Mennonite
Central
Committee

The United Nations' 60th summit: What Next?

Muhawu Lumeya

A few weeks back, New York City hosted the biggest gathering of world leaders at the United Nations (UN). This event was supposed to inaugurate a set of bold 'new' initiatives ranging from concrete commitments to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reforming the UN. However, the reviews that surfaced after the world summit were quite negative from both proponents and opponents. What went wrong? What went right? What's next?

It is safe to say that our world leaders did not make the bold decisions and commitments that were expected of them. Yes, it was disappointing to read the summit's outcome document and stare at vague promises and initiatives. For many non-governmental organizations this was extremely frustrating but the outcome of the summit has once again illustrated, for better or for worse, the power of compromise and diplomacy. The UN was created to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" and one of the mechanisms put in place was the use of pacific settlements of disputes, or mediation and compromise. This method takes a longer time to produce results and, as the summit illustrated, these results are not always what the world wants but it still is an extremely vital tool that enables us to coexist. If our world leaders could use it to produce a workable but vague document, there still is hope for the world of diplomacy and advocacy.

Although issues such as the MDGs did not receive the strong political backing needed, the general assembly at the summit did produce a few encouraging commitments, and some of these should be highlighted. As an endorsement of a number of the proposals put forth by the Secretary General Kofi Annan, the general assembly accepted to create a Peacebuilding Commission and give a well deserved boost to issues like terrorism, the Secretary General's good offices and the Responsibility to Protect.

The Peacebuilding Commission will focus on "reconstruction and institution building…for [countries recovering] from conflict and support the development of integrated strategies in order to lay the foundation for sustainable development." Until now, post-conflict countries were being counseled and monitored by the Security Council. Recognizing the special needs of countries coming out of conflict, member-states have agreed that a more focused effort should be made to help these countries towards sustainable peace.

In addition to the commission, the summit agreed to strengthen the Secretary General's capacity to use his good offices for mediation. With the numerous intra- and inter country conflicts around the world, the Secretary General's offices need to be competent and able to help moderate wherever it is needed.

For the first time, all member-states have collectively condemned terrorism "in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes." This statement has come after an extended period of debate on what terrorism is and what is the UN's role in protecting the international community against it.

The atrocious conflicts of Rwanda, Bosnia-Herzegovina and others shook the international community at its core as millions of people died while the world stood by and watched. Since then, there has been a fierce debate around the role of the state and the concept of state sovereignty. Out of these talks has come the concept of 'Responsibility to Protect' (R2P). Although the primary responsibility to protect people is still recognized as that of the State, R2P recognizes that if the state (i.e. national authorities) are unable or unwilling to protect and peaceful means of stopping the violence are inadequate, the international community, through the Security Council, can take action.

Sixty years ago, wars between countries brought the United Nations to life. During these six decades, the institution has evolved and expanded. The world's realities and problems have also evolved and changed. Today, most wars are fought within a country. Many have questioned the institution's relevancy and lack of flexibility which to a certain degree in rightly deserved. Nevertheless, the United Nations' agencies and programs have recognized the shift and evolution of world issues. This last summit has, in many ways, acknowledged that in order to solve the many problems that plague our world, the recognition of the need for human security is crucial. Human security means protecting people from "critical and pervasive threats and situations. It means creating political, social, environmental, economic, military and cultural systems that, when combined, give people the building blocks for survival, livelihood and dignity."

The United Nations recognizes the challenges ahead but also gets bogged down by the political quagmire of 191 member-states. Our role in New York is to remind these states and the institution that they form collectively of the pressing issues that need attention and action. Our role is to continue to use our voices to amplify the concerns of our global community and constantly working to push for the renewal of the UN. Our prayer is that this process of renewal will make it more receptive to the needs of our world.