Page 220 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International

cess of decolonization; and the UN developed unique and crucial expertise that
has made the Organization a warehouse of advanced social technology. Also
during this period, significant progress was made in the codification of’ interna-
tional law and treaty-making, and vital arms control and disarmament
agreements were concluded, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons which earlier this year was extended indefinitely.

The end of the Cold War has brought in its wake a renewed vigour the
United Nations. Member States are now able to undertake numerous activities
in the promotion of peace, security and well-being of its citizens that previously
had been dismissed as “wishful thinking”. The development in the conditions
that both permit and cause UN activities to be undertaken in the first place are
no less significant than the developments in UN activities themselves.

We have seen only to clearly in the past few years, however, that the
growing interdependence of States and peoples and the technological progress
that permits global cooperation to an unprecedented degree does not lead
automatically to a safer world. Smaller, in this context, has not always
necessarily proven to be better. Problems that used to have local repercussions
on peace and security increasingly have a regional or international effect. For
example, environmental degradation creates destabilizing situations that have
little respect for political boundaries. Other threats, such as intolerance and
xenophobia can spread if not checked and confronted. The problems of crime
and drugs have also been internationalized.

The task of the UN today is complex: it must help preserve the
achievements of the past; and must prepare for the challenges and changes of
the new era ahead. In these turbulent times one should look at the UN, with its
vast array of expertise and know-how and as forum where all points of view
have a chance of being heard, as a kind of “safety net”.

With this in mind, the Secretary-General, at the behest and with the sup-
port of the 185 Member States, has issued three major reports on peace,
disarmament and development that map out a coherent strategy for the way
the international community should address these objectives in the years to
come. The reports recognize that no nation, however secure militarily or eco-
nomically, can today consider itself immune from destabilizing conditions
elsewhere in the world. Peace promotion is no longer limited to the absence,
prevention, or cessation of armed conflict. It requires multifaceted and coordi-
nated development efforts based on international cooperation. This holistic

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