US calls urgent UN meeting amid concern over reforms

By Mark Turner 
November 17, 2005
Financial  times
Original Source: http://news.ft.com/cms/s/a49fa4a2-570f-11da-b98c-00000e25118c.html

The US is convening an urgent meeting of the United Nations' principal budget contributors amid growing concern that essential management reforms may be derailed by a group of developing countries that wants to maintain the status quo.
We've got to get seriously behind this effort at management reform, or we are at risk of failure, said John Bolton, US ambassador to the UN, in an interview with the FT.
For us, of all the issues coming out of the September summit, management reform was at the top of the list.
He said a meeting of the Geneva Group of major financial contributors would take place over the next few days. The move comes alongside intense US lobbying in New York, Washington and capitals; but there is resistance from developing and other countries that fear management reform is a Trojan horse for increasing American influence. The problem is that many other governments simply don't put management reform at the same level of priority that we do: and not just in the third world, but many governments in Europe too, said Mr Bolton.
The US stance, and questions over how much the reforms would cost, has raised uncertainty over prospects for the adoption of the UN's biennial budget, which would normally be done by the end of the year.
Mr Bolton would not directly comment on budgetary matters, but did say: For us it's a cost benefit question of where our resources are most effectively used.
The UN is simply one of many competitors in the global marketplace for problem solutions and problem solvers.
If it's not good at solving problems [Americans will] look to some other institution; some other organisation, some other framework.
Insisting that reform was needed to make the UN effective, he added: I would think those . . . who want to see a stronger UN would see the logic of our argument. But so far, I think the happiness with the status quo still dominates the debate.
Mr Bolton is also pushing for changes in the way the Security Council does business.
He wants a reversion to past practice where the permanent five members try to reach agreement among themselves before going to the wider membership.
If you look at the success of the Security Council in the late 80s and 90s, the driver was more effective perm five (permanent five) co-operation, he said.
But over a period of 10 years it's broken down. For the Security Council to be more effective in addressing the main challenges of international peace and security today, we've got to restore that engine.
He also called for the council to take more control over its priorities, and not simply handle what's put in front of us.