By CHEN XULONG

CHALLENGES AND CHANGE FOR THE UN

By CHEN XULONG

The UN faces an uphill battle to promote world peace and development

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s return to the UN. On October 25, 1971, the 26th Session of the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 and decided to restore the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the UN.

During the past four decades, China has been actively, deeply and fully involved in UN affairs. It has played a constructive role, and provided financial, material and personnel support to the UN. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, it believes the UN’s role today should be strengthened, not weakened.

China’s commitment

China has always been committed to multilateralism. It holds the view that the UN, as the most inclusive, representative and authoritative intergovernmental organization, serves as an important stage for practicing multilateralism. It acknowledges the UN has been playing an irreplaceable role inprotecting world peace, promoting common development and pushing forward international cooperation.

China took an active part in discussions at the 66th UN General Assembly this year. Speaking at the ministerial meeting on the famine in the Horn of Africa at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 24, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the Chinese Government would provide emergency food aid and food assistance in cash worth 443.2 million yuan ($69.25 million) for famine-affected African countries, which is the largest sum of foreign food aid the Chinese Government has offered since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949.

This response exemplifed China’s commitment to the UN as well as its commitment to fulflling its responsibilities as one of the world’s major emerging economies.

Complex situation

UN member states attach great importance to the annual General Assembly because it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussions on international affairs. At the assembly, states can use the world’s biggest multilateral stage to express their opinions and concerns on international affairs, and state their policies.

The 66th UN General Assembly opened on September 13 and will last until December. In addition to the general debate, a number of high-level conferences are held during the General Assembly. At these events, the world’s leaders grapple with the challenging international situation.

The UN now has 193 member states and the world is expected to welcome its 7 billionth citizen in late October. As a crowded village with 7 billion residents, the Earth is going through huge environmental, economic, technological, geopolitical and demographic changes.

Shortages of resources and the global economic crisis are affecting enterprises, governments, families and communities across the world.

This year’s UN General Assembly came in the midst of a turbulent and disturbing period. The current world situation is complicated. On the one hand, the world’s nations have moved further along the path of peace, development and cooperation. A multilateral, economically globalized world is providing new opportunities for development.

On the other hand, the international financial crisis is still exerting pressure on the world’s economy. Debt crises and inflation remain prominent problems. The international security situation has also become more complex. While West Asia and North Africa are beset with turbulence, non-traditional security problems such as climate change, energy security, food security and nuclear safety, pose severe threats.

In this context, the UN faces signifcant challenges in protecting world peace and security.

Pressing tasks

It is incumbent on the UN to take action. And the General Assembly should be at the heart of international efforts to cope with the world’s major challenges.

Last year, the 65th UN General Assembly was worth applauding. While emphasizing the importance of poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals, it brought to the fore issues related to the green economy and sustainable development. The meeting reaffirmed the UN’s key role in global governance and pushed forward vital internal reforms including the revival of the UN General Assembly.

A great deal is expected of this year’s 66th General Assembly. It is hoped the meeting will make a significant contribution to addressing some of the world’s most pressing problems.

SHEN HONG

One of these problems facing the General Assembly is the Palestinian bid for UN membership. The General Assembly can serve as a platform refecting most countries’ attitudes on the Palestinian application. Palestine’s position in the UN can be upgraded from an “observer” to an “observer state” if its bid passes the General Assembly voting process. Once Palestine gets a majority of votes from General Assembly participants, no country can veto this result. But whether Palestine can gain full membership depends on voting in the UN Security Council.

Qatari diplomat Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, President of the General Assembly, gave an opening speech on September 13, in which he stated the General Assembly had a packed agenda and confrmed the four focal points. These were the peaceful resolution of conficts; UN reform and revitalization; improving the response to natural disasters; and sustainable development and global prosperity.

Al-Nasser said the world was at a historic turning point when the governments of various countries were being held to account by their people and the world economy was facing its most severe crisis since the Great Depression in the 1930s. In the face of these challenges, the UN had to rethink its own methods of operation, he said.

The four major focal points of this year’s UN General Assembly are realistic and practical. The ongoing turmoil in West Asia and North Africa requires mediation. UN-backed mediation, of course, is better than military intervention.

The famine in the Horn of Africa is also a current challenge, which calls on the UN to play a pivotal role in natural disaster prevention and response.

Promoting sustainable development has always been at the top of the UN’s agenda, and it is vital that the UN play a leading role in coping with climate change, water and energy shortages, global health problems and food security.

The UN is also making an effort to reform itself. To play a more effective international role, the UN desperately needs institutional reforms. But progress in internal reforms depends on the political will of the UN’s member states. To inject impetus to the reforms, they should strengthen the role of the General Assembly and promote cooperation between the General Assembly and other UN agencies.

The reform of the UN Security Council is particularly complicated. What the UN General Assembly can do is to seek a wider common understanding to avoid serious disunity. If the UN Security Council reform proceeds too fast, serious discord is possible. As Al-Nasser observed, cooperation and consensus will be crucial to the 66th UN General Assembly’s success.

The author is an associate research fellow with the China Institute of International Studies