UN was headed to Philadelphia, but a Rockefeller stepped in
The book “Capital of the World” chronicles the search for a home for the United Nations headquarters after World War II and the nearly 250 U.S. cities that were candidates. The West Coast, South and Midwest were eventually rejected in favor of the Northeast, with Philadelphia a leading contender until the Rockefeller family offered to buy the land in New York on which the UN now stands, writes Alex Gallafent. PRI’s The World (Boston) (2/13)
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Security Council Reform and the G-20 (November 2010)
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Examining Samantha Power’s background and nomination prospects
Samantha Power, nominated to be the next U.S. envoy to the United Nations, has been known as an outspoken advocate of human rights who has already received the support of one Republican, Sen. John McCain. Power’s background “has made her deeply committed to trying to prevent mass atrocities, which should be the top priority for the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations,” says Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch. The Washington Post (6/5), The Huffington Post (6/5), ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (6/5)
3 June
TICAD closes with Abe supporting African leaders for reform of U.N. Security Council
The 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development closed on June 3 with the approval of a Yokohama Declaration that established a goal of turning Africa into the driving force for global economic growth.
The conference brought together the leaders of 51 African nations as well as representatives of international organizations.
… African officials asked Japan to support having an African nation named a permanent member. One participant said that 2015 would be an important year for reform because it would mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.
Japan has also sought the cooperation of Africa in its efforts to become a permanent member of the Security Council along with India, Germany and Brazil. With its large number of U.N. members, Africa is considered an important voting bloc.
20 May
Experts urge water’s inclusion in development goals
(SciDev.net) As the world faces growing water security challenges, experts are calling for better monitoring of the availability, quality and use of water, and its inclusion in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a key issue in the post-2015 development agenda.
Human activities, such as building dams and agricultural irrigation, they say, have fundamentally altered the global water system, threatening ecosystems and a steady supply of fresh water. But a lack of scientific data and monitoring mean there is still no effective global governance of this key resource.
7 May
Emerging Reformers
Robert Muggah and Ilona Szabo de Carvalho
Why countries like Brazil could change the face of the UN Security Council
(OpenCanada.org) Confronted with global crises ranging from financial collapse to climate change, and such vicious wars as the one in Syria, an effective United Nations is more urgent than ever. Paradoxically, at a time when it is urgently needed, the Council is paralyzed. As a result, it is rapidly losing credibility and risks, according to senior diplomats from Delhi to Brasilia, becoming the architect of its own irrelevance. While there appears to be widespread agreement about “why” reform of the Security Council is needed, there is less consensus over “how” this should be done, much less “who” should benefit from the redistribution of power. As a result, negotiators in the United Nations are stalling, dithering over procedural details rather than tackling the real issues.
… it is unlikely that Brazil will acquire permanent membership to the Security Council if it restricts its focus to technical negotiations inside the United Nations. At a minimum, it needs to leverage its vibrant civil society, including think tanks, businesses, and activist organizations, to engage other actors with the issue of reform. The urgency of Security Council reforms for addressing global peace and security issues must also be loudly debated by the civil societies of the P-5 countries. Rather than concentrating on changes in the form of the Security Council, Brazil and other rising powers should lead a debate on the function of a new, more legitimate and effective body. Brazil’s foreign ministry and civil society could start by setting out a compelling vision for what a reformed Security Council would do differently. The ongoing negotiations in the United Nations are not advancing Brazil’s cause and may be a step backward. These importance of these issues is simply too great for them to be left to negotiators alone.
