3 September
2013 – Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon today released his
report to the General Assembly on the work carried out by the United Nations
over the past year, highlighting new priorities and challenges.
In his
annual report on
the work of the Organization, Mr. Ban says that the UN is adapting to new
realities, among them an unprecedented level of interconnectedness, as well as
unemployment brought about by the global economic crisis, increasing inequality
within and among States, and environmental degradation.
“Member
States have recognized the need to adapt the Organization to these new
realities, so that it can continue to make a positive difference in people’s
lives,” Mr. Ban says in the report, adding that “the work of the United Nations
over the past year clearly illustrates these long-term trends.”
The
Secretary-General highlights various issues that the UN has been focusing on to
address new challenges, including the shaping of a post-2015 development
agenda, the need to tackle climate change, democratic transitions, methods to
maintain peace and security such as mediation and peacekeeping, the promotion
of human rights, disarmament and drug control, among others.
He points to
the worldwide consultations on the post-2015 development framework as a way to
bring in voices from all over the world and involve them in the drafting of an
inclusive development agenda that builds on the eight anti-poverty targets
known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He also notes that over
the past year, natural disasters caused more than $100 billion in damage,
giving “a sobering glimpse” of what the future will look like if the
development agenda does not address the threat of climate change.
Regarding
new methods to maintain peace, Mr. Ban notes the world body’s framework in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which was established this year in a
joint effort with the World Bank and all the countries in the region with the
aim to address the root causes of repeated cycles of violence and deliver peace
to people in DRC.
He also
emphasizes that more complex threats required the UN to deploy peacekeeping
missions in volatile, where hostilities were ongoing and political settlements
had not yet been achieved. Such was the cased of the UN Multidimensional
Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA),
deployed in May to support a national political dialogue and electoral process,
as well as the extension of State authority, to stabilize key population
centres and protect civilians.
In the DRC,
the Security Council authorized the establishment of an intervention brigade
within the UN Organization Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) which
can conduct targeted offensive operations with the aim of neutralizing and
disarming armed groups.
“In the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and elsewhere, the core principles of
peacekeeping will continue to apply on the understanding that impartiality does
not mean neutrality in the face of atrocities, and that maintaining consent
does not mean that spoilers can prevent United Nations missions from
implementing their mandate,” Mr. Ban says. “Moreover, as United Nations
peacekeeping deploys into new contexts, appropriate tools are needed to address
new or intensified threats, including force enablers and multipliers, improved
command and control and more effective information and analysis tools.”
However, Mr.
Ban expresses disappointment on developments in Syria, saying that the deaths
of more nearly 100,000 people and the displacement of millions are “a stain on
our collective conscience and a grim reminder that the costs of war are
measured not only in lives lost but in economies and infrastructures shattered,
precious historical sites ruined, fragile social bonds sundered and an entire
region destabilized with potentially lasting consequences.”
Mr. Ban
stresses Member States must act more swiftly and decisively to avert and
respond to violence, and added that the UN has “developed an action plan to
respond more effectively to serious violations of human rights, drawing on the
lessons of our failures in previous cases.”
Another area
of priority throughout the year was the coordination of humanitarian
assistance, as conflict displaced millions and natural disasters caused $138
billion in economic damage. The UN chief underlines that countries are still
better at responding rather than preventing crises, and added that the
Organization this year worked to bring resilience at the forefront through
closer collaboration between humanitarian and development agencies to manage
risks and address the underlying vulnerabilities.
Organized
crime was another area of concern, affecting countries in West Africa, Latin
America and Europe. Mr. Ban says the UN is helping countries address this
threat through an integrated approach that combats drug-related crime, while
also ensuring the need for health policies that ensure the protection of human
rights.
The
Secretary-General concludes that the UN would continue to adapt to a changing
global environment and maximize the accountability of the Organization to
Member States while minimizing administrative and supportive costs.
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