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POLITICS: Annan Seeks Expanded Security Council, More Foreign Aid

Niko Kyriakou

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 21 2005 (IPS) - For critics who accuse the United Nations of too many words and too few deeds, a major report released Monday by Secretary-General Kofi Annan offers a rebuttal that the institution can be efficient, hard-hitting and practical.

Titled “In Larger Freedom”, Annan’s report gives relatively equal attention to each of the U.N.’s three main concerns – development, security and human rights – but also focuses on reforming the U.N., which recently has come under attack for corruption scandals.

The 62-page text wastes no time in outlining a number of concrete proposals on many of the most contentious issues standing in the way of both U.N. credibility and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDGs, which were set out in 2000, include halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, and represent benchmarks of global progress. Annan stressed that the MDGs goals “can be achieved,” if the member states are willing, this year, to make specific decisions on issues raised in his report.

The report is divided into four sections. The first, “Freedom from Want”, asks every developing country to implement a comprehensive national strategy to meet the development goals, and asks every developed country to support them with debt relief, just trade laws, and increases in development aid.

As ever, the success of reforms hinges to a large extent on funding. The report says that there are “encouraging signs” that “the critical ingredient – political will – is emerging” to pursue reforms, but that “the real test will be whether broad-based actions.are supported by global development assistance being more than doubled over the next few years.”

The report calls for all developed countries and members aspiring to the Security Council to allot .7 percent of their gross national income for development by no later than 2015, starting with significant increases by 2006.

This reform is expected to be a sticking point with the world’s two largest economies, Japan and the United States, which currently only give about .2 and .18 percent of gross national income for development assistance, respectively.

Mark Malloch-Brown, the secretary-general’s chief of staff, told IPS that the U.N.’s best strategy to reach the .7 percent goal is “shame” – states don’t want to be isolated for aid stinginess, he said, adding that both Germany and Italy are making promising hints at increases.

Annan’s report also calls on countries to complete the Doha round of trade negotiations by 2006, and to immediately offer duty- and quota-free market access to exports from the least developed countries.

On the environment, the Annan asked for the current Kyoto Protocol to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions to be extended beyond the current cut-off date of 2012.

He also urged the creation of a one-billion-dollar voluntary fund for relief to victims of disasters both natural and human-made.

The second section of the report, “Freedom from Fear”, calls on member states to create a “new security consensus”, including an agreement on a definition on terrorism, the ratification of the Comprehensive Convention on Terrorism and the Convention on Nuclear Terrorism, and the completion of a treaty and time-line to cut off production of fissile materials such as uranium.

In a novel proposal, Annan asked states to agree to create a Peacebuilding Commission within the United Nations to foster peace in post-conflict regions. According to Malloch-Brown, the Commission is aimed at places like Darfur, Sudan, where the U.N. has failed to intervene to stop a brutal ongoing civil war because of a lack of commitment from member states.

“Rwanda happens.Darfur is happening,” Malloch-Brown said. “When the U.N. is weak then governments don’t have the incentive. This report renews commitment and looks to winning back support so it can address Darfur.”

Other security-related reforms were laid out in the report’s third section, “Freedom to Live in Dignity”, in which Annan seeks support for a principle he calls the “Responsibility to Protect,” whereby the international community would accept responsibility for addressing crimes against humanity that national authorities fail to prevent.

In the case that the U.N. Security Council may have to take forceful action, the fourth section of the report calls for the Security Council to pass a resolution on the principles that will guide deliberations on the use of force.

Annan also asked for contributions to a Democracy Fund at the U.N. to provide funding and technical assistance for countries seeking to strengthen or establish democracy.

The final section on “Strengthening the United Nations” calls for reform in all organs of the U.N., not only the Security Council but the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Secretariat. It is aimed at bringing the U.N. “fully into line with today’s realities,” and at making the organisation efficient, open, and accountable, Annan said.

Perhaps most striking is the suggestion that member states agree on increasing membership of the Security Council before September’s summit.

There is no mention of limiting the veto power of Security Council members, which critics of the U.N.’s ability to represent the entire world have long demanded. Robert Orr, the assistant secretary-general for policy planning for the secretary-general, says the reason is that veto reform is not an issue that is “driving member states.” He said that member states care more about representation on the Security Council.

Other U.N. reforms listed in the report include the replacement of the Commission on Human rights with a Council on Human Rights, which would be smaller and whose members would be elected by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly. The proposal comes after critiques that countries with terrible human rights records had members on the Commission.

In the Secretariat, which has come under attack for a number of recent scandals, Annan asked for greater transparency, budget reviews, management changes and the strengthening of the Office of Internal Oversight Services.

The report also urges the General Assembly, which Annan says in recent times “has suffered from declining prestige, and has not made the contribution that it should to our activities,” to work more with civil society to adopt a thorough package of reforms in its 60th session.

Malloch-Brown says that the report is a “carefully constructed deal intended to offer something for everyone,” and believes that most of the actions proposed could be achieved before September’s high-level meeting.

To this end, he says the Secretariat plans to go into “full-level marketing sales mode to get all member states seized with the idea of this.”

Orr and Jeffrey Sachs, special advisor on the Millennium Development Goals, will also begin lobbying internationally for the report. Orr said that preliminary discussions about the report will last about two weeks and that details will be worked out issue by issue between April and June.

Annan acknowledged that some member states will disagree with the report’s priorities, but encouraged them to remember that at an organisation representing 191 countries, compromise and cooperation are the keys to advancing the cause of a “larger freedom”.

*Deletes “annual” from second paragraph.