TEXT 3 Reform 6. Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы. 1. What calls to reform the UN have been made?
2. What has the UN been accused of?
3. Who was an official reform programme begun by?
4. What event brought together the heads of most UN member states?
5. What was the aim of the World Summit?
6. What reform of the UN did Kofi Annan propose?
7. What was the result of the Summit?
Since its founding, there have been many calls for reform of the United Nations. Some want to the UN
to play a greater or more effective role in world affairs, while others want its role reduced to
humanitarian work. There have also been calls for the UN Security Council`s membership to be
increased, for different ways of electing the UN Secretary General.
The UN has also been accused of bureaucratic inefficiency and waste. An official reform
programme was begun by Kofi Annan in 1997. Reforms mentioned include changing the permanent
membership of the Security Council, making the bureaucracy more transparent, accountable and
efficient, making the UN more democratic.
In September 2005, the UN convened a World Summit that brought together the heads of most
member states, calling the summit “a once-in-a-generation opportunity” to take bold decisions in the
areas of development, security, human rights and reform of the United Nations. Kofi Annan proposed
that the summit agree to” to reform the UN, renewing the organisation’s focus on peace, security,
human rights and development, and to make it better equipped at facing 21
st
century issues. The result
of the summit was a compromise text agreed on by world leaders, which included the creation of a
Peace building Commission to help countries emerging from conflict, a Human Rights Council, and
agreements to devote more resources on achieving the Millennium Development Goals.