FEW EVENTS in recent history have generated as much confidence in the future and such high hopes for a better world as the fall of the Berlin Wall some five years ago, symbolizing as it did the end of the cold war. The spectre of global nuclear cataclysm, which has haunted humanity since the dawn of the nuclear age, has receded, and in its place has emerged the promise of an era of international peace freeing the energies of nations to work together towards economic and social progress for the whole of humankind.
At the time, there was a widespread belief that when no longer fuelled by military assistance provided by rival major Powers, the many regional conflicts flaring in different parts of the world could be quickly extinguished. The global economy was expected to derive significant benefit from a huge "peace dividend" accruing as a result of the abandonment of the costly arms race. It was hoped that an important share of those resources would be invested in poor countries starved of capital and skills and thus help to accelerate economic growth and development worldwide.
Sadly, the record of world affairs over the past few years has largely belied those optimistic expectations. Many old conflicts continue to defy the efforts of the international community to bring about a settlement and new wars have continued to erupt, almost all of them within States. Most disappointingly, the total volume of assistance to developing countries has not only failed to show growth but has, in fact, declined.
The fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations is therefore not only a time to review the Organization's first half century and prepare it for its second: it is also an occasion to address ways to regain the momentum in world affairs that appeared so dramatically at the outset of this decade.
In the same manner as my first three annual reports to the General Assembly, my fourth report endeavours to place in focus the efforts of the Organization to respond effectively to the multitude of new demands and problems resulting from the dramatic changes engendered by the end of the cold war. Those efforts relate both to the long-term goals embodied in the Charter of the United Nations -- now apparently more accessible as a result of the sea change in international relations -- and to the immediate tasks arising from the outbreak of new conflicts in different parts of the world and the resulting increase in demand for the Organization's preventive, peacemaking, peace-keeping and peace-building services.
Addressing the implications for the Organization of the massive increase in the number and complexity of peace-keeping operations, and their profoundly changed nature, I pointed, in my previous annual report, to the widespread misperception of the United Nations as an organization dedicated primarily to peace-keeping. I underscored that, in the midst of its efforts to contain and resolve immediate conflicts by peace-keeping and other means, the United Nations remained determined to pay more attention to the foundations of peace, not least those lying in the realm of economic and social development.
During the past year acute armed conflicts have continued to place heavy demands on the Organization's financial and human resources and to dominate public perception of the United Nations role and effectiveness. The problems presented by conflicts such as those in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Liberia, Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia are in many ways unprecedented. More often than not the mandates and resources provided to the Organization to deal with them have proved to be inadequate to address effectively the complex tasks at hand. When journeying into uncharted territory with less-than-adequate means, set-backs are unavoidable. But these must not be allowed to become a source of disillusionment or to overshadow the successes that, notwithstanding formidable challenges, have been achieved by peace operations in various parts of the world, from Cambodia to Mozambique to El Salvador to Angola. Nor must adversity be allowed to weaken our resolve to carry forward efforts to save human lives and prevent larger conflicts, for which the United Nations remains an irreplaceable instrument. On the contrary, the set-backs suffered in the quest for peace and security must reinforce our determination to take the hard decisions required and seek continuously to develop improved approaches as a means of enhancing our capacity and effectiveness. With these objectives in mind, I issued, in January 1995, a Supplement to "An Agenda for Peace" (A/50/60-S/1995/1), which has been the subject of a presidential statement in the Security Council and is now being studied by the General Assembly. The experience of the past several months has given added force to the recommendations in the Supplement.
While the issues before the international community in this regard require careful and urgent attention, it is also extremely important that the difficulties encountered in peace-keeping operations, significant and disturbing as they may be, should not divert attention from other dimensions of the work of the Organization, which, though less visible, are equally essential and serve to lay the economic and social foundation for lasting peace.
In the domain of economic and social development, as in the area of peace-keeping, the international context within which the United Nations operates and the challenges that it faces have greatly changed. In the economic and social fields, as in the political, many areas of great concern remain where the United Nations has not, as yet, proved equal to the challenge. The situation of the least developed countries and of many parts of Africa remains critical. At the same time, the effort of the United Nations in support of development is vast and rich with distinct accomplishments. As such, it deserves better recognition and enhanced political and public support.
At both the practical and the conceptual levels, the period covered by the present report has been marked by notable advances in the Organization's capacity to guide the response of the international community to global change and to the new forms of economic and social problems facing the world.
I attach great importance, in this regard, to the ongoing discussions within the framework of the General Assembly on "An Agenda for Development". The first report on the subject, which I presented to the Assembly in May 1994 (A/48/935), was followed by hearings and submissions by a variety of sources and was then drawn upon in a large number of statements made during the general debate at the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly. In that light, I submitted to the Assembly, in November 1994, a set of recommendations aimed at giving practical force to the emerging consensus on the priorities and dimensions of development (A/49/665). Such consensus is being further advanced through the working group that is preparing the further consideration of the matter at the fiftieth session of the General Assembly.
In the same context, I have been particularly encouraged by the support that the role of the United Nations in the economic and social fields and the current work on the elaboration of "An Agenda for Development" have received at the annual summit meeting of Heads of State and Government of the seven major industrialized nations. The communiqué issued at Halifax in June 1995 (A/50/254-S/1995/501, annex I) specifically declared the readiness of the Group of Seven to work with others in order to set out a fresh approach to international cooperation and to define the particular contribution expected of United Nations bodies.
