carry on effectively in the 21st century.   The U.N. is more than a political body. Its network of agencies protect the rights of women, children, refugees and the environment; monitor and fight disease; feed people in the grip of war or famine; supply aid for pregnancy and family planning; help to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons; and give support to developing countries.   The U.N. creates peacekeeping missions for countries in crisis, and authorizes prosecution of war criminals. It fights the spread of international crime, human trafficking and the drug trade. It monitors airline safety, and raises the alarm on a wide variety of issues from the state of the world's cities, to its water, oceans and forests.   But what will the U.N.'s future hold?   Many feel that the summit holds the key. And once hailed as "visionary," its goals have narrowed. Diplomats aren't optimistic that the document world leaders will debate during the three-day meetings beginning Wednesday will yield significant results. Divisions between rich and poor countries are still sharp, with developing countries demanding more emphasis on poverty relief, and developed ones calling for agreement on managerial reform, security issues and human rights.   Negotiators, including Canada's Ambassador Allan Rock, say the price of failure would be high, for the U.N. and the world. Without co-operation, says a U.N. official, "we'll end up with a summit of empty words and broken promises." A poor outlook for a world in which borders are increasingly meaningless, and mutual understanding a growing necessity. Visit the related web page
	Our Challenge: Voices for Peace, Partnership and Renewal by United Nations News   8 September 2005   United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today stressed that cities and local authorities have a critical role to play in global progress in education, hunger, health, water, sanitation, gender equality and other areas of the development agenda to be discussed at next week's World Summit.   "Ultimately it is in the streets of your cities and towns that the value of what's decided here will be tested," he said to the mayors and other local representatives attending the United Cities and Local Governments Summit at UN headquarters in New York. "It is there, in the daily lives of your citizens, in their safety and security, in their prosperity and sense of opportunity, that our progress will be most visible, and our setbacks felt most keenly."   "While our Goals are global," he added, "they can most effectively be achieved through action at the local level." Calling the present era "the urban millennium," Mr. Annan noted that urban centres of the developing world are engines of economic growth but also reservoirs of poverty so large that one out of every six people on earth now lives in a slum or squatter settlement.   Indeed, he said, half the world's people now live in cities and towns and in the next 30 years virtually all of the world's population growth will occur in the urban areas of low and middle-income countries. "How we manage that growth will go a long way toward influencing the world's future peace and prosperity," he said.   Later today, in a statement to the Second World Congress of Speakers of Parliament, also at UN Headquarters, Mr. Annan emphasized that parliamentarians also have a critical part to play in the issues to be discussed at the World Summit.   They could, he said, focus political attention on the UN reform agenda, encourage their governments to engage in the process in goodwill, and to follow through on their commitments. They could also encourage their citizens to take an active interest in both UN reform and the achievement of development goals.   "As parliamentarians," he added, "you are the embodiment of democracy, a value reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to which this Organization is making a growing contribution, year by year. By your engagement with this Organization, you make it more democratic too."   Local leaders also control, very often, the national purse strings, he reminded them, and for that reason their decisions help determine whether States make available the resources the UN needs to implement reform and promote development.   Juan Somavía, the United Nations Director-General of the ILO, in his address said “in our reading of government, employers and workers, the constituents of the [International Labour Organization] ILO, and seen from the people who elect the parliamentarians, the single most important issue is the question of jobs.”   “What people are asking worldwide,” he elaborated, “is ‘give me a fair chance, at a decent job, and I will take care of my family, educate my children, live in the community where others work in peace’ – that political demand is global.”   He also said that the overall consensus of the parliamentarians attending the Second World Conference of the Speakers of Parliament is that people want to know whether the international policies their governments are pursuing will actually help them live better lives. They also expect local leaders to represent their interests on an international level.“Parliamentarians are elected locally, so they can bring the local reality, the national reality to the international scene,” he added.   8 September 2005   NGOs to offer fresh hope and perspective to World Summit 2005.   United Nations officials today hailed non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as essential partners in the effort to promote a culture of peace, create change in world societies and hold governments accountable for achieving their commitments.   "Governments can do a lot in fighting drugs, crime or terrorism, and they should do more. But they can't do everything," Executive Director of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Antonio Maria Costa told a press conference highlighting a special UN forum to bring together private entities with governments.   "We need and require the commitment of society at large, whether it is society understood as the education system, or the places of faith, or places of sport," he added. NGOs are "essential partners" in the process of "curbing the threats to security."   The forum, in its second day, is sponsored by the UN Department of Information (DPI) and NGOs, and comes a week before the 2005 World Summit, the largest ever gathering of international leaders at UN Headquarters in New York from 14 to 16 September.   Former Lt. Gen. Daniel Opande of the UN Mission in Liberia, representing the military point of view, said: "My conviction is that civil society has played a leading role exploring the ills that bring conflict." It is also their role to "tell the bad guys who are ruling by the sword, to stop doing what they are doing," he added.   One NGO representative at the press briefing, Gareth Evans, President of the International Crisis Group said that on "all key principles," such as peace building, government use of force, human rights council, arms control, and policy on terrorism, there was very little agreement among UN Members prior to the Summit. "If nothing else, I hope [the results of the forum] can be a wake-up call, a cry of pain from civil society."   Mr. Evans was referring to the marathon discussions by a General Assembly panel that have so far been unable to produce an agreed draft document on issues ranging from enacting UN reform to promoting development to battling terrorism.   Speaking at this morning's session, the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Anwarul K. Chowdhury, encouraged the NGOs to be more engaged in the development process with the international community. "Your role is to monitor international agreements and commitments, share your findings and create a database detailing the performance of countries. You must participate in the inter-governmental process and help governments achieve their commitments," he said.   Speaking at the conference yesterday, UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor called for civil organizations to help deliver people every where to greater freedom and achieve better standards of life by working closely with their governments and the UN.   "In no small way, you are the guardians of reform of the international system," he said. "What is more, I hope you use your voices and your expertise to praise the achievements of the Summit, and, of course to call for more where more is needed," he added.   Also speaking yesterday was UN General Assembly President Jean Ping of Gabon who praised non-governmental and private concerns for their desire to help the international community, and called on them to continue their good work in pursuing peace and the protection of human rights.   The General Assembly chief says collective action only way out of poverty, HIV/AIDS.The problems of a world where the poor are increasingly poor, human rights are ignored, HIV/AIDS and malaria claim millions of lives, and inequality proliferates, will only be solved through a cooperation of civil society, governments, and local leaders. ,   “New players, I think here in particular of you, the non-governmental organizations now have a voice in the coming chapter through the force of propositions and actions, each one at degrees and various levels of influence,” he said, praising the NGOs as well as parliamentarian leaders who are holding separate negotiations with UN members to draft their own Document to Summit leaders.   “What joins us all is a refusal of a two-track world where the poor become always poorer and more numerous…where human rights are protected in one place and encroached in another…where HIV/AIDS, malaria and other endemic diseases continue to strike millions of victims, in particular among the most vulnerable…a planet that generates inequalities that could themselves generate threats to our collective security,” he added.   Government methods are sometimes “cumbersome,” he said, but NGOs are more nimble in responding to disasters, and have a reservoir of resources, which gives them an advantage.   The forum, "Our Challenge: Voices for Peace, Partnership and Renewal," is taking place in preparation for the issues to be dealt with by Member States at the 2005 World Summit next week. Over 2,000 civil society groups and activists are attending, along with Member States and UN representatives.   7 September 2005   Top UN relief official calls for major changes in world humanitarian efforts.   The top United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland today called for a major upgrade in the world body’s humanitarian assistance program, and urged public and private cooperation in the fight against the root causes of disaster, conflict and injustice.   In his keynote address at the annual UN / NGO forum Mr. Egeland proposed that the UN develop a more predictable funding base, strengthen response capacity, and develop a more predictable right to access, with improved security for aid workers. Referring to Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s report, “In Larger Freedom,” he urged UN members and NGOs to work cooperatively to meet the objectives of peace and security, development, human rights and United Nations reform.   He also said that the world needs to harness the energies, resources and imagination of all sectors of society, and called for a moral and ethical revolution to match our technical progress, so that the benefits of innovation and technology could be available for all people who need them.
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