U.N. Reform Draft Avoids Divisive Issues
By EDITH M. LEDERER
The Associated Press
Saturday, June 4, 2005; 3:52 AM
UNITED NATIONS -- Governments received the first draft of a plan for overhauling the United Nations, complete with demands to pay more attention to poverty and human rights. But the document avoided the contentious issues of Security Council expansion, defining terrorism and guidelines for using force.
General Assembly President Jean Ping presented his proposal Friday to the 191 U.N. member states and said he will give them a few weeks to study it before they begin consultations later this month. They face a tight deadline, as Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called a summit in September for the purpose of strengthening the world body.
U.N. officials said 174 leaders have accepted his invitation, which would make it the largest gathering of world leaders in history.
We are reaffirming unequivocally that all of the member states wish to strengthen the United Nations and make it an effective tool, one that will enable us to collectively meet the many challenges and threats that our world is confronting right now, Ping said.
In March Annan asked world leaders to approve the most sweeping changes to the United Nations since it was founded 60 years ago, citing the need to tackle conflicts, terrorism, poverty and human rights abuses.
After a year of scandals over corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq and sex abuse by U.N. peacekeepers in Congo and elsewhere, Annan also set out plans to make the world body more efficient, open and accountable _ including strengthening the independence of the U.N.'s internal watchdog.
Ping and a team of U.N. envoys have been working on a basis for achieving broad agreement among member states.
Ping's proposal would reaffirm the commitment of U.N. members to eradicate poverty and promote development and global prosperity for all. It invites rich nations to set timetables to increase their spending on development assistance to 0.7 percent of gross national product by 2015 _ softer language than in Annan's report, which called on world leaders to ensure that developed countries reach the target. The United States, which has one of the lowest levels _ around 0.17 percent _ opposes a timetable.
Ping included a key proposal by Annan to give greater priority to human rights at the United Nations by creating a standing Human Rights Council, initially under the General Assembly. The council would replace the Geneva-based Commission on Human Rights, which has long faced criticism for allowing the worst offenders to use their membership to protect each other from condemnation.
The secretary-general called Ping's draft an important step toward decisive action for halving poverty by 2015, reducing the threat of war, terrorism, and proliferation, and promoting human dignity in every corner of the world.
Much is at stake, and I am confident that when world leaders meet in New York ... they will agree on the most far-ranging and ambitious reforms of the United Nations in its 60-year history, he said in a statement.
Ping said there is wide support for Annan's proposal to create a Peacebuilding Commission to ensure that countries emerging from conflict don't revert to war. Member states are also prepared to take collective measures to protect civilians from genocide and war crimes, using military means if necessary, he said.
Annan's report said the Security Council already has enough authority under the U.N. Charter to use military force, even preventively, but it needs to work more effectively. It said decisions on whether to use force should be guided by assessments including the seriousness of the threat, the chance of success and whether nonmilitary action is an option.
The United States was among the countries that opposed such assessments, and Ping's proposal simply calls for continued discussion of Annan's principles for the use of force.
The most contentious issue before U.N. members is reform of the Security Council. Annan called for a decision before the September summit and included two options _ one that would add six permanent seats and one that would increase non-permanent seats.
Ping's proposal didn't even mention options, saying only that members endorse comprehensive reform to make the council more broadly representative and more transparent.
Brazil, Germany, India and Japan _ who are lobbying for permanent seats _ have circulated a resolution to expand the council and are seeking a vote this month.
Ping met supporters of the rival plans Friday and said he asked them not to rush things _ and not to do anything before June 21. I think we can't rule out a consensus solution, he said.
On the issue of combating terrorism, Annan, said it was time to set aside debates on so-called state terrorism and endorsed the definition of terrorism proposed by a high-level panel that he created. It says any action intended to harm civilians or noncombatants with the purpose of intimidating people, or compelling governments or international organizations to act or abstain from action, constitutes an act of terrorism.
Ping's proposal avoids the issue of defining terrorism. It uses similar language to the high-level panel, but instead of saying the actions would constitute a terrorist act, it says they cannot be justified on any grounds.
© 2005 The Associated Press