At the same time, the ongoing series of global conferences on key issues of development was carried forward with the World Summit for Social Development, held in March 1995, at Copenhagen. On that occasion a start was made towards combined and effective action across borders to address poverty, unemployment and social disintegration. In Beijing, where the Fourth World Conference on Women will be held this September, the world will act upon the newly achieved recognition that the advancement of women is fundamentally critical to the solution of many of the world's most pressing social, economic and political problems. These conferences will be followed next year by the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and the ninth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
A sustained, coordinated follow-up to those conferences, together with a renewed effort in support of African development, has been the main focus of extensive consultations I have held during the year with the heads of the Bretton Woods institutions and the executive heads of the other agencies represented in the Administrative Committee on Coordination. These are covered in the section of the report dealing with the work of the Secretariat, as well as in the chapter of the report dealing with development, humanitarian action and human rights as the foundations of peace, chapter III.
During the period covered by the present report, I have continued to emphasize the essential linkages between the political and development missions of the United Nations and to advance a comprehensive vision of the role of the Organization where the advancement of human rights and democracy are essential elements of both of those missions.
In parallel with the efforts to enhance the Organization's capacity in the field of peace and security and to introduce an improved conceptual framework for pursuing the Organization's development mission, reforms in the structures and methods of work of the Organization are gaining momentum.
To this end, I have put forward a management plan designed to create a mission-driven and result-oriented organization. In carrying out the plan, the achievement of five objectives is fundamental:
aBetter management of human resources, together with improvement in staff member capabilities and accomplishments;
b Better management of the Organization's programme, from the identification of strategic priorities, through the budgetary process by which resources are allocated to achieve those priorities and finally through a performance measurement system by which programme managers are held accountable for achieving the strategic priorities;
c Better information with which to manage, and its timely availability;
d Better management of technology and extension of its availability throughout the Organization;
e Better management of the Organization's cost structure and an enhanced programme for promoting efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Reforming the United Nations into a simpler, more focused and more integrated organization, capable of pursuing the different aspects of its mission in a mutually reinforcing way and in the most efficient manner possible, has continued to be a key objective of my efforts during the past year, as it has been since I took office in January 1992. As described in the report, the past 12 months have seen further tangible progress towards streamlining operations, strengthening accountability, tightening personnel and management standards, and eliminating waste and redundancy. I am, in this context, deeply committed to continuing to reduce the budget further while improving the quality of service to Member States.
In pursuing those efforts, I am keenly aware that Secretariat reform, to be truly effective, must be part of a larger restructuring effort including the intergovernmental machinery to adapt the Organization as a whole to the demands of the post-cold-war era. Such a process requires the determination and full commitment of all Member States.
A crucial component of that larger reform process should be the achievement of a more dynamic relationship among the main intergovernmental organs -- the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council. I hope that the account of developments in the work of those organs in chapter II of the present report will prove helpful in considering what adjustments and further improvements can be introduced in this regard.
Within the realm of activities covered by the Economic and Social Council, further steps to ensure more coherent management of operational activities carried out under the aegis of the various programmes and funds of the United Nations, as well as improved coordination of the humanitarian activities carried out by various parts of the Organization, are other essential elements of reform requiring renewed attention at the intergovernmental level.
In the same context, I am firmly convinced that no reform effort can succeed without addressing the basic issue of providing the Organization with a more adequate and reliable financial base. This issue is developed in chapter II of the present report, where I endeavour to highlight the seriousness of the financial crisis facing the Organization. The difficult financial situation is compounded by the continuing late payment of contributions by many Governments. It is increasingly proving to be the most serious obstacle to the effective management of the Organization. I therefore particularly appreciate the serious effort under way in the High-level Open-ended Working Group on the Financial Situation of the Organization, established during the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly, to devise constructive and long-lasting solutions in this crucial area.
Two other, related dimensions of the ongoing reform effort need to be highlighted and are given prominence in the present report.
One relates to the expansion in the depth and coverage of the assistance provided by the Organization to Member States in the process of democratization. Requests for electoral assistance continue to grow. Beyond this type of assistance, there is a growing demand for United Nations support in preparing the social, as well as institutional, ground in which democracy can take root. I hope that the development of a comprehensive approach to the role of the United Nations in these areas will be further advanced at the fiftieth session of the General Assembly, in the light of the report on the subject I have submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 49/30 of 7 December 1994 (A/50/332).
The past year has also deepened awareness that the efforts of States to democratize will have an increased likelihood of success when democratization extends to the international arena. The progressive opening of the United Nations to civil society is an important part of this process. Also in this respect, the global conferences held by the United Nations in recent years are making a crucial contribution. By bringing together State as well as non-State actors they are serving to create strong, world-wide issue-based constituencies around key dimensions of development. The democratic nature of this conference series contributes immensely to the legitimacy and effectiveness of the programmes of action being adopted.
Indeed, the new world environment clearly demands more systematic cooperation between the United Nations and all other actors engaged in promoting political and economic security at all levels, whether they be regional or subregional organizations (progress in cooperation with these entities is covered in chapter IV of the present report), or non-State actors such as citizen groups, grass-roots movements and non-governmental organizations of all types. The strengthening of coordination and cooperation between these actors and the various elements of the United Nations system can serve only to enhance effectiveness in fulfilling the goals of the Charter. It also serves to reinforce democratic principles in world affairs and in the emerging international system.
I have sought in this report to provide a clear and comprehensive account of the work of the Organization as it helps Member States to make the transition to a new international era. I firmly believe that success in this great task requires nothing less than the full participation of all concerned -- not only the United Nations and its Member States, but individuals, the private sector, the academic community and non-governmental, regional and international organizations. It is to inspire the widest reflection upon and assessment of the only world Organization at our disposal, and in accordance with Article 98 of the Charter of the United Nations, that I submit the present annual report.
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