Source: http://www.franceonu.org/article.php3?id_article=612 http://www.franceonu.org/article.php3?id_article=612 

Reforming the United Nations - the French position.

Collective answers are needed if we are to provide effective answers to most of the challenges and threats facing the contemporary world, which now concern the entire international community. France therefore considers multilateralism, and especially the United Nations, to be a key instrument for deliberating and acting on contemporary problems in their entirety and complexity.
For that reason, the reform of the United Nations is necessary to enable the Organization to adapt to a changing world (globalization, role of non-state actors, the new strategic given), to learn from past experiences (Rwanda, Srebrenica), and to modernize international action (compliance with budgetary constraints, transparency and management oversight) etc. Ultimately, the goal is to strengthen the authority and legitimacy of the United Nations to make it more effective.
An ongoing process since 1997 which France has helped lead
The process of reform started in 1997 when Kofi Annan became UN Secretary-General. He introduced important administrative and financial reforms, initiated a dialogue with the private sector (Global Compact),which included financing UN action, and improved UN planning capacity and conduct of peace-keeping operations.
The Security Council has also been part of this process, for example by adapting to the new threats to international peace and security. In imposing sanctions on al Qaeda in resolution 1267 ( 1999), the Council for the first time targeted a non-state entity before giving new momentum to the fight against terrorism in resolution 1373 (2001) which imposes obligations on states in this area. Similarly, resolution 1520 (2004) reflects the Council’s resolve to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their carriers, in particular by targeting trafficking and diversions of dual-use goods; the concrete measures imposed by resolution 1540 and the mechanisms for cooperation and exchanges that it establishes contribute to effective multilateralism.
France has supported the Secretary-General’s efforts since they began and has actively contributed to these changes, particularly as a permanent member of the Security Council. Within the European Union, it has also contributed to the Union’s increased cooperation with the United Nations. For instance, the European security strategy advocates an effective multilateralism, and the Union intervened, at France’s urging, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the context of Operation Artémis, as a rapid reaction force in support of UN action.
Re-energizing the process of reform ahead of the 14-16 September 2005 Summit
Kofi Annan announced at the start of the 58th session of the UN General Assembly that he wanted to re-energize his efforts to reform the entire UN system. This new momentum gave rise to three reports submitted to member states between December 2004 and March 2005:
the report of the High-Level Panel, chaired by Mr. Panyarachun, examined the reforms necessary for improving the collective response to threats, challenges and changes. The report emphasized the correlation between military threats, human rights violations and economic (poverty), social (pandemics) and environmental challenges (climate change, pollution);
the Millennium Project report, chaired by Mr. Sachs, looked at the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals one third of the way through and makes operational proposals for meeting the international community’s commitments by 2015, and especially for identifying resources for financing development;
the Secretary-General himself prepared a summary of these documents. His report, In Larger Freedom, submits proposals to the heads of state/government who will meet in New York on September 14 through 16 for each of the three main areas of collective action-peace and security, human rights and development, and institutional reform.
France applauded these contributions and believes the Secretary-General’s report constitutes an excellent working basis, both ambitious and realistic, for preparing the Summit in September. It took part in this first stage by floating many proposals, beginning with President Chirac’s address at the general debate of the 58th session of the General Assembly, and again in the minister’s speech at the opening of the 59th session in September 2004.
Now, it is up to member states to examine and discuss these proposals. Discussions have started in the United Nations and in other bodies with a view to the September Summit. This is an important opportunity to take major decisions to boost multilateralism. France intends to participate actively, in close liaison with its European Union partners, in preparing this importance conference.
The French Positions
With regard to questions of collective security, France supports the continuation of the efforts of the United Nations, especially the Security Council, in the framework of the United Nations Charter:
adoption of a global strategy on terrorism, taking into consideration all aspects of the fight against this scourge while respecting human rights, and adoption by the General Assembly of a comprehensive convention on terrorism;
strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime, full implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments for chemical weapons, and strengthening instruments dealing with ballistic and biological weapons;
establishment of a peace-building commission to increase coordination among the various international actors (politico-military, human rights, humanitarian, reconstruction, development ) in post-conflict situations.
France seeks to strengthen all the UN mechanisms promoting and protecting human rights:
transformation of the Commission on Human Rights into a council whose enhanced status in the UN system strengthens the mobilization of the international community in furthering human rights and increases the effectiveness of its action: to this end, a global approach (annual report on human rights globally, role of the UN General Assembly to be maintained) seems necessary;
increase in the resources of the Human Rights Commissioner;
promotion of the responsibility to protect, which recognizes that the international community may, indeed must, intervene-including through coercive measures decided by the Security Council-to prevent or stop massive human rights violations when the state of the territory where these are occurring cannot or does not wish to act;
increase in the Security Council’s information and action on questions affecting human rights violations (early warning by the High Commissioner, development of a corps of observers, referrals to the International Criminal Court);
enhanced rapid action capability to tackle humanitarian disasters.
France also attaches special importance to aspects relating to development and insists on the need to keep a balance in the results of this Summit between this aspect and the two others: responses to the challenge of development financing by a progressive increase in official development assistance (to 0.7% by 2015, France having set a national goal of 2012); by the establishment of an international finance facility or yet by innovative mechanism such as the international solidarity levies proposed by France;
reaffirmation of the special attention required by Africa’s needs;
greater coordination in international economic and social action through the establishment of a policy body for economic and social governance, reporting to the Secretary-General and involving the G20, the LDCs, the United Nations and the other organizations competent in this domain (Bretton Woods institutions, WTO);
promotion of a United Nations Environment Organization for more effective and coherent international governance in this domain; to give more political weight to international environmental action; to strengthen the coherence of international action; to enable developing countries to design and implement their own national environment policies.
Lastly, France supports institutional reforms along the following lines : Security Council enlargement in both categories, permanent and non-permanent members, for the benefit of developed and developing countries;
revitalization of the General Assembly, specifically through a rationalization of its agenda;
revitalization of the Economic and Social Council, with its agenda concentrated on three areas: debates on development, coordination of agencies’ operational activities, UN funds and programs, and follow-up of the implementation of MDGs;
continued reform of the United Nations Secretariat in order to improve management and strengthen oversight.
The stakes in re-inventing multilateralism for the 21st century
In general terms, it is France’s hope that the September Summit will deliver the dynamics for political mobilization on the main challenges-security issues, human rights and development- so as to underscore the importance of providing collective responses in a multilateral framework that respects the Charter (cooperation, primacy of law, peaceful settlement of disputes). The United Nations must play a central role in these collective responses as it is the sole body with universal legitimacy and a global mandate.
In this spirit and in order to promote the effective multilateralism espoused by the European Union, the international community must fully support the proposals for reform of our Organization.