Outcome Document of the 2005 "World Summit"

(adapted from material prepared by the UN News Service)

At the September 2005 "World Summit" at UN Headquarters, world leaders agreed on a broad range of crucial issues, including measures to combat poverty and promote development, condemnation of all forms of terrorism, and the collective responsibility to protect civilians against genocide and other crimes against humanity. Their unanimous "Outcome Document" includes:

• On development - a commitment by all governments to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015; to raise an additional $50 billion a year by 2010 for fighting poverty; to consider additional measures to ensure long-term debt sustainability by increased grant-based financing, and cancellation of the official multilateral and bilateral debt of heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs).



• On terrorism - unqualified condemnation by all governments of terrorism "in all its forms and manifestations"; a strong political push for a comprehensive convention against terrorism within a year; support for early entry into force of the Nuclear Terrorism Convention; agreement to fashion a strategy to fight terrorism in a way that makes the international community stronger and terrorists weaker.



• On peace-building, peacekeeping and peacemaking - creation of a Peacebuilding Commission to help countries transition from war to peace, backed by a support office and a standing fund; a new standing police capacity for UN peacekeeping operations.



• On the responsibility to protect - unambiguous acceptance of the collective international responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity; willingness to take timely and decisive collective action for this purpose, through the Security Council, when peaceful means prove inadequate and national authorities are failing to do it.



• On human rights, democracy, and the rule of law - decisive steps to strengthen the UN human rights machinery and agreement to establish a UN Human Rights Council during the coming year; welcome for new Democracy Fund which has already received pledges of $32 million from 13 countries; commitment to eliminate pervasive gender discrimination, such as inequalities in education and property ownership, violence against women and girls, and ending impunity for such violence.



• On management reform - strengthening of UN's oversight capacity, including the Office of Internal Oversight Services; expanding oversight services to additional agencies; calling for development of an independent oversight advisory committee, and further developing a new ethics office.



• On the environment - recognition of the serious challenge posed by climate change, and a commitment to take action through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; assistance to those most vulnerable, like small island developing States; agreement to create a worldwide early warning system for all natural hazards.



• On international health - scaling up responses to HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria, through prevention, care, treatment and support, and the mobilization of additional resources from national, bilateral, multilateral and private sources; support for the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network of the World Health Organization.



• On humanitarian assistance - Improved Central Emergency Revolving Fund to ensure that relief arrives reliably and immediately when disasters happen.



• On updating the UN Charter - decision to revise and update the Charter by winding up the Trusteeship Council, marking completion of UN's historic decolonization role, and deleting anachronistic references to "enemy States".