Choosing freedom

Michele Ribotta explains what In Larger Freedom is all about

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The vision and the commitments contained in the Millennium Declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2000 can still be realised, but require the adoption of bold and concrete measures that Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented earlier this year, in the report In Larger Freedom.

The report is built around the determination to give equal weight and attention to the three great purposes of the UN: development, security and human rights, all of which must be underpinned by the rule of law. In fact, the very title of the report originates from the words of the UN Charter, according to which these three pillars go hand in hand. In a world of inter-connected threats and opportunities, it is in each country's self- interest that all of these challenges are addressed effectively.

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illustration: Gamil Shafik

Development

Achieving "Freedom from Want" requires bold decisions to implement the Monterrey 2002 consensus on financing for development.

Developing countries are urged to adopt and implement, by 2006, comprehensive national strategies bold enough to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, and to mobilise resources behind those strategies. They are also called on to improve their governance, uphold the rule of law, combat corruption and adopt an inclusive approach to development, making space for civil society and the private sector to play their full part. The challenge of development is too big for governments to face it alone.

Industrialised countries , on the other hand, should support these strategies by increasing the amount and the quality of aid and debt relief, while taking concrete measures to level the playing field of world trade. They should give immediate duty-free and quota-free market access to all exports from less developed countries, while working to complete the WTO Doha round of trade negotiations no later than 2006. The report also suggests "front-loading" the expected increase in external assistance through an international finance facility, because reaching the MDGs by 2015 requires an increase in spending now.

But development must be sustainable, and global efforts will be in vain if their results are reversed by continued degradation of the environment and depletion of our natural resources. That is why the report urges states to agree that scientific advances and technological innovation must be mobilised now to develop tools for mitigating climate change, and that a more inclusive international framework must be developed for stabilising greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2012. Moreover, member states should consider setting up a $1 billion voluntary fund to allow the UN to bring rapid and effective relief to the victims of sudden disasters, whether natural or man-made.

Security

With a view to realise "Freedom from Fear", world leaders must agree on a new security consensus, by which they commit themselves to treat any threat to one of them as a threat to all, and to work together to prevent catastrophic terrorism, stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, end civil wars, and build lasting peace in war-torn countries. Reform proposals include signing and implementing a comprehensive convention on terrorism, based on a clear and agreed definition, as well as to establish a peace- building commission within the United Nations, to help countries make the transition from war to lasting peace. Other important measures are proposed with regards to corruption and organised crime, mediation, sanctions and peacekeeping.

Human Rights

"Freedom to Live in Dignity" will not materialise unless the rule of law, human rights and democracy are strengthened in concrete ways. In particular, member states are asked to embrace the principle of the "Responsibility to Protect" as a basis for collective action against genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. This responsibility lies primarily with each individual state, but if national authorities are unable or unwilling to protect their citizens, it then shifts to the international community, which can request, as a matter of last resort, the Security Council to take enforcement action according to the Charter. Countries are also called to agree on the establishment of a democracy fund in the United Nations, which would provide funding and technical assistance to those seeking to establish or strengthen their democracies.

Strengthening the United Nations

In order to better do its job and fulfil the three fundamental goals underwriting its existence, the United Nations must be brought fully into line with today's realities; it must be a representative and efficient world organisation, open and accountable to the public as well as to governments.

The General Assembly -- to which the Millennium Declaration rightly assigned a central position as the chief policy- making and representative organ -- has suffered from declining prestige, and has not made the contribution that it should have to address global challenges. Member states should resolve to focus its agenda on major substantive issues of the day, and establish mechanisms through which civil society will be engaged fully.

In order to best reflect the nexus between security, development and human rights, a three council system is proposed, covering respectively international peace and security, economic and social issues, and human rights. The first two of these councils already exist but need to be strengthened (the Security Council and ECOSOC). The third requires a far-reaching upgrade of UN human rights mechanisms.

The secretary-general urged member states to make the Security Council more broadly representative of the international community as a whole, as well as of current geopolitical realities. Two optional proposals were presented to enlarge membership in the Council to 24 seats. Option A introduces six new permanent and three non-permanent members. Option B introduces a new category of four-year-renewable members.

The Economic and Social Council must play the leading role in making and implementing coherent United Nations policies for development. A new Human Rights Council should replace the present Commission on Human Rights, whose capacity to perform its tasks has been undermined by its declining credibility and professionalism.

Finally, the UN Secretariat should be profoundly reformed, to become more flexible, transparent and accountable in serving the priorities of member states, and the interests of the world's peoples.

UN Secretary-General Annan urged member states to treat his proposals as one package, for the cause of larger freedom can only be advanced if nations work together; the United Nations remoulded as an effective instrument of common purpose. This does not mean that the reform proposal is presented in an uncompromising "take it or leave it" manner, but rather that while some proposals may not be agreed upon at this stage, or may be amended, the conceptual consistency of the reforms should not be lost by a "piece by piece" mode of discussion.

In order to facilitate discussion and negotiations among member states, the secretary general presented the report six months ahead of the Millennium Review Summit, scheduled to take place in September 2005. World leaders are urged to reach a consensus on these proposals, possibly before the summit, and in order to help the process five high level envoys were dispatched to help in building the requisite momentum needed for reform. Only a few weeks ago Egypt welcomed one of these envoys, former president of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, who heard the views of Egyptian leaders and members of civil society on the content and the scope of the reform agenda.