UN panel moves toward unified goals on post-2015 development
Sustainability in economics and environment, as well as societal aims and a reduction in inequality, are shaping up to be part of a unified agenda for the United Nations’ post-2015 development goals to replace the Millennium Development Goals. A UN panel expressed the “need to strengthen global governance to ensure it is fit for its purpose; avoid overlap and the duplication of efforts; and encourage joint work to address cross-cutting issues.” The Guardian (London) (3/27)
Eliasson: UN aims to work toward “what the world should be”
The United Nations “is a reflection, a mirror, of the world as it is,” says Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, but his job is to slowly move toward “what the world should be.” He also emphasizes the need for cooperation at the UN, between nations and with civil society. “[W]e should realize that in today’s world the good international solution — let’s say climate, migration — the good international solution is, or at least should be seen as, a national interest,” he says. The Nation/Katrina vanden Heuvel blog (2/20)
Reform of UN is “essential,” Annan says
The United Nations Security Council must be expanded to include more countries, while companies that prey on the world’s poor should be punished by the world body, former Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Thursday in a speech at Yale University, which is publishing a five-book set of his UN papers. New Haven Register (Conn.) (2/7)
2012
On UN Day, remembering the UN’s importance to developing nations
The United Nations turns 67 today, and its importance to improving the lives of people in developing nations and giving a voice to smaller, weaker countries remains vital, according to these articles from Serbia, the U.S. and Jamaica. “As the most universal of the world organizations, it is especially important to smaller and weaker states, to which their voice in the UN General Assembly, the arranged international relations and respect for international law are often the only protection against violence and tyranny,” said Vuk Jeremić, president of the UN General Assembly. B92 (Serbia)/Tanjug (Serbia) (10/24), Iowa City Press-Citizen (10/23), Jamaica Gleaner (10/24)
8 October
Daniel Livermore: The Central Conundrum of Baird’s UN Speech
(CIPS Blog) Those who criticize the UN generally focus on its lack of results in crises (of which Syria is only the most recent example). The Harper government likes to take this approach and many in the media favour it, because it’s easy to present and produces quick headlines. Unfortunately, though, the problem is more complex. Simply put, the UN is only a secretariat, and not a very large one. Its member states are the bosses, and those member states dictate what the organization will do. They can authorize the organization to do useful and constructive work that saves lives and secures peace; or they can prevent the organization from doing anything, for a variety of reasons. [Emphasis added]
4 October
A reflection on responsibility: What does Syria mean for R2P?
By Lloyd Axworthy and Allan Rock
(Diplomat online) Measured by the glacial pace at which important changes are introduced into international law, R2P has advanced with unprecedented speed. It is hardly surprising that its evolution has been marked by failures as well as successes.
What is most encouraging is the strong residual loyalty that so many UN member states (including the vast majority from the global south) have shown to its principles, and their willingness to seek solutions to the challenges that R2P faces in becoming a standard response when vulnerable populations are threatened by lawless governments.
Despite the Security Council’s failure to apply R2P in Syria and elsewhere, we must continue to work towards the day when its principles are put into practice in a consistent and effective way. The stakes are simply too high for us to do otherwise.
Renewed calls for African seats on the UN Security Council
Foreign ministers from Africa have resumed calls for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. South African President Jacob Zuma told the world body that the council should add two permanent and two rotating seats for African nations, noting that much of the council’s work is in Africa and that Africans are among the largest contributors to peacekeeping operations. Council on Foreign Relations online/Africa in Transition blog (10/1), TheRoot.com (10/3)
2 October
Hon. David Kilgour: The UN’s Responsibility to Protect
(Epoch Times) The UN Security Council and larger international community must find a way to prevent outdated concepts of national sovereignty from allowing genocides and mass atrocities to occur before humanitarian interventions can be achieved.
Consider, among others, the events in King Leopold’s Congo (1886-1908), Ukraine’s Famine (‘32-33), the Holocaust (‘39-45), Chiang Kai-shek’s Taiwan (’47 and later), Mao’s Tibet (‘50 and afterwards; also today under Hu), Biafra (‘67-70), Pol Pot’s Cambodia (‘75-79), the Ndebeles in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe (‘82-87), Bosnia/Kosovo (‘92-99), Bashir’s Darfur (2003 to the present) and the Nuba Mountains (ongoing), Sri Lanka, and Falun Gong in China (’99 to the present).
1 October
Baird criticizes UN in speech to general assembly
Foreign minister says UN should focus on world’s problems, not its own
“I believe the UN spends too much time on itself. It must now look outward,” he said. “The preoccupation with procedure and process must yield to substance and results. If the UN focuses on the achievement of goals such as prosperity, security and human dignity, then reform will take care of itself.”
Baird says the UN itself is not a goal, but the means to accomplish important goals. …
The address comes on the final day of the 67th United Nations General Assembly.
