[1] The Guardian, ‘Nuclear Hypocrisy’, 2 September 2005
United Nations:
Searching a New Road Map for the 21st Century
(Comments on the Draft Agenda for UN reforms, changes proposed by the U.S. and the achievements and failures of the global summit,
New York, 14-15 September 2005)
Vijay Mehta
info@vmpeace.org
Proposed Draft and Changes
The charter of the
United Nations was signed sixty years ago. It presents an historic opportunity
to assess and discuss UN successes and its failures. It is timely to revisit the
whole organization for its radical reforms making it a fit world body to grapple
and solve the complex challenges and threats of the 21st century.
The Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his report “In Larger Freedom” has placed before world leaders an agenda to move forward decisively towards three important goals; halving poverty in the next ten years; reducing the threat of nuclear proliferation, terrorism, and the protection of human rights. The introductions of reforms are aimed at repairing the damage done to the UN reputation by Rwanda, the Balkans, Iraq and the oil for food scandal.
The report advocates a shared vision of development, collective security, rule of law, protection of human rights, and strengthening the United Nations system.
However the prospects for reforms have been met with hostile reaction from US. John Bolton, the controversial new US ambassador upset the UN diplomats by demanding 750 changes to a twenty-nine-page draft prepared for the summit by a committee under the UN General Assembly President, Jean Ping of Gambia. It is unfair to comment views mainly of one country, and only fleetingly of others. However the reality is that the views of US are way out of the recognised world agenda for change put forward by United Nations & if implemented will have grave implications for the whole world.
The most far-reaching reforms are in seven areas. The areas in bracket [] represent the deletions which the US government is demanding from the original draft.
1. Poverty & Economic Development
2. Proliferation /Disarmament
3. Human Rights
4. Peace-building Commission
5. Terrorism
6. The UN system
7. Environment
Poverty & Economic Development
We recognise that for some developing countries, especially the poorest, debt relief and official development assistance remain essential sources of finance. The US is a leader in both areas having cancelled 100% of bilateral debt for countries eligible for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative. The US has been at the forefront of contributors of official development assistance. The Current UN report would reaffirm states commitment to “eradicate poverty”. Washington fears it could commit US to raising overseas aid. The United Nations can make its greatest contribution to development by helping countries make and implement the right choices leading to good governance.
We resolve to provide, as a priority, assistance for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in African countries [deleted: on a grant basis, and encourage pharmaceutical companies to make anti-retroviral drugs affordable and accessible in Africa]
We [deleted: remain concerned, however, by the slow and uneven implementation of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium development goals and] reaffirm our commitment to eradicate poverty and promote sustained economic growth, sustainable development and global prosperity for all. We resolve to... make the fight against corruption at all levels a priority, as agreed at Monterey, and welcome all actions taken in this regard at the national and international levels including the adoption of policies that emphasise accountability, transparent public sector management, competitive markets [deleted: and corporate responsibility and accountability]
[Deleted: We welcome the establishment of timetables by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7% of gross national product for official development assistance by no later than 2015 and to reach at least 0.5% by 2009 and urge those developed countries that have not yet done so to make concrete efforts towards allocating 0.7% of their GNP for ODA...]
Proliferation /Disarmament
Of particular interest is the repeated deletion of the word "disarmament" in the section on nuclear arms. The Bush administration wants global counter-proliferation strategy to focus exclusively on preventing more countries acquiring nuclear weapons. It is seeking to play down the importance of reducing the stockpiles of the established nuclear powers, as it has plans to overhaul its own arsenal and develop new weapons, such as nuclear "bunker busters".
We (the US) also recognise that non-compliance with existing arms control, non-proliferation and [deleted: disarmament] agreements and commitments also threatens international peace and security of all nations and increases the possibility of terrorist acquisition of WMD. We reiterate our firm commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) [deleted: its three pillars, disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy].
We must fight against terrorism and take all necessary steps so that the terrorists can’t obtain the weapons of mass destruction to use it against peace. The UN report says proliferation and risk that terrorists might obtain weapons of mass destruction are greatest threats to peace. The US wants to remove references to nuclear “disarmament”. It is time for all UN member states to unequivocally outlaw acts of international terrorism, which is an unacceptable scourge, but do not agree with all its elements.
It's just the latest in a series of efforts by the US to change the international framework on non-proliferation. These are part of the US's increasingly aggressive foreign policy, manifested not only in the illegal war on Iraq but in contempt for international law and multilateral treaty frameworks.
“For decades, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation have been linked through
the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Nuclear weapons states have agreed to get
rid of their arsenals, while in return non-nuclear weapons states have committed
not to develop nuclear weapons. In recent years the US has sought to sideline or
overturn the disarmament requirement, focusing on preventing more countries
acquiring nuclear weapons. The US seeks to reinterpret the NPT as legitimising
the possession of weapons by existing nuclear states, while using it as the
justification for confrontation with states accused of proliferation[1]”
Human Rights
The protection of Human Rights is one of the United Nations’ most solemn duties, a charter responsibility that should be a source of hope to millions of oppressed people throughout the world. The UN report calls for human rights council. Third world nations led by Cuba, oppose it, with Russia and China. One of things to be achieved by the US in this century is a reduction in gun related deaths. During the 20th century guns in the US killed more Americans, than all American soldiers killed in all wars.
We further reaffirm that core values and principles, such as respect for human rights and human dignity, freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, [deleted: respect for nature], the rule of law, shared responsibility, multilateralism, and non-resort to the threat or use of force [inserted: in a manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations] are essential for peaceful coexistence and cooperation among states. We rededicate ourselves to support [deleted: all] efforts to uphold ... the sovereign equality of all states, respect for their territorial integrity and political independence, non-interference in the internal affairs of states, resolution of disputes by peaceful means, and the right of self-determination of peoples [deleted: which remain under colonial domination and foreign occupation]
We pledge to make the United Nations more relevant, more effective, more efficient, more accountable and more credible [deleted: and to provide the organisation with the resources needed to fully implement its mandates].
