Green reflections

14/10/2000
Down To Earth

Green reflections in a recent highly publicised event, the un had yet another go at self improvement. Weary eyed observers saw world leaders expound lofty ideas in a series of speeches at a un millennium summit that took place in New York city from September 6-8, 2000.

But this time there was a difference, insisted Kofi Annan, the un secretary general. It was a strictly "working summit' heralding the role of the un in the 21st century, both as an instrument of peacekeeping and of sustainable development. Annan, declared that the meeting was meant to harness "the symbolic power of the millennium to the real and urgent needs of people everywhere.' A note-worthy concept indeed, but a larger question however remains. Encumbered by a monstrous bureaucracy, saddled with ineffective and languorous bodies, what relevance does the un have in the world today? The traditional peace keeping and human rights affairs still remain its specialities. But the organisation has also been floundering to meet the challenges of an expanding mandate and to define its role in areas other than peacekeeping.

In a millennium report prepared by Annan, which served as the basis for the summit's discussions, he claims that the un' s uniqueness comes from having a mandate that encompasses development, security, human rights, and environment. Among the four areas identified in the report as

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