Canada’s relatively low-ranking speaking slot can be explained partly by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision not to address the gathering this year, as other country’s leaders have done, the CBC’s David Common suggests.
UN assembly enters final day
The final day of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly will feature speeches by figures such as Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Kil-yon. “If there are going to be surprises, they’re going to happen on the final day of debate,” writes Dana Ford of CNN. CNN (10/1)
27 September
Ban Ki-moon’s new education initiative must emphasise teaching and targets
If the UN’s refreshingly positive Education First scheme is to succeed, it must prioritise quality teaching and define clear goals
(The Guardian) … the key challenge is to translate this into sustained changes at national and local levels. Education requires strategic, long-term investments and only delivers returns after many years, so we need to ensure the new initiative moves beyond short-term headline-grabbing into practical, long-term action.
Ban’s initiative is refreshing for its recognition of the role of teachers – drawing attention to the need to create 2m new teaching positions, reprioritise training and professional development, and redignify the profession. This should be obvious, but it is astounding how many international education policy debates fail to focus on teachers.
26 September
Egypt’s Morsi takes UN stage
Mohamed Morsi of Egypt used his United Nations General Assembly speech on Wednesday to discuss Egyptian democracy, the need for solving the Syrian crisis, as well as Israel-Palestinian relations and the role of freedom of expression in insults against religion. Morsi also called for the UN to give greater power to the Assembly rather than the Security Council. San Jose Mercury News (Calif.)/The Associated Press (free registration) (9/26), ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (9/26), Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (9/26), The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (9/26)
Verbosity at the UN
(The Economist) FEWER dictators means better timekeeping at the UN General Assembly. In past years delegates braced themselves for the rambling rants of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi (record: 90 minutes in 2009). This year’s meeting of the UN’s big representative body featured only a handful of long-winded speakers. Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad managed just under 40 minutes, bemusing some delegates and amusing others with his calls for restructuring the UN, which he says is heavily skewed towards a few countries. He also gave his thoughts about the coming of the 12th imam and Jesus of Nazareth.
UN protocol since 2003 stipulates that heads of state addressing the General Assembly must keep within a 15-minute limit. Barack Obama has breached that every year of his presidency with orations of at least 30 minutes. But modern efforts pall against the giants of the past. Cuba’s Fidel Castro in 1960 gave the longest ever continuous speech to the General Assembly, a fatiguing four hours and 29 minutes.
But the lengthiest speech ever at the UN (to the Security Council, not the General Assembly) was in 1957, when India’s representative, VK Krishna Menon, outlined in some detail India’s stand on Kashmir. It took eight hours, spread over three sessions, after which he collapsed.
This year’s delegates may not lack opportunity to exercise concentration. Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, is due to address the General Assembly via video-link from his refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Concision is not his watchword. If a record is to be broken this year, the odds are on him.
Obama extols freedom of expression, importance of UN role in global cooperation
U.S. President Barack Obama called upon nations of the world to “rally against bigotry and blasphemy and lift up the values of understanding and mutual respect” in a speech Tuesday before the United Nations General Assembly. “The strongest weapon against hateful speech is not repression, it is more speech,” said Obama, who also paid tribute to slain Ambassador Christopher Stevens and his investment “in the international cooperation that the UN represents.” PBS/Newshour (9/25), The Blade (Toledo, Ohio) (9/25), Mail & Guardian (South Africa)/Agence France-Presse/South African Press Association (9/26)
Syria is a regional calamity with global ramifications, says Ban Ki-moon
(The Guardian) UN secretary-general issues strong rebuke over security council inaction, saying world leaders ‘should not look the other way’
18 September
A primer for the UN General Assembly’s 67th session
While the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly began Tuesday, most world leaders aren’t slated to arrive until next week. While the ongoing crisis in Syria and Iran’s nuclear program are certain to be discussed, observers say other issues likely to be spotlighted are anti-American protests across the Muslim world and the Palestinian bid for membership in the world body. WNYC-AM/FM (New York Public Radio) (9/18), The Daily Beast (9/18)
3 August
UN General Assembly adopts Syria resolution
(Al Jazeera) World body deplores Security Council’s failure to act as Ban Ki-moon says brutality in Aleppo may amount to war crimes. Has Syria become the UN’s proxy battlefield? — Following Kofi Annan’s resignation we ask if the UN is engaged in a hegemonic power struggle over the Syrian conflict.