Peace-building Commission
The peace building commission proposals has generated significant support among member states. The commission is needed quickly to ensure greater coordination between the UN’s political and military activities.
A concern is that regional forces like the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) may mean more resources wasted on arms. Instead of having two competing super-powers fuelling an arms race as during the cold war, we have several regions in an arms race. We need to invest more in other methods of securities than arms. UN charter allows to gradually divert resources away from armaments, and towards projects that benefit humanity and the earth.
Terrorism
UN draft says attacks on civilians and non-combatants can not be justified. Muslim nations fear this could restrict the right to resist foreign occupation. The US welcomes the position, contained in the Secretary General’s report, that the right to resist occupation does not justify the targeting and killing of civilians. We must join together on the occasion of high-level event to condemn all deliberate and targeted terrorist attacks against civilians and non-combatants.
Reform the UN system
UN reforms are very much on the minds of the American people; they too want a strong United Nations. The majority of Americans is strongly supportive of the UN and of US participation in it. We know that if reform is to succeed it must be a collective endeavour.
We are prepared to do our part and look forward to continuing serious discussion with delegations to define specific reform objectives and to enact them. We must not harbour illusions that this process will be easy. It will be arduous and will take time. Our final product, however, can only be as good as the work and preparation that go into it.
We also reaffirm that the provisions of the charter of the United Nations regarding the use of force are sufficient [deleted: to address the full range of security threats and agree that the use of force should be considered as an instrument of last resort].
We commit to end the impunity for the most serious violations of international humanitarian law, genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes [deleted: by cooperating with the international criminal court, the existing ad hoc and mixed criminal tribunals and other mechanisms for international justice as well as through strengthening national legal systems].
Environment
[Deleted: We recognise that climate change is a serious and long-term challenge that has the potential to affect every part of the world. We call for further technological and financial international cooperation for the sustainable use and management of natural resources in order to promote sustainable production and consumption patterns as a means of keeping the balance between the conservation of natural resources and the furtherance of social and economic objectives.]
We therefore resolve to [deleted: undertake concerted global action to address climate change, including through meeting all commitments and obligations under the Kyoto protocol...].
The hundreds of deletions and insertions represent Washington’s disagreements with most of the rest of the world on just about every global issue imaginable.
The document reflects Mr. Bolton’s belief that the assertion of US interests should almost always take precedence over the search for compromise with an international community that includes despotic and corrupt regimes.
US is only one member of United Nations. It should not be allowed to hijack the agenda of UN reforms and write new rules, however militarily or economically powerful it may be.
There is universal agreement that the world body needs urgent & radical reforms. The agenda put forward by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan & the committee headed by Jean Ping, President of General Assembly paves the way for the necessary changes which should become part & parcel of the reforms for a revitalised UN for 21st century.
Achievements and failures of the UN summit
After many hours of wrangling and countless meetings, the most significant achievements of the summit were as follows:
1) A Peacebuilding Commission, agreed in principle, but no details have been finalised. The leaders propose setting up a UN peace-building commission that will emphasise "the need for a co-ordinated, coherent and integrated approach to post-conflict peace-building and reconciliation". Although agreed in principle, it is seriously short of detail.
2) Human Rights Council agreed in principle. The leaders said that "to further strengthen the United Nations human rights machinery, we resolve to create a human rights council". This is going to replace the United Nations human rights commission, which the US and Europeans object to because serial human rights abusers such as Libya and Sudan served on it. But, as with the peace-building commission, the summit only agreed to it in principle and it too is short on detail.
3) The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were reaffirmed at the summit- established in 2000 to halve global poverty by 2015.
4) Greater recognition that the world body has a ‘responsibility to protect’ – to ensure genocide, ethnic cleansing and other wars should not be ignored in the name of state sovereignty. The leaders agreed that "each individual state has the responsibility to protect is populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity". Amid the overall disappointment about the summit, this was one historic achievement.
Failures:
1) Reforms of the UN Security Council were put off
2) No progress on disarmament. A full page devoted to non-proliferation and curbing weapons, from nuclear to conventional, was dropped entirely from the final draft.
3) Failure to agree on a definition and comprehensive strategy to counter terrorism.
4) The summit failed to break new ground on life-saving measures to assist billions of people living in poverty. Other programmes dealing with HIV/AIDS, education, health care, gender equality, maternal and infant mortality were only reaffirmed.
Follow-up to the summit
U.N. Secretary-General
Kofi Annan asked Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson, to set up a network of
leaders to champion reform of the world body following the summit in New York.
The aim is "to secure a powerful follow-up to the U.N. summit" with immediate
effect, Persson said. He chaired the meeting of about 150 world leaders which
produced a diluted version of Annan's blueprint for reform of the U.N.'s
approach to poverty, terrorism and human rights.
Conclusion
The outcome of the UN summit was
disappointing. The United Nations summit in New York, saw 159 leaders enjoying
the Big apple’s five –star hospitality, while deciding on the futures of 6
billion others. But the outcome was disappointing, with decisions on UN reform
and eradication of poverty fudged.
There were a few achievements such as the creation of a Peacebuilding Commission and Human Rights Council. If we want to see a reformed UN, political pressure, a constructive dialogue and the momentum for the reform process must be kept alive for the formation of a truly global UN fit for handling the challenges of the 21st century.
This article can be downloaded from VM Centre for Peace (www.vmpeace.org).
It will also appear in the next issue of World Disarm.