45. The Charter of the United Nations was signed with the specific purpose of seeking to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Throughout its history, the United Nations has had to confront new and ever-changing threats to international peace and security. Despite their efforts, the founders of the United Nations could not fully anticipate the range and complexity of the challenges that have arisen and evolved. The task of the United Nations is tremendous. Today, the mandates emanating from the competent principal organs range from the provision of good offices to operational prevention, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and enforcement. Mandates have resulted in the current deployment of more than 70,000 uniformed personnel and some 15,000 civilian staff in 15 peacekeeping operations, in addition to some 30 special political missions around the globe.
46. The Charter charges the Security Council with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security" The Economic and Social Council also considers issues such as post-conflict reconstruction in specific situations in Africa. The General Assembly, which under the Charter may discuss any issue, also considers a number of items in this area. The principal organs have in turn established a number of subsidiary organs, which have also contributed mandates in areas such as peacekeeping and decolonization.
47. This emerging overlap between organs has at times led to bureaucratic tension. However, the recent establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission has great potential to harmonize strategies and establish a clearer division of labour for the peacebuilding activities of the United Nations system.
48. Despite the politically sensitive issues in the area of peace and security, I believe that there is room for updating and strengthening the work of the Organization.
Reporting requirements
49. Section II of this report examined reporting and documentation issues. But some specific challenges posed by reporting requirements in the area of peace and security are worth noting here.
50. As issues move from crisis-driven to more stable situations, and States make the transition from conflict to peace, it is no longer necessary to make such frequent reports. Therefore, I suggest that some of the reports requested by the Security Council be issued on a half-yearly rather than a quarterly basis. One example of a situation that could be handled in this way is Guinea-Bissau. Others, such as the report on the item "Zone of peace and cooperation in the South Atlantic" should be issued only when there is something new to bring to the attention of Member States.
51. Occasionally, more than one organ will ask for the preparation of reports on different aspects of the same issue. For example, reports on the status of women, including with regard to international peace and security, are prepared under separate mandates from the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council, as examined in detail later in this report. Consolidating those partial reports into a single comprehensive report that would cover as many aspects of the issue as possible would give Member States a more complete picture and enable all organs concerned to take more effective action. If Member States agree, the Secretariat can begin providing such consolidated issue reports in 2006.
Overlap between and within organs
52. Historically, in response to political events and developments in the relations between and among States, Member States have considered and adopted resolutions to take action to address a particular situation. While the urgency of the issue may justify the special focus placed on it at the time, subsequent developments over time may warrant revisiting whether the issue still requires the same level of attention. Member States sometimes continue to renew and reissue on a regular basis the same mandates for addressing that situation, resulting in continued requests for reports or the organization of events and other activities, even if the situation on the ground may no longer warrant that level of activity. It may be advisable that Member States ask the Secretariat to reduce the volume and frequency of reports and other activities as a political situation improves, or consolidate reports and activities on that issue with others that are similar. Examples of such related issues are those of decolonization and non-self-governing territories, which currently give rise to several resolutions each year. Resolutions on these issues and their mandates could be regrouped together in an acceptable way, without affecting the substance.
53. Furthermore, several resolutions are adopted year after year with few or no changes in their content or mandates, very little debate, and reporting requirements that do not give Member States any new substantive information. Member States may wish to re-examine the frequency with which they consider and renew those resolutions. For example, the annual resolution on the item "Effects of atomic radiation" could be considered on a biennial basis, and biennial resolutions such as that on the item "Support by the United Nations system of the efforts of Governments to promote and consolidate new or restored democracies" could be triennialized.
54. Meanwhile, mandates requesting redundant and overlapping activities sometimes result from legislative action in more than one organ or their subsidiaries. Examples include the reports on Western Sahara submitted to the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Special Committee on decolonization of the Assembly. While the issue may need to remain on each organ, because its approach to the situation in question is different, reporting on the issue could still be consolidated so that all relevant bodies receive the same report, rather than separate reports for each one of them. In the case of Western Sahara, the reports to the General Assembly and the Special Committee summarize what has been included in the relevant reports to the Security Council. It would surely be preferable to communicate these reports directly to all three bodies.
55. Similarly, the Committee on Information holds a two-week annual session to discuss the item "Questions relating to information" and to adopt a draft resolution which is forwarded to the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee). The latter meets within six months to discuss the draft resolution and a report submitted by the Secretary-General covering the same issues reviewed earlier by the Committee on Information, and holds a general debate. Therefore, Member States may wish to consider forgoing this report, shortening the debate, and limiting the Fourth Committee's consideration of the item to the adoption of the draft resolution. Likewise, consideration may be given to reducing the number of reports requested by the Committee on Information to a maximum of three, which would cluster all requested information. In line with the programme budget, Member States may also wish to consider the resolution on questions relating to information only on a biennial basis.
Institutional architecture for implementation
56. The recent addition of the Peacebuilding Commission to the institutional machinery of the United Nations should also lead to a review of existing subsidiary machinery, mandates and activities in the areas it will cover, which include development as well as peace and security. The General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council have all adopted mandates on peacebuilding activities, on issues ranging from support for democratic institutions and elections to broader capacity-building and technical assistance. The Peacebuilding Commission is intended to improve the coherence of present and future efforts in these areas, and Member States are encouraged to take it into account when adopting future mandates on peacebuilding efforts in selected countries. While the exact role of the Commission, its agenda, procedures and interaction with the principal intergovernmental organs and other entities of the United Nations system remain to be established in practice, Member States may wish to initiate immediately a review of operational mandates already issued by the principal organs for those countries to be considered by the Peacebuilding Commission, so as to rationalize all mandates relevant to each one of those countries into one common country strategy.
57. As a rule, peacekeeping mandates are reviewed at least once a year, and this has helped to guarantee their continuing relevance. For some older missions, however, while the conflict with which they are associated may still be politically sensitive, and hence, their mandates are still politically relevant, it may be appropriate to review their size and capacity, while redoubling efforts to seeking a resolution of the underlying conflict.
Mandates and resources
58. Lack of adequate resources to implement peacekeeping mandates, as well as other mandates related to peace and security, is a matter that I have raised several times. It continues to be urgent. While an important political point may be made, and a departure from conflict may be signalled, by a Security Council resolution establishing a peacekeeping mission, if the necessary specialized troops and equipment are not forthcoming, the results will certainly fall short of expectations. Close coordination between the mandating authority and the actual or potential contributors is also important. We are still struggling to reach the authorized troop levels for several current peacekeeping missions, including MONUC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This type of situation should be addressed as a matter of urgency. The pool of contributors should be expanded to include virtually all Member States, thus proving in practice the universal commitment to and responsibility for United Nations peacekeeping.
59. Further efforts are needed to implement relevant proposals made by the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, and the world leaders at the 2005 World Summit.
60. Resources are also often lacking for the implementation of "thematic mandates" which entail no specific action in connection to any one peacekeeping operation, but are supposed to be applicable in all of them. Such mandates as enhancing African peacekeeping capacities, or increasing cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations or arrangements such as the European Union or NATO, must be resourced if they are to have any real long-term impact. Special political or other missions that are established outside regular or peacekeeping budgetary processes are often serviced from within existing resources, placing an additional strain on the limited available capacity.
61. I therefore urge Member States to consider ways to better match requirements with resources, so as to help ensure that all present and future mandates can be implemented effectively. Furthermore, additional spare capacity, especially for peacekeeping and special political missions, must be built into the system, if the Secretariat is to continue to be asked to take up, often at very short notice, special assignments of a sensitive and urgent nature.
