Developing countries pledged on Thursday to band together to force the West to help tackle their problems, ranging from poverty to reform of the United Nations, reports the World Bank press review Friday.
Foreign ministers from the 115-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) said in a declaration (issued in Durban) they had already shown they could make the West take notice by their united actions on the global trade arena, and they would consolidate those gains. – Underdevelopment and poverty remain the cardinal concerns on the agenda of the South, the declaration said.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the importance of multilateralism in bringing lasting peace and prosperity to the world, saying it is the sole solution to the problems around the globe. Wang urged for a strengthening role of the United Nations, saying the world body, at the core of the international multilateral mechanism, is the best venue to exercise multilateralism.
He said the UN Charter should be carried forward as the guide in international relations. He hoped developing countries work together to maintain the global body and its Security Councils leading role in international affairs.
Support should be given to rational and necessary UN reforms based on thorough consultations among the member states so that the UN can strengthen its role, work more efficiently and address the biggest concerns of all parties, particularly the issue of development, he added.
Similarly, India, asserting that the UN system should not be allowed to be bypassed or marginalized, called for reinforcing the centrality of the United Nations and strengthening of multilateralism.
Indian Junior Minister for External Affairs, Rao Inderjit Singh, noted that in the past few years the very role and relevance of the UN system and the efficacy of collective action has come under critical questioning.
He stressed that expansion of the UN Security Council, both permanent and non-permanent members, was needed to make it “more representative of the contemporary realities”. The Security Council was seen expanding its role and activities and the General Assembly was becoming less important.
Meanwhile, South African President Thabo Mbeki urged poor nations to unite to create a more equitable world. Mbeki, author of a blueprint for Africas rebirth, said in an address that developing countries must find their own answer to the question of how to achieve this goal.
– Those who are powerful do not want to answer that question. It is not in their interest to answer it, he said. Mbeki also urged wealthy countries to release the millions in funding needed to achieve the United Nations Millennium Goals, including halving the number of people living in poverty by 2015, improving education and reducing the spread of AIDS.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
