24 October: The next Secretary-General of the United Nations pledged Tuesday to restore trust in the world body and enact reforms, speaking on the 61st anniversary of the organizations founding.
Ban Ki-moon, South Koreas foreign minister, who will assume the top UN job in January, said the organization cannot forge united global political will in an atmosphere of mistrust.
The South Korean diplomat said the new UN Human Rights Council “must be nurtured into the leading force for the furtherance of human rights around the world”. He also stressed that least-developed countries must see more innovative thinking to boost themselves, along with international help. Ban said he would urge donor states to honor their pledges.
– Many deplore that the UN is suffering from a “crisis of confidence” between member states and between the members and the Secretariat, Ban said. The South Korean, who takes office on Jan. 1, pledged to end the crisis and make the UN a top-class world body during his tenure.
Ban, reiterating his campaign themes, pledged to push internal UN reform to enhance accountability, “in particular over the decisions and actions of senior managers”. He added: – Greater transparency and accountability is also required for the expanding system of UN procurement.
The incoming Secretary-General also stressed the need to reduce overlap between the work of different UN agencies and to streamline operations to deliver services better to the neediest.
Ban called for renewed political will to achieve the Millennium Development Goals on fighting poverty by the 2015 target year, including innovative thinking on development financing. But, he said the main responsibility for development rested with individual governments, adding “good governance is key to sustained economic growth and social progress”.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
