UN reform has been one of the major themes of Kofi Annan’s leadership since he assumed office as Secretary-General, and he called on Member States to “applaud us when we prevail. Correct us when we fail. But, above all, do not let this indispensable institution wither, languish or perish as a result of Member State indifference, inattention or financial starvation.” He continues to pursue the reform agenda, as evidenced by his just-released report entitled “Strengthening the United Nations: An Agenda for Further Change”, which elaborates upon a series of specific actions to make the Organization still more effective.

The UN Chronicle has, over the years, published various features related to UN reform and to the efforts made by, and the expectations of, the United Nations to meet the challenges posed by an increasingly globalized world. This edition of the UN Chronicle E-Alert focuses on some of them.

Issue 2, 2001

• "A Second Term and Some Priorities Ahead” Appointed for a second five-year term as Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan's priority since taking office on 1 January 1997 has been to revitalize the Organization through a programme of reform.

.Issue 4, 2000

• “Managing the Globalization Process:
  The UN in the New Century”
  The United Nations needs to be more flexible, efficient and proactive.
  By Carlos Lopez of the United Nations Development Programme.

Issue 3, 2000

• “Global Alliances and Multilateral Policy”
  By Eveline Herfkens, Minister for Development and Cooperation of The Netherlands, about reforming international development efforts and the need for coherence.

Issue 1, 2000

• “Creating a New Global Architecture” Cooperative multilateralism can allow for a United Nations with a greater capacity to reach fundamental objectives.
  By Francisco Rojas Aravena, Director, Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences FLACSO, Chile.

Issue 4, 1999 ·

• Simon Maxwell, Director of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the United Kingdom's leading independent think-tank on international development and humanitarian issues, looks at the progress made on UN reform.

Issue 4, 1997

• Iqbal Haji, Principal Officer, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs on “Voluntary Funding”

Issue 3, 1997

• In his Annual Report, Secretary-General Kofi Annan reaffirmed that the Organization must “undergo fundamental, not piecemeal, reform”.



• United States Presidential Advisor, Diplomat and Economist John Kenneth Galbraith calls for reform, saying, “The United Nations… is risking obsolescence” in his essay titled “The New Internationalism: The fact and the response.”

Find out more about the UN Reform by visiting these sites:
Reform at the UN
Annan Promises Major Peacekeeping Reform
Annual Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization—1997

These stories and more can be found at UN Chronicle Online at www.un.org/chronicle.

The UN Chronicle print edition is published by the United Nations Department of Public Information in English and French, and co-published in Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish. It is not an official record; the views expressed in individual articles do not necessarily imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

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