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especially tlie persistent
down in tlie nineteen other blem is now widely dispa- yori wish to see in tlie
terror of rmderdevelop-
countries, becarise tlie {JN raged as tlie "Never- world." The UN is no
ment. Tlie combination of
was unable to prevent tlie Ending Talking Gro'itp") exception.
poveity, drouglit, famine
war. So we got liit from den'ionstrates tlie poiiit. No
botli sides of tlie debate. one disprites that the When I joined tlie {JN, it and HIV/AIDS in sub-
Saliaran Africa threatens
We disappoiiited botli sets Corincil's composition was ah'nost uitliinkable for
more l'uunan lives tlian ter-
of expectations. Some reflects tlie geopolitical tlie UN to take sides bet-
roi'ism or tlie tsunami ever
famoris and ratlier power- realities of 1945 ratlier tlian ween democracy and dicta-
did. Tlie Millennium
fiil voices began to spealc tliose of 2007, but change torsliip, or seek to iiitei'vene
Development Goals have
of tlie UN's it-relevance. will benefit only a few, so in tlie iiitemal affairs of its
become better l(IIOWII, but
the rest resist it even at t}ie members. Even luunan
It was at tl'ie peak of tliis price of peil'ietuating an i'iglits were by no means we are not on course to
acl'iieviiig tliese targets by
intense scrutiny of tlie UN, anomaly. But one day wliat riniversally agreed, witli
2015. All govei'i'iments
at a time wlien its potential n'ierely seems anad'ironistic some states seeiiig tliem as
nnist be lield accormtable
and its deficiencies liad today will begin to 100k a tool of Westei'n neo-
never been more in tlie absrird. At tliat poiitt, clian- impei'ialism. for fulfilling tlieir pait of
public eye, tliat talk of ge will liave to come. tlie bargain, both to their
reform reaclied a Today, by contrast, the {JN own peoples and to each
otlier. Tliere is no longer
crescendo. Brit as foi-n'ier So tlie 'UN reflects tlie itself does more tlian any
any excuse for leaviiig well
Secretary-General Kofi realities of world politics, otlier single organization to
over a billion of orir fellow
Annan never tired of even wliile seeking to promote and strengtlien
poiiiting orit, reform is a transcend tliem. Tlie {JN, at democratic iiistitutions and l'irunan beings in abject
process, not an event. its best and its worst, is a practices aroruid tlie world. n'useiy.
Tliere is a case for review- mirror of tlie world: it Ii'idia is a leading donor to
It's a woitliwl'iile battle tlie
ing - and reviving - tlie reflects our differences and the {JN's Democracy Fund,
{JN is waging, and it deser-
entire arcl'iitecture of tlie 01ff COllVergenCeS, Ollr wliicli provides assistance
ves our suppoit, if we are to
international system tliat liopes and aspirations-as for building democracy,
liad been built up since well as orir lin'iitations and and we liave establislied a sustain orir liopes for a
fairer and safer world.
1945, in order to conshuct failures. Peacebuilding Con'unis-

a more effective liorise of sion to lielp coruitries trans-
SHASHI THAROOR
global govei'iiance for tlie Tlie {JN is a foi'iun wliere iti from war to
Former UN Under-
twenty-first centuiy7?ut sovereign states can work tkirable peace. The {JN is
Secretai'y-General
cliange comes as adapta- orit coininon strategies for more focused on comba-
tion, rarely as legislative tackling global problems, ting tei'rorism tlian ever

fiat. Tlie perei'uiial saga of and an instnunent for before. {Published in the Times of
India, (l April 2007).
Security Cormcil reform pritting tliose strategies iiito
Reproduced with the
(tlie "Open-Ended effect. But it can be a mudi As we face tliese new clial-
Working Grorip" of tlie more effective iiishument. lenges of orir time, let ris perinissiori of tlie author}
General Assembly set up in As Maliatma Gandhi put it, not forget tl'ie old ones,
1992 to resolve tlie pro- "Yori must be the cliange

X ,%'&"

1 2007 Diva 7

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