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At the UN - United in Reform

by Marinka Peschmann, Special to Canada Free Press

September 24, 2004

At the United Nations: Germany's Minister of Foreign Affairs Joschka Fischer echoed Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin's call for reform "if the United Nations is to play the role we want it to, in the 21st century," yesterday at the 59th Session General Assembly in New York City. "The question arises whether the structures given to the United Nations on its foundation almost 60 years ago are still suited to this mandate, whether its work enjoys the international acceptance it needs," said Fisher. "For 40 years, the composition of the Security Council has remained unchanged. Half-baked or interim solutions are neither necessary nor helpful."

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi of Malta agreed, "Recent events have raised urgent questions about the extent to which the United Nations is fulfilling the role envisaged for it under the Charter." Uruguay's President Jorge Betlle Ibanez asked whether the United Nations is "adequately equipped to deal with these problems."

Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf, for whom "the terrorist threat is close and personal" spoke decisively and eloquently, "The world today is crying for peace, reconciliation and reform." India's Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh strongly concurred. "We speak about cooperation, but seem hesitant to commit ourselves to a global offensive to root out terrorism. This must change… We must now give it substance and credibility, avoiding selective approaches and political expediency."

Israeli Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom questioned the World leaders, "Are we sadly, united only in cynical and immoral majority votes, that make mockery of the noble ideals on which this body was founded? Then called "on this Assembly to refocus its priorities." Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini concluded, "The starting point for UN reform is a review of the Organization's policies." Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Morshed Khan suggested that the UN "can really help developing countries by passing the litmus test of relevance not in drafts and declarations, but in operations and implementation."

Minister of Foreign Affairs Michel Barnier of France, conceded that although "the United Nations system is unique and more indispensable than ever," the UN "also has an obligation to reform itself to meet new needs and new threats and to make the most of new technologies." Ghana's Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama praised, "the initiative of our illustrious compatriot, Secretary-General Kofi Annan in setting up the High-Level Panel on Threats and Challenges to the UN, to make proposals on how the UN can best be reformed to meet the new challenges of our world." While President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia granted "that the United Nations should be aligned to the realities of the 21st Century and be better positioned to effectively deal with threats, challenges and change."

Expanding and updating the Security Council became a dominant thread throughout the suggested UN reform initiatives by several world leaders including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Tanzania, and Gambia to "ensure equitable geographical representation" and reflect the "states, which have joined the United Nations over the last three decades."

In a bold step on Wednesday Canada's Prime Minister Paul Martin urged the International Community for a "robust" response to the ongoing human crisis in Darfur Sudan and "offered $20 million" in assistance, a move that reverberated throughout the UN corridors. "We must not let debates about definitions become obstacles to action." Maintained Martin, "The conference must get back to productive work." On Tuesday, US President Bush told the assembly, "at this hour, the world is witnessing terrible suffering and horrible crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan, crimes my government has concluded are genocide." Later at a press conference Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo suggested that, "Maybe we don't have access to what the US has…" and deferred to the continuing United Nations Sudan investigation before calling the atrocities "categorically" genocide.