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UN: Priorities Set As General Assembly Nears

By Nikola Krastev

UNITED NATIONS, September 18, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- The 61st General Assembly of the United Nations starts its debate session on September 19. The heads of many of the UN's 192 member states will outline their countries' priorities.

But ahead of the debates, top UN leaders are seeking to direct the international community’s attention to several priorities they would like to set for the coming year.

They include more management reforms to strengthen the world body and renewed emphasis on human rights and the alleviation of poverty.

Finishing The Work Of The 60th Assembly

Sheikha Haya Rashid al-Khalifa of Bahrain, the General Assembly’s president, stresses that the new assembly must complete the work of the last one.

“The first one is to follow up the implementation of the process of the reform agenda, to complete the unfinished businesses of the 60th session, particularly strengthening of the ECOSOC [UN Economic and Social Council], Security Council reform, mandate review," al-Khalifa says. "And the second one [is] to consolidate the achievement of the 60th session in [the] areas of reform -- to ensure that the new institutions established, such as the Human Rights Council [and] the Peace Building Commission, are fully [operational].”

Al-Khalifa, who was speaking to the press last week, is the first Muslim woman to serve as president of the General Assembly. The presidency is a largely ceremonial position, but one that can be used to exert pressure on member states to subordinate their own interests to larger UN goals.

Searching For A New Secretary-General

The real executive power at the UN -- as always -- lies with the secretary-general. This year the General Assembly faces the task of finding a replacement for outgoing Kofi Annan.

Annan, who has headed the UN for 10 years, has emphasized the advancement of human rights and democracy ideals. He said last week that he would like to see the new General Assembly go further in that direction.

“I'm really satisfied that the member states have accepted that the UN has three pillars on which it should build its work: peace and security; economic and social development; human rights and the rule of law," Annan said. "I think we have made progress in some areas; in other areas we need to work harder. But I think there is greater awareness of the importance of human rights and the rule of law and the whole issue of good governance.”

Annan has refused to speculate on who might succeed him and how that person should act as the world body’s next leader. His only comments about the succession have been to express a personal wish to see a woman get the post.

“As to my successors, I have often said: ‘My predecessors did it their way. I did it my way, and I hope he or she will do it his or her way,'" Annan said. "I know I got into trouble in Turkey when I said, ‘When she takes over.’ And they asked me, ‘Why are you talking about a 'she'?’ I said, “Because a 'she' has never had it.”

Several high-profile names are the subject of speculation as possible Annan replacements.

The candidacy of Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga was officially put forward on September 16 by the three Baltic states -- Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

According to the UN Charter, the Security Council has to make a recommendation for a leader to the General Assembly, which then elects the new secretary-general. If the informal rule of geographic rotation is honored as it has been in the past, then the new secretary-general would come from Asia.

Another top priority in the work of the 61st General Assembly will be the alleviation of crippling poverty, particularly in Africa. Poverty reduction has been -- with uneven results -- on the agenda of the world body since its creation in 1945.

Reforming The Security Council

Among the thorniest issues at the UN over the last several years has been proposed reform of the Security Council.

The UN’s top executive organ comprises nine rotating members with two-year terms and five permanent members with veto power -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Annan has been a vocal proponent for reform of the council, saying that it does not reflect the realities of the 21st century.

“The management reform should continue," Annan has said. "I think efforts to reform the Security Council should not be given up. They should go ahead, because it is a serious problem for this organization. I have made it clear that, as far as I am concerned, no reform of the UN will be complete without the reform of the Security Council.”

Several proposals have been put forward. Some call for the expansion of the council to 24 members but without the change of the so-called P-5, the core five veto-wielding permanent members.

Other proposals envision the expansion of the council to seven or even nine permanent members but without new entrants being given the veto power. Possible candidates include India, Japan, Brazil, and Germany.

However, none of the proposals for reforming the Security Council has yet moved beyond initial phases.

Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org