Page 222 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International

signed at such meetings as a means to hold Governments accountable. These
Conferences have given the United Nations and the international
community an agenda for the next decades to come.

Besides learning how to cooperate more effectively, the United Nations is
making further progress in its efforts to reform its structures to better meet
today's challenges. Just as the Member States have become more receptive
towards accepting the assistance and intervention of the World Organization,
so too must the United Nations adapt to the changing environment. Reform of
the structures within the United Nations is as necessary as it is difficult,
particularly at a time when Member States themselves are still not quite sure
what exactly it is they want the UN system to become. Nevertheless, it is an
ongoing process and many significant reforms have already been implemented
since 1992 when the present Secretary-General took over. Much remains to be
done, however.

Larger reforms such as the composition and design of the Security Council
are also on the agenda. A consensus exists between Member States to reinforce
the Council by ensuring better regional representation and greater
transparency in its work, thus better to reflect the changed realities in the
world. How exactly this is going to be done is still being discussed. While
reform of the membership and mandate of the Security Council is not likely to
occur this year, other changes are being implemented. For example, troop-
contributing connotes to UN peace-keeping operations who are not members
of the Council are now better informed of the planning for, and developments
in, these operations than was the case just one year ago.

Another example of reform is increased financial responsibility. The
Secretary-General has recently proposed reducing the budget of the United
Nations by more than 4 per cent. Improved administrative and management
techniques and the utilization of appropriate technologies have permitted the
UN to be more productive and responsive to the needs of its Member States.
However, the repeated admonishment that the “UN must learn to do more
with less” must not be seen as a panacea. Over the past four years the
Organization has repeatedly been asked to do more within “existing resources”.
And yet, these days only about a quarter of its Member States pay their dues to
the regular budget and to the peace-keeping accounts fully and on time. As of
the end of last month, outstanding contributions to the Organization had risen
to over US$ 3.7 billion. Monies are now being borrowed from the peace-
keeping budgets to keep things running. Among other things, this will further

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