4 July
A Bastion for Human Rights? The UN Nominates Syria…Seriously
(HuffPost) In what can only be described as an act straight from the “theatre of the absurd”, comes news that Syria is running for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. Only thing, this is no fiction!
According to UN Watch, an independent human rights group based in Geneva, “the murderous regime of Bashar al-Assad is a declared candidate for a seat on the 47-nation U.N. body, in elections to be held next year at the 193-member General Assembly.”
17 June
We cannot help but wonder if this dust-up is at all related to the attitude of the Harper government towards the UN … just wondering.
Blame Canada: U.N. rights chief “alarmed” over Canadian law, but silent on China, Iran & Saudi Arabia
(Published by UN Watch) Canada will be put in the company of some of the world’s worst abusers of human rights tomorrow when the UN’s highest human rights official expresses “alarm” over Quebec’s new law on demonstrations during her opening address to a meeting of the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council, revealed the Geneva-based monitoring group UN Watch, which obtained an advance copy of her speech. Other states on the UN watchlist include Syria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
1 June
UN tourism body disputes Canada’s reason for quitting
(Globe & Mail) Canada is withdrawing from the United Nations World Tourism Office, a move it said was formalized this week over the agency’s recognition of Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe.
30 May
The New York Daily News got it wrong
U.N. endorses Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as tourism leader
Pick of leader dubbed one of the world’s worst dictators roils human rights group
… The U.N. World Tourism Organization endorsed Mugabe along with Zambian President Michael Sata at the African countries’ shared border, where the pair signed an agreement Tuesday to co-host the WTO General Assembly in August 2013.
The UNWTO later stressed that Mugabe was not made an official U.N. ambassador or given a tourism-related title.
A time to reflect on UN peacekeeping role
United Nations peacekeeping efforts have spanned 67 missions on four continents since 1948, and currently involve more than 120,000 military personnel from 117 countries. “For six decades, these men and women — most recognizable in their blue helmets — have been responsible for restoring stability where terror lived. They are charged with rebuilding societies that have been wracked by violence and natural disasters. And they are challenged to restore confidence in families and communities who have known little but war,” writes Peter Yeo, vice president of the United Nations Foundation, to commemorate the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on May 29. The Huffington Post (5/30)
U.S. support of UN, dues payment are crucial
The spending plan for 2013 being considered by a U.S. House committee would fall $400 million short of the U.S. commitment to the United Nations, undermining U.S. security interests and abnegating the will of the voters, writes Peter Yeo, vice president of public policy for the United Nations Foundation. “At a time when Americans want our dollar to go farther, this bill unnecessarily targets UN agencies — the very vehicles we need to make that happen,” he writes. “It contradicts what voters want, and we must speak out.” The Hill/Congress Blog (5/17
Youth 21 to press for UN influence by young people
Global youth leaders meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, have created an initiative, Youth 21, aimed at ensuring that people below the age of 35 are fully represented at the United Nations. “When you look around, the youth constitute the largest population across the world, yet they are often ignored, they are only remembered by leaders when they want votes,” said John Anugraha, of India, who sits on the UN-Habitat Youth Advisory Board. AllAfrica Global Media/Capital FM (3/19)
UN official says Syria crises show need for reform
In an interview, the head of the UN General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser, said that the vetoes by Russia and China of a resolution condemning the Syrian regime demonstrates that the system is outdated. “The world has changed. The UN should also reform itself to deal with the issues of today,” al-Nasser said as the Red Cross was being denied access to the devastated district of Baba Amr, in Homs, and thousands of Syrian refugees were pouring into Lebanon. The Independent (London) (3/5), BBC (3/5), The Daily Mail (London) (3/4)
Ban outlines priorities for his second term
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined his priorities for his second term in office in a speech this morning before the General Assembly. Ban’s “action agenda” includes a focus sustainable development, conflict mitigation, preventing diseases, increasing opportunities for women and girls and other global priorities, as well as harnessing partnerships and strengthening the UN. Ban said, “Waves of change are surging around us. If we navigate wisely, we can create a more secure and sustainable future for all.” Watch a video of Ban’s speech. Read the full transcript in English here. UN News Centre (1/25)
Ban talks Responsibility to Protect
The United Nations’ Responsibility to Protect concept has brought together multilateral institutions and governments to address crises around the world, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says. But key challenges, such as mustering practical support to back Security Council mandates, continue to limit efforts to put the concept into practice. The Christian Science Monitor (1/23)
19 January
How the U.S. Manipulates Key U.N. Appointments
(IPS) – When Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announces his new team of senior officials shortly, his appointments will be based not only on merit but also on demands made by the five big powers – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia – as well as key donors who sustain U.N. agencies through voluntary contributions.
