Couchepin urges reform of the UN
The Swiss president, Pascal Couchepin, has called for an overhaul of the United Nations, including enlargement of the Security Council and changes to the General Assembly.
On the question of Iraq, Couchepin said the UN must obtain a clearer Security Council mandate for its operations in the country.
Addressing the annual assembly in New York, Couchepin said the UN needed to adapt to meet the changing needs of the world.
“The time has come to rethink the role of the United Nations,” Couchepin said in his speech. “Almost 60 years after the foundation of the organisation, the threats to international security have changed, and so have the geopolitical realities.”
Switzerland, which is one of the newest members of the organisation, wants the number of seats on the Security Council to be increased in order to better represent the regions.
Couchepin said this could be achieved with no loss of efficiency if the increase was moderate and reflected the interests of all regions.
Decision-making
He added that while the important discussions would continue to be limited to the five permanent members, “all members of the Security Council must be involved in the decision-making process”.
Countries with the right of veto should only exert that right in exceptional cases and should explain their use of the veto in front of the General Assembly to improve understanding of their position.
The Swiss president said the whole UN system needed to be reformed, with the organisation opening up more to civil society, and its role in economic and social questions coming under review.
The connection between international security and economic development also needed to be looked at, Couchepin said.
Independent
He called for the creation of an independent working group to study the links between the UN, the World Trade Organisation and the Bretton Woods institutions (the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank).
Couchepin also made recommendations to “revitalise” the workings of the UN General Assembly, including a reduction in the number of agenda items and a limit on the length of contributions to the debate.
He bemoaned the fact that resolutions that were passed were too often reduced to the lowest common denominator or were simply long wish lists.
Iraq
On Iraq, he said progress must be made towards restoring that country’s sovereignty, and that Switzerland was prepared to become involved.
“Switzerland is ready to share its experiences and to provide support for the process of drawing up a new constitution in Iraq,” Couchepin said.
The Swiss president told the assembly that Switzerland was committed to combating the spread of small arms and anti-personnel mines and hoped the UN would set up a working group to develop an instrument for marking and tracing small arms.
If it did so, Switzerland would be prepared to chair the group.
After his speech, Couchepin commented that he was disappointed with President Bush’s statements concerning Iraq which were part of his own address to the General Assembly.
Couchepin said the United States president had failed to clarify a possible new UN resolution setting the terms for the handover of power to Iraqis. On Tuesday, Bush invited the UN to play a greater role in Iraq’s reconstruction, including preparing a constitution.
Aids
During his speech, Couchepin also referred to the continuing menace of HIV/Aids, which he described as “the most deadly epidemic in the history of humankind”.
On Monday, Couchepin had spoken at a UN debate on the issue, when he called for continuing efforts to make Aids medication more accessible to those in need of it.
He reminded the assembly that 70 per cent of those infected with the virus lived in sub-Saharan Africa, and said the fight against Aids was directly related to the fight against poverty.
To raise awareness of that fact, Switzerland had chosen to integrate Aids prevention into its development cooperation projects, Couchepin said.
swissinfo with agencies
Swiss President Couchepin addressed the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
He said the role of the UN needed to be re-examined.
Among his proposals for reform was an increase in the number of seats on the Security Council in order to better represent the regions.
Couchepin also proposed reducing the number of items on the General Assembly’s agenda and limiting the length of contributions to the debate.
On Iraq, he said the UN must obtain a clearer Security Council mandate for its operations in the country.
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