Page 77 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

Bringing the Concept to Life

7. For all their importance, peace-promotion operations account for only
30 per cent of the UN's activities. In a world of turbulent change, the UN
safeguards human and minority rights, strengthens the voice and cause of the
poorest, delivers humanitarian aid to those in danger, rescues States in crisis
and restores sovereignty to their people, and oversees the repair of a damaged
environment.

The bulk of these socio-economic activities - about 60-65 per cent - are
conducted through Geneva. With New York, these two centres represent the
two sides of the same coin, the name of which is the United Nations.

8. The major instrument of the UN is conference diplomacy.

The Security Council the main body dealing with the maintenance of
peace and security - is now in permanent session in New York. During the
period from 1 January 1992 to 31 August 1993, a total of 359 consultation
sessions and 247 formal meetings were held, 137 resolutions adopted and 144
statements issued by the President.

Every September, not only Foreign Ministers, but often Presidents and
Prime Ministers, from all over the world, come to the UN's central
Headquarters to participate in the General Assembly, the unique forum for the
184 Member States of the United Nations. The range of topics considered is
extremely wide and covers all the main problems of concern to the
international community. Each year, the Assembly has about 200 items on its
agenda and it adopts several hundred resolutions annually.

However, the resolutions and the official meetings which we see frequently
on the television are just the tip of the iceberg. Each decision is preceded by
intensive bilateral negotiations and multilateral consultations - sometimes
taking place behind closed doors - and most resolutions are drafted and
redrafted many times over.

Resolutions are the guidelines for practical action by States. Some - like
Security Council resolutions - are mandatory for Member States; others are
recommendations only. But all of them create legal norms and can be
considered as a source of knowledge and expertise in our turbulent times. Their
implementation helps to guide the changes that are occurring through safe,
non-violent channels, thereby working towards the establishment of a more
stable world order.

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