The World Food Programme (WFP), one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, will have a new head, come April, according to one of the first appointments announced early this week.Ertharin Cousin, a U.S. national, will be the new executive director in an organisation which in recent years has been dominated by the United States, the last two heads being Catherine Bertini and Josette Sheeran.
According to one political source, the administration of President Barack Obama insisted that Sheeran be succeeded by Cousin, currently the U.S. representative to both WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), both based in Rome.
2011
UN’s Ban outlines priorities for second term
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says one of his top priorities as he embarks on a new five-year term at the helm of the United Nations is to help ensure that the popular movements toward democracy across the Arab world are sustained. He also plans to do more for young people and women the world over, and influence policies that might narrow the widening gap between rich and poor. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (12/31)
Reduced UN budget reflects global austerity
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is pledging more cuts in coming months to the 2012-13 UN budget that already has been cut from $5.41 billion to $5.15 billion — only the second time in 50 years that the budget has been reduced from prior levels. “Governments and people everywhere are struggling,” said Ban, referring to the economic crises in major donor countries. Google/Agence France-Presse (12/25), CBC.ca (Canada) (12/25)
Rock band backs UN chief’s sustainability drive
American rock band Linkin Park is partnering with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to promote the new initiative Sustainable Energy for All, which aims to ensure universal access to modern energy services as well as double both the rate of improvement in energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy worldwide. The United Nations Foundation, through its new Energy Access Practitioner Network, will join representatives from the private sector and civil society to solve energy issues in order to achieve universal access by 2030. The New York Observer (11/8), Google/The Associated Press (11/8)
Ban readies a new UN leadership team
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has made clear his intention to replace his current roster of advisers. Ban is slated to begin a second term as head of the world body and plans to recruit a new team of diplomats at the undersecretary-general and assistant secretary-general levels. ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (11/3)
Wirth: Why the U.S. needs UNESCO
Palestinians’ bid for full membership in UNESCO could lead to a resignation of the U.S. from the world body due to current U.S. legislation and trigger a domino effect that would leave the U.S. absent from the a key corner of the international stage, warns United Nations Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth. American officials must find a diplomatic solution to avoid resignations every time Palestinians succeed in seeking membership in a UN agency as participation in the UN remains a vital security interest for the U.S. Los Angeles Times (10/24)
Palestinian bid prompts review of U.S. funding for UN
While some U.S legislators have called for the U.S. to cease funding the United Nations and presented legislation to do so, Israeli diplomats remain committed to engagement at the world body as a matter of national security. Political tensions have risen recently over Palestinians quest for UN membership and statehood recognition, which has prompted multiple pieces of U.S. legislation. TheAtlantic.com (10/6)
Actor urges UN to free “thoroughly stuck” Western Sahara
Award-winning actor Javier Bardem on Tuesday accused Spain, France and the U.S. of turning a “blind eye” to human rights abuses in Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony trapped in a kind of legal limbo since it was annexed by Morocco in 1975. The UN peacekeeping mission there is the only one that does not monitor human rights, Bardem told the world body’s obscure Fourth Committee, which focuses on decolonization. ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay blog (10/4)
U.S. Congress draws fire on aid suspension
U.S. administration and Palestinian officials are criticizing a decision from the U.S. Congress this week to freeze $200 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority. Republican legislators were moving in direct response to the Palestinian bid for United Nations membership but are also planning additional legislation that could dramatically alter the U.S. relationship with the world body. Peter Yeo, executive director of the Better World Foundation, said the threatened cuts present an opportunity to “to educate members [of Congress] about the economic and security and political interests of the United States” that are aided by a robust, well-funded UN. ForeignPolicy.com/Turtle Bay (10/4), BBC (10/4)
U.S. criticizes UN salaries, personnel costs
The proposed 2012-13 budget for the United Nations “is not a break from ‘business as usual’ but a continuation of it,” according to Joseph Torsella, U.S. ambassador for UN management and reform. Bloomberg (9/29)
28 September
R2P and the Libya mission
When does ‘responsibility to protect’ grant countries the right to intervene?
