The Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, Madhu Raman Acharya, was elected Chairman of the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) for the sixty-first session of the General Assembly on 8 June 2006 . Photo/Melissa Gorelick

Q: The Fourth Committee has shifted away from issues of decolonization as nations gained their independence, and has taken on a more political focus. How prominent are issues of decolonization in this Committee today?

A: As the main wave of decolonization is already completed, I wouldn't say that decolonization is the most prominent issue. But certainly there are remaining issues that need to be addressed. The Committee is still engaged in a discussion of certain territories that are in question. That said, the United Nations has made significant progress in this area.

Q: The UN Member States include many formerly colonized nations. Do these States ever have occasion to offer insights or act as models to currently occupied peoples?

A: There should be. Many Member States were colonies at one point in time and have since had the choice to exercise their right to self-determination-they have had referendums and have reached agreements with their former colonizers, and in this process the United Nations was instrumental.

As someone from Nepal, which has always been independent and was never colonized, it is a unique experience for me to look at the issues of decolonization. This world should be free from colonization. We're already into an era which provides for self-determination for peoples around the world. Colonization should be a thing of the past.

Q: A major issue that has emerged in the Fourth Committee is an investigation into the Palestinian territories. What are some of the challenges in working with issues in these territories?

A: There are two sides to this issue. One is the question of Palestinian refugees, which the Fourth Committee deals with, and especially the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), with its reports directed to the General Assembly. This is quite challenging. The operations are messy, they are complex and they include both humanitarian as well as development aspects. The work is also difficult because of the complex political climate in the region.

The other side of the Palestinian issue is the question of human rights, which falls under the title Israeli Practices in our work. We discuss the human rights situation of the Palestinian people, which has become very challenging as well. Because of recent events in the region, the issue has been highlighted, and we have had very intensive debates. In fact, we're going to vote on this issue very soon.

Q: Israel's representative has questioned the validity of the Special Committee assigned to track its activities in the Palestinian territories and in Syrian Golan. How does this affects the Fourth Committee?

A: The Committee did discuss these issues at length and the delegation of Israel did, in fact, challenge the validity of these agreements that were reached. It is the Committee's job to encourage all sides to conform to international humanitarian and human rights norms, and this is where the issue remains to date.

While ideally it would be nice to have all Member States conform to the system that has been put in place, we do understand that certain delegations have reservations of their own national interest. However, we must not forget the fact that these situations exist-the practices are there; they need to be addressed. And if a large, universal body like the United Nations cannot address them, then nobody can.

Q: Recent UN peacekeeping operations in Lebanon have largely been regarded as a success. Do Member States characterize them the same way? What, in your opinion, makes a peacekeeping mission successful?

A: United Nations peacekeeping operations have faced increasing challenges due to the surge in the need for these operations worldwide. The UN capacity to deploy an increasing number of troops is a bit overstressed. But ideally a successful peacekeeping mission must adhere to certain principles. There must be consent on all sides, international cooperation, proper mandate and then rules of engagement for the troops need to be laid out.

I can speak on the Lebanon peacekeeping mission specifically, as I come from a country that contributed troops there recently. The fact that there was this quick agreement and that there was a lot of acceptance in the situation on the ground-things have changed a bit after this deployment. These are reasons for everyone to be happy. Nonetheless, there are challenges; we still have no resolution to what will happen to the armed troops lying around, for instance. The situation is still relatively volatile.

Q: Member States have raised concerns about the occasional misconduct of UN peacekeeping troops. What kinds of suggestions have been raised in the Fourth Committee to solve this problem?

A: This year, the United Nations General Assembly pulled together a group of legal experts to submit recommendations concerning the conduct of personnel, including in the issue of sexual abuse and harassment. That group has come out with a report, which is quite extensive. Unfortunately, the Committee has not yet had a chance to look at it for technical reasons-it must first go to a Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. But the Committee in its general debate dealt with this issue, because we cannot let the image of the United Nations be tarnished by the misconduct of some individuals. We have to put into place a system that really controls and discourages this, and really takes action against people who indulge in these kinds of activities. There is a kind of general acceptance that we should work toward a very stringent regime of enforcing rules among the peacekeepers.

One of the issues being discussed is who should take responsibility for disciplining UN troops. There are three ways of doing this: one is that the UN takes action against its own personnel, the second is that the country where the crime takes place leads this action-if their legal system is strong enough, we can give consent for them to do this-and the third is that the personnel's own country, with its own legal practices, can do it back home. We haven't yet settled these complex issues, but we're considering both who has jurisdiction and who has the better legal and administrative capabilities to handle these matters. I personally believe that we should put into place structures that give the UN more flexibility in handling personnel matters when they are under the UN umbrella.

Q: Have there been any other issues that really stood out to you at this year's session?

A: The issue of outer space, which should be used universally by all humankind, and not just by a few States-this is an interesting topic. Some Member States have also highlighted the effects of the atomic radiation tests that have been taking place in some territories. The gravity of both dictates that the United Nations, as a universal global body, should delve into these issues, so that they don't later become confined to some Member States.

Q: What was it like to chair the Fourth Committee? What was the most difficult aspect of the work and the most rewarding?

A: I don't think there were too many truly difficult things about chairing the Committee. However, I did have the very interesting and unique experience of having to negotiate with concerned Member States on the issue of Western Sahara, however. This is one of the most challenging issues in the Fourth Committee, one of those remaining issues of decolonization where the right to self-determination has not shown any progress. The concerned parties were expected to arrive at a consensus, but instead they decided to go to a vote-and I must report that no further progress has been made. We must continue to encourage them to try to reach a consensus on this matter.

Overall it's been a very rewarding experience. I've learned quite a lot of things, and Member States and delegates have been very cooperative. I'm also getting used to the UN rules of precedent, which are quite complex. We've been able to meet with the Secretariat and listen to senior UN personnel, like the head of Peacekeeping Operations and Mr. Shashi Tharoor on public information-another area of the Fourth Committee's work. Chairing the Committee has indeed been a very interesting and positive experience.