Close to 70 participants came together on 8 October 2010 at United Nations Headquarters for the launch of the 2010 Course Series on United Nations reform, jointly organized by UNITAR and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland. The question of which measures the United Nations and its member states should undertake for the United Nations to become stronger, more inclusive and open was at the heart of the first module under the 2010 Series, which addressed the reform of the Security Council and the General Assembly and the review process of the Human Rights Council.
Working towards more effectiveness and efficiency, while maintaining and strengthening the legitimacy and representation of the United Nations’ main organs - this guiding theme, suggested by Ambassador Paul Seger, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations, directed the discussion throughout the seminar. Professor Thomas G. Weiss, Co-Director of the Intellectual History Project, outlined what he saw as the four main reasons why reform is so hard to achieve: (1) The sacrosanct nature of state sovereignty in United Nations context; (2) the culture in the United Nations, both within the Secretariat and among Member States, focusing more on process than results; (3) the relicts of the North-South divide that are still prevalent and hamper progress on substantive issues; and (4) the lack of incentives of cross-departmental and –agency cooperation within the United Nations system. Afterwards, Ambassador Vanu Gopala Menon, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations, addressed today’s context of global governance in which United Nations reform is taking place, and presented concrete measures and principles, proposed by the informal Global Governance Group, the so-called 3G. The main goal is to enhance the cooperation between United Nations and G20 and strengthen the United Nations’ role on the global governance scene.
Further speakers involved the Permanent Representatives of Afghanistan, Egypt, Liechtenstein, and Slovenia to the United Nations, respectively leading the reform negotiations on Security Council and General Assembly and the review process of the Human Rights Council.
Building upon the success of the last two years, in which close to 400 diplomats, United Nations staff, and researchers benefited of the course, this year’s Course Series continues on 15 October with the second module on “United Nations Management Reform”. In November, the third module will address “System-Wide Coherence” and the fourth one “Integrated Approaches to Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations”.
In the course of this Series, more than 40 speakers, ranging from United Nations senior managers and Permanent Representatives to experts from civil society and academia, will offer a broad overview of the history, milestones, and current status of the United Nations reform from multiple perspectives. The understanding and insights gained from the course are expected to enable delegates to partake more constructively in the ongoing informal consultations and, ultimately, contribute to meaningful change in the Organization on which hinge peace, development and good governance. (For more information and to register for one of the upcoming modules, please visit the reform course website.)