The challenge after Libya is how to improve our capacity to respond to future R2P risk situations. Those of us whose business is preventing mass atrocity crimes need to get better at monitoring countries, states and conflicts before they reach “boiling point.” When things do reach a critical stage, we need to ring alarm bells in a way that not only provides adequate warning but mobilizes meaningful responses.
We need to coordinate these responses locally, regionally and internationally. We need better policy instruments, learning not only from Libya and Ivory Coast but also Guinea, Kenya and other places where R2P has been invoked but military force was unnecessary. The standard Security Council menu — which ranges from envoys and mediation, to referral to the ICC, sanctions or a no-fly zone — is inadequate. We need a wider range of preventive, mediated and coercive options.
24 September
Manmohan calls for U.N. reform to address global crisis
(The Hindu) There was a “deficit in global governance” which necessitated “a stronger and more effective United Nations.” “For this,” Dr. Singh argued, “the United Nations and its principal organs, the General Assembly and the Security Council, must be revitalised and reformed.” He underlined the need for “early reform of the Security Council.”
22 September
Durban III conference opens in New York amid allegations of anti-Israel bias
Counter-convention draws Jewish leaders and prominent supporters of Israel; 13 countries refuse to take part in Durban III.
(Haaretz) As the Palestinian statehood bid draws increasing support at the United Nations convention in New York, key member states have distanced themselves from a conference marking the ten-year anniversary of the Durban anti-racism conference in South Africa, in which both the United States as well as Israel stepped out due its alleged anti-Israel agenda.
30 August
Ros-Lehtinen introduces U.N.-bashing bill ahead of Palestinian statehood vote
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) introduced a bill today that would effectively slash U.S. contributions to the United Nations and punish any U.N. organization that goes along with the U.N. vote on Palestinian statehood next month.
25 August
After Libya, the question: To protect or depose?
(LATimes op-ed) NATO has gone beyond the United Nations mandate to protect the Libyan people, and now some U.N. member states are reluctant to act on Syria.
10 August
Adam Daifallah — Durban III: Your Taxpayer Dollars at Work
(Hudson New York) The forecast for New York City for September 22 is for a big cloud of anti-Semitism – brought to you courtesy of your own tax dollars.
The third edition of the farcically-named UN World Conference Against Racism is this time being held on American soil after stints in Switzerland in 2009 and South Africa in 2001 (hence its shorter moniker, Durban) and there is no reason to believe this one will be any different than the first two.
7 July
Security Council Reform in Sight?
(Council on Foreign Relations) After years of inertia, the campaign for UN Security Council (UNSC) enlargement is gathering momentum. The four main aspirants to new permanent seats—the so-called “G4” countries of India, Germany, Japan, and Brazil—have agreed on a draft resolution to expand both the permanent and elected UNSC membership. Last week Brazil and Japan claimed that the G4 blueprint enjoyed the support of at least one hundred nations. That brings the G4 within striking distance of the magic number: 128 affirmative votes, representing the necessary two-thirds majority in the 192-member UN General Assembly (UNGA). Sources close to the issue tell me that the G4 hopes to submit their resolution for a formal UNGA vote during the current, 65th Assembly session—meaning this summer. But they will only do so if they are confident they can marshal the requisite votes.
