In the Secretary-General's words... Below are excerpts from the report to the Security Council: The prevention of conflict begins and ends with the promotion of human security and human development. (paragraph 2) ...the inability of the United Nations to restore peace to Somalia soured international support for conflict intervention and precipitated a rapid retreat by the international community from peacekeeping worldwide. An early and direct consequence of this retreat was the failure of the international community, including the United Nations, to intervene in order to prevent genocide in Rwanda... The perception of near indifference on the part of the international community has left a poisonous legacy that continues to undermine confidence in the Organization. (para. 11) In the competition for oil and other precious resources in Africa, interests external to Africa continue to play a large and sometimes decisive role, both in suppressing conflict and sustaining it... While African peacekeeping and mediation efforts have become more prominent in recent years, the role that African governments play in supporting, sometimes even instigating, conflicts in neighbouring countries must be candidly acknowledged. (para. 13) The goal of public identification of international arms merchants and their activities has proven elusive, but perhaps no other single initiative would do more to help combat the flow of illicit arms to Africa - a trade that is made possible largely by the secrecy that surrounds it. (para. 28) The ongoing risk of conflict [in Angola] has also demonstrated further, how access to resources by warring parties can foster violence, and has highlighted the impact that international business interests can have on the success or failure of peace efforts. (para. 34) Ensuring that the abuse of humanitarian assistance does not end up prolonging the conflict is one of the greatest challenges facing humanitarian actors in today's conflicts. (para. 59) Relief efforts must be a step towards development, and must be delivered in ways that promote, rather than compromise, long-term development objectives. (para. 62) Despite appeals from my predecessor and from UNHCR, the international community failed to support efforts to separate former combatants from noncombatant refugees who had ensconced themselves on the territory of the former Zaire, along its border with Rwanda. As a result, combatants hiding among refugee populations remain, even today, a source of insecurity throughout the region. (para. 53) The real test of a democratization process is not the organization of first elections, but rather that those first elections are followed by others in accordance with an agreed electoral timetable. (para. 78) In many African countries, painful structural adjustment programmes have in many cases led to a significant reduction in social spending and in consequent reductions in the delivery of many of the most basic social services. Especially when this is coupled with a perception that certain groups are not receiving a fair share of diminishing resources, the potential for conflict is evident. (para. 79)