UN PHOTO/UN PHOTO/ESKINDER DEBEBE

The debate took place among growing concerns of many delegates that some powerful countries may be abusing their clout both within and outside the United Nations. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his opening address to the Assembly's general debate (for speech see UN Chronicle Article), said that a democratic global alliance was essential to continuing the struggle against what he called "the three great challenges" during his decade of tenure at the Organization's helm: world disorder, including terrorism and the polarization that it causes; violations of basic human rights; and an "unjust world economy". While remaining confident about the strength of the United Nations, he gave a nod to political concerns. "What matters is that the strong, as well as the weak, agree to be bound by the same rules, to treat each other with the same respect", he said.

Early remarks by United States President George W. Bush were targeted at Middle Eastern nations, such as Lebanon, Iraq and Iran, as well as Darfur. He expounded on the meaning of freedom and democracy in these regions: "I want to speak about the more hopeful world that is within our reach, a world beyond terror, where ordinary men and women are free to determine their own destiny, where the voices of moderation are empowered, and where extremists are marginalized by the peaceful majority. This world can be ours if we seek it and we work together." But the images of partnership that he conjured were sharply refuted by other delegates, who claimed that the United States is among several world powers acting unilaterally on many international fronts.

"We shall continue to make development the central goal of the overarching framework of the United Nations, with sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental aspects the key elements of this framework". General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed al Khalifa

Despite these underlying tensions, however, representatives managed to stay focused on the debate's theme. "We shall continue to make development the central goal of the overarching framework of the United Nations, with sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental aspects the key elements of this framework", said General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed al Khalifa in her opening statement. Of the 192 UN Member States, 191 addressed the debate, with many asserting their commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to the 2005 World Summit Outcome, which built on earlier meetings with additional commitments to international development.
"The founding fathers of the United Nations envisaged an international organization, whose primary strength would be to act collectively and in the spirit of cooperation in solving international problems", said Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, U. Joy Ogwu, in her address to the General Assembly. She also said that the debate's theme aptly captures such aspiration and indeed reaffirms one of the MDG objectives. Anthony Hylton of Jamaica echoed the satisfaction of many States that the theme was both timely and poignant. The United Nations, "while recognizing that development, peace and security and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, reaffirmed that development is a central goal by itself", he said. Many countries also praised the creation by the General Assembly in December 2005 of the UN Peacebuilding Commission to assist in conflict resolution and post-conflict rebuilding and the establishment in March 2006 of the Human Rights Council to advocate specifically for human rights within the United Nations framework. Representatives said that these two UN bodies will be particularly essential in tackling the major structural obstacles to development, among them war and human rights abuses.

Many delegates stressed that without an unwavering global partnership, little progress in development can be made. "We will only be able to attain the MDGs and reduce the crushing poverty that is debilitating the lives of billions of people across this planet if we pool our resources and efforts for the common good of humanity", said Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga. Khunying Laxanachantorn Laohaphan of Thailand agreed. "A global partnership for development must ensure win-win conditions for the rich and the poor alike. We must ensure that development does not become a casualty of domestic interests."

Among the individual interests criticized during the debate were tariffs and trade restrictions that some representatives said favour industrialized countries. A number of delegates implicated mismanaged trade in the lopsided power structure that haunts today's international community. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize, Eamon Courtenay, criticized the recent trade talks, especially the failed Doha Round meeting in July 2006, which he said have not done enough to open market access to low-income nations. "We say that there is something inherently wrong with a system, which promises development and delivers lower prices for exports. We say that there is something fundamentally unfair in a system, which promises a development agenda and delivers suspended negotiations and less market access to small, vulnerable economies. … Of the 6 billion people on planet earth, 1 billion has more than 80 per cent of world income and 5 billion has less than 20 per cent of the income. Our common charge is to right the imbalance."

Discussions of power disparities are far from new to General Assembly meetings of recent years. At the fifty-ninth high-level session in 2003, for example, the Secretary-General told representatives that when Member States "act unilaterally or in ad hoc coalitions", they put at risk "the principles on which, however imperfectly, world peace and stability have rested" since the United Nations inception. But as UN supporters continue to stress that democratic action is the key to solving global problems, perceived infractions by powerful States seem to be drawing the world's underdogs together with renewed gusto.

Nowhere in the recent debate was this more evident than in the Member States' continued comments about the structure of the Security Council. "There is wide acceptance that the Security Council can no longer be regarded as being reflective of the changed international environment that has emerged since the time of its creation", Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the General Assembly. Other States like Iran voiced highly skeptical opinions of the Council's limited power of veto. The General Assembly elected Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama and South Africa for a two-year term of office beginning January 2007, replacing five outgoing non-permanent members of the Council. However, Member States that have raised their voices in a call for permanent membership again went home empty-handed.

Despite intensive media spotlight and significant ideological divisions, the sixty-first general debate succeeded in outlining today's most essential issues: war, human rights abuses, economic imbalances and development challenges. As Kofi Annan noted in his final address to the Assembly as Secretary-General, the purpose of the United Nations is, in fact, to overcome such divisions in the hope of achieving a greater peace. "What matters is that they [all peoples] come together, not at cross purposes but with a common purpose: to shape their common destiny", he said. "Each of us must share the pain of all who suffer, and the joy of all who hope, wherever in the world they may be."