The Wire

Overnight, the Secretary General of the United Nation, Kofi Annan, unveiled historic new proposals, representing the first major reforms of the UN since its inception in 1945. If adopted, the reforms would see the Security Council expanded from 15 to 25 positions, with semi-permanent positions for under-represented regions of the world like Asia and South America. The plan also calls for the Commission on Human Rights to be replaced by a council, whose members would be elected, a move that would possibly stop the current practice of nations that have committed widespread abuses having representation on the commission. The move comes as the UN continues to find a tough opponent in the United States, which has sponsored an inquiry into the UN’s handing of the oil for food program, a scandal that involves Annan’s own son. So are the reforms genuine or merely an attempt at relevance in the 21st century? This report begins with comments from the President of the United Nations Association of Australia, Margaret Reynolds.