General Assembly
Informal consultations
27 April 2005
Cluster IV: Strengthening the United Nations
Statement by H.E. Mr John Dauth
Ambassador and Permanent Representative
Australian Mission to the United Nations
(Check against delivery)
Mr Facilitator,
The outcome of the summit in September must include a fresh political commitment and bold practical actions to restore the vitality of the United Nations. At present, serious deficiencies in how our institutions function inhibit the realization of the objectives of the Charter and the effectiveness of multilateral co-operation on matters of common concern. It will not be sufficient for the summit simply to add new elements. It must make reforms to the three principal organs and the Secretariat that address the specific problems in each. It must lead to an adaptation of structures and practices and a new political commitment to use our institutions more productively.
Mr Facilitator,
There has been plenty of discussion in recent years about revitalizing the General Assembly. But action has fallen short of deeds. This is again proving the case during the 59th session, where the actions in prospect are not enough to deliver the revitalized Assembly that the membership professes to want. Australia fully agrees with the proposals of the Secretary-General. The Assembly’s agenda should focus on the major issues of the day and this can be done while maintaining the broad role for the Assembly envisaged in Articles 10 to 15 of the Charter. The committee structure needs to be updated and deliberative processes should be streamlined. Without such actions, claims for the General Assembly to enjoy greater respect and authority will come to nothing.
The Security Council, by contrast, is a more effective body. But it is also unrepresentative and its legitimacy is in decline. The membership of the Security Council should be revised to make it more representative of geopolitical reality without diminishing its ability to exercise effectively the functions assigned to it by the Charter. Australia has consistently supported expansion of permanent membership to include Japan, India, Brazil, an African country, and possibly Indonesia. Australia, however, would not support extension of the veto. Overall we could support an expansion of the Security Council along the lines of the High-Level Panel’s Model A. It is critical for us to take action this year.
I think it is fair to say that no delegation is satisfied with the performance of ECOSOC. Despite almost on-going reform attempts, ECOSOC simply has not delivered. While we remain open to the precise nature of ECOSOC reform, one thing is necessary: clearer delineation of duties between ECOSOC and the General Assembly. While we support greater dialogue between ECOSOC and the institutions mandated with dealing with finance and trade, any reform of ECOSOC must keep clearly in mind that that body's primary role is co-ordination within the UN system, and that the GA has primary responsibility for policy development, as set out in Assembly resolution 50/227.
Australia set out its views on the Human Rights Council under cluster III, and I will not repeat them now.
Mr Facilitator,
The summit should call for an acceleration of reform in the Secretariat. Despite some worthwhile reforms during the tenure of the Secretary-General, parts of the Secretariat remain less effective than they ought to be and many are not adapted to meet current challenges. The budgetary structure is excessively rigid, there has not been sufficient action to increase administrative efficiency or improve working methods, and the culture of human resources management is not a culture of performance. Moreover, the UN has not kept pace with best practice in public sector management.
The five proposals made by the Secretary-General all go in the right direction. We would emphasise, in particular, the need for thorough-going management reform aimed at lifting standards of accountability. Connected to this, are the need for the Secretary-General to have greater authority to manage resources to meet the objectives set by member states, the urgency of improving the performance of managers and staff, and the need to augment the capacity of OIOS.
More specifically, we support the idea of a review of mandates by the Assembly, but we will need the Secretary-General to commence the exercise by giving us an assessment of outdated mandates and activities that are ineffective. And we support the idea of a one-time buy-out of staff, provided that it can be appropriately targeted and accompanied by wider management reforms.
Mr Facilitator,
Australia believes there should be improved co-ordination between the UN and the humanitarian and development agencies. This should be a responsibility of Secretariat and the funds and programmes. At the same time we recognize that member states need to be consistent in their own approaches to decision-making and advice in the relevant governing bodies. We also support the recommendations of the Secretary-General pertaining to humanitarian space and internally displaced persons.
The summit outcome should emphasise the importance of regional organisations in achieving security and development and support a stronger relationship between them and the UN. We agree that the summit should encourage member states to contribute to the development of regional peacekeeping capacities.
Finally, Australia fully agrees that the Charter should be amended to eliminate references to ‘enemy states’ and to delete the Military Staff Committee and the Trusteeship Council. A resolution providing for such amendments to the Charter should be adopted alongside the summit outcome document in September.
Thank you, Mr Facilitator.