The kingmaker remains the African bloc, whose members are locked into the unrealistic “Ezulwini Consensus.” … [that] insists on two permanent members from the continent, with vetoes, and an additional three elected UNSC members from Africa. Given the diehard opposition of all five permanent members (P5) to any extension of the veto, the consensus is a complete non-starter—and an obstacle to progress on UNSC reform. Fortunately, the AU may not be as united as it appears. It is beginning to dawn on South Africa and Nigeria—the two main African aspirants—that they will never attain their goal without greater flexibility.
15 June
Adam Daifallah: What Happens When America Outsources Foreign Policy Leadership to the UN
(Hudson New York) The Western democracies are finally facing up to the reality of the mission in Libya: Containment is impossible and Moammar Gaddafi must go. But American leadership is still missing, and it is unclear if some NATO countries have the necessary willpower to take this excursion to its logical end. And, even if they do, there is still no clear plan for how to get there.
The original purpose of the Libyan mission – to protect civilians from the murderous tyrant’s bombs – has failed. It was bound to. It had no clear endgame and, it appears, no contingency planning was done. The result has been a case study in confusion. Retired Canadian General Lewis MacKenzie, who led the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, has called it a “dog’s breakfast.” This is what happens when America outsources foreign policy leadership to the U.N., as it did in this case: nothing bold gets done. The scope of the mandate to move forward is the result of a compromise to keep diverging interests happy.
28 May
UN Security Council Reform
(International Law Prof Blog) With different groups holding steadfast to their respective positions regarding reform of the Security Council, the President of the General Assembly today called for a “compromise” on the issue, at least a temporary one.
“We should try to make some reform that could not be final, that means that (it) should be reviewed at some time, but that could bring something which improves the situation in a way that every country can say our own possibility to be a member sometime in the Security Council is improved,” said Joseph Deiss, who heads the 192-member Assembly.
Security Council reform has been under discussion for over 17 years, with the key issues being the category of membership, the question of veto, regional representation, the size of an enlarged Council, and the Council’s working methods and its relationship with the General Assembly.
19 April
Gordon Brown calls for reform of global bodies including IMF and UN
Former PM sidesteps David Cameron’s criticisms and dodges speculation about his ambition to lead the IMF
(The Guardian) Gordon Brown has called for the wholesale reform of the world’s most powerful bodies, including the World Bank and United Nations, claiming they are unable to cope with the challenges of the 21st century.
The former prime minister said these institutions were designed for another era, in the post-war years and the Cold War, making them ill-equipped to tackle modern crises. Existing bodies, he said, had specifically failed to meet the new challenge of climate change.
31 March
UN Security Council Sanctions Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo, Wife, Top Aides
(WSJ) The Security Council said Gbagbo and his inner circle “obstructed the peace process and reconciliation in the country, obstructed the work of the [U.N. peacekeeping force] and committed serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.”
3 March
Reform of the United Nations: Lessons Learned
Testimony of Ambassador Terry Miller before The Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives
As citizens are dying in the streets of Libya this week at the hands of one of the world’s most repressive regimes, the United Nations Human Rights Council has on its agenda the adoption of a report praising the government of Muammar Qadhafi for its “commitment to upholding human rights on the ground.” In a small note of grace, the U.N. General Assembly, which just last year had overwhelmingly elected Libya to membership in the Council, did vote on March 1 to suspend Libya’s rights of membership in the Council.”
12 February
India, Brazil, Germany, Japan demand Security Council reform this year
Four regional powers hoping to get permanent seats on the Security Council — India, Germany, Brazil and Japan — said Friday they believe the U.N. will take action by September on expanding its most powerful body.
January 2011
Fundamental UN Reform, a Non-Starter?
(Global Policy) The major issues confronting world politics in the 21st century – climate change, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, pandemics, terrorism and economic meltdowns, among others – require that the United Nations reinvent itself as the multilateral forum for tackling the pressing challenges of today. The possibilities for significant reform are remote but not impossible. This article addresses four major roadblocks: sacrosanct state sovereignty; the emphasis on process over results in organizational culture; perennial and theatrical North–South confrontations; and the twin problems of turf battles and decentralization. At the same time, individuals and states can be as strong as the institutions they create. There are plenty of things wrong with the United Nations, but many can be fixed.