UN needs restructuring, endorses Secretary General

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Monday endorsed that any expansion of the Security Council membership should be to correct the under-representation of Non-Aligned and developing countries.

Addressing the Non Aligned Movement ministerial conference in New Delhi, Annan said while an effective Security Council was vital for the United Nations, a more representative one would enjoy greater legitimacy and support. This, he said, was one of the fundamental issues which member states had to decide upon.

''I do not disagree with those NAM members who feel that the council's present make-up needs reform. But it is not for me to say in what way that must occur," he said.

Annan said non-aligned countries represented the greater part of humanity. ''The NAM has become the voice of nations which are not always heard. With 113 members and 13 observers, it represents some two-thirds of the UN membership and is a major political force within," he said.

The secretary general said the international community owed a profound debt of gratitude to the NAM members for their active contribution in peace-keeping. Six of the top ten contributors to UN peace-keeping force belong to NAM, he added.

Annan said the reform agenda would make the UN more responsive to its members' needs. The NAM is trying to transform the UN into a more effective, modernised and relevant organisation, capable of meeting the changing needs of the international community.

The NAM's advocacy for reforms would help ensure its legitimacy and effectiveness. ''We all face the challenge of reshaping our institutions in the light of changing geo-political conditions. The UN still reflects in some ways the conditions of the 1940s. The NAM came into being to defend its member's interests in the bipolar world of former superpowers,'' he said.

''We need to ensure that our approach to development takes full account of the economic, political and technological realities of our times -- especially the role of the private sector and of civil society,'' he added.

Annan said the UN would strive to see that south-south co-operation became more than just a slogan. ''I believe, that together we can do much. I want to develop still further the level and quality of communication between your movement and the UN,'' he said.

''I am conscious that there is a long way to go. But this (the reform agenda ) is the only concrete proposal on the table, and it deserves to be discussed fully, even if the discussions are to be acrimonious and fierce,'' he said.

UNI