Originally published on the CGS blog on June 26, 2015.
June 26 is the anniversary date of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945. While UN Day is usually celebrated October 24 when the UN Charter came into force after ratification by States—especially the five permanent members of the proposed Security Council—it was June 26 that the Charter was presented to the world. As a friend noted, “I prefer to celebrate the birth and not the baptism.”
For today, we will look at two reports that outline challenges facing the emerging world society and the role that the UN should play.
Since the presentation of the Charter in 1945, there have been criticisms and proposals for reforms and revisions. In response to these criticisms, the UN Charter provided that a review conference on the Charter would be put on the agenda 10 years after the Charter’s coming into force—that is, in 1955.
With the end of the Korean War in 1953, there began an intense discussion of UN Charter revision. In practice, neither the US nor the Soviet Union wanted a discussion of the Charter, so the issue was swept under the rug in exchange for a USA-USSR agreement to allow a number of States who had been blocked by Cold War rivalries to gain UN membership. However, the issue of Charter revision was still a hot topic in 1955-1956.
My first efforts as an NGO representative at the UN were in 1955 when there was a 10th anniversary session in San Francisco. Many of the 1945 “founding fathers” returned, like the Soviet Foreign Minister V. Molotov, who was still in power. We NGOs had a rich documentation of possible reforms for the UN system, thought possible as the end of the Korean War had produced a short-lived “Cold War calm.” The Fall of 1956 with the revolts in Hungary and the English-French-Israeli attack on Egypt and the Suez canal put an end to the brief “era of good feelings,” and academic research shifted from UN reform to the nature of “limited war.”
However, for the 70th anniversary this June, two useful reports have been issued: the Commission on Global Security, Justice and Governance’s Confronting the Crisis of Global Governance and the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations’ recommendations, which stress that,
Primacy of politics means that lasting peace is achieved through political solutions and not through military and technical engagements alone. Political solutions must guide all UN peace operations.
Both reports are worth reading as a reflection of current thinking. What is particularly striking is the emphasis that both give to the crucial role of NGOs, now usually called by the broader but less clear term of “civil society.”
The reports highlight the trend toward greater openness to the participation of NGOs in world policy processes and in the implementation of programs. Both governments and the UN increasingly recognize the importance of having more diverse voices at the table and on the ground. The Commission on Global Security report is structured around what it sees as the three crucial challenges facing the emerging world society:
- State fragility
- Climate governance
- Stewardship of the world economy
As the report states,
Global governance is a mix of bilateral, informal multilateral, and treaty-based relations among states increasingly influenced by nonstate actors’ interests and activities.
The report recognizes that any reforms of UN structures is difficult—basically impossible—because the system works “well enough” to suit most governments, and most governments are not willing to risk major changes in the world society because of unknown consequences.
Change and improvements will come only through forceful and coordinated efforts from the non-state sector. In this sector, the report places NGOs in consultative status with the UN, identifying some 4,000 NGOs and 2,000 large business firms—most of which are active in more than one State—along with the 750 largest cities, which increasingly have trans-frontier impacts.
Both the Commission and the High-Level Independent Panel consulted NGOs, but the NGO views are not presented as such. For the moment, it is difficult to speak of a common NGO view, especially if we need to integrate the views of transnational corporations and city administrations. NGOs come in all shapes and sizes, and some seek UN accreditation for domestic reasons and do not really participate in UN activities. The reports set out the challenges well. The next step is to develop a broad understanding among NGOs of these challenges and of the steps they can undertake collectively—an appropriate birthday present.
