Question. President, you have devoted many efforts over the past six months in implementing the decisions of the World Summit Outcome. Which do you feel have been the most important achievements and why?
Mr. Jan Eliasson |
Mr. Jan Eliasson. The General Assembly has been hard at work since last September to follow up and implement the decisions of the 2005 World Summit. We can point at many important achievements during the first six months of the Sixtieth Session. In December last year, the General Assembly decided to establish the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which will ensure a more predictable and timely UN response to humanitarian emergencies. More than 250 million USD has already been pledged to this fund, which was launched on 9 March. Another important decision in December was to set up the Peace-building Commission. Through this mechanism, the UN will be better equipped to support countries emerging from conflict in their transition to peace.
On 15 March of this year, the General Assembly created a new human rights mechanism, the Human Rights Council. This was a historical decision. The new Council signals a new beginning for the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. Candidates are to document their own human rights records and face the risk of expulsion if they violate their pledges while serving on the Council. More than 50 countries have already announced their candidacies so far. The General Assembly will hold elections for the 47 seats on 9 May. The real work will begin on 19 June this year, when the new Council meets in Geneva for the first time.
Q. You often say that it is of paramount importance for the UN to bring the realities of our world into the meeting rooms of the UN. What is your vision of how this can be achieved?
J.E. We need to keep in mind that the United Nations was created to serve the peoples of the world – the first three word of the Charter of the United Nations is “We the peoples…”. All of us working in the United Nations thus have to remember that our task is to deal with the real problems in the field and to make a difference for the peoples of the world.
There are different ways in which we can bring in the realities to the meeting rooms of the United Nations. One way would be to have more interactive debates on themes of global relevance with participants who can contribute their expert knowledge from the field. Another way would be to strengthen our relationships to relevant outside partners – parliaments and civil society, including non-governmental organizations. As parliamentarians, you can deliver the messages of your constituents. Similarly, you can play an important role in spreading public awareness about the work of the United Nations.
Q. How would you describe the main challenges ahead for the UN in the coming months and what are your priorities for the remainder of your mandate as GA President?
J.E. There are many challenges ahead for the United Nations. First and foremost is the task to restore and strengthen the belief in the multilateral system itself. In today’s world, there has never been a stronger need for a multilateral system to provide global solutions to global problems, such as poverty, communicable diseases, environmental threats, acts of terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction and organized crime. Much is at stake – the alternatives to multilateralism are unilateralism or separate groups of countries facing each other. It is therefore essential to make the United Nations a stronger and more effective actor on the world scene.
For the General Assembly, there are many reforms processes underway. They concern development follow-up to the 2005 World Summit and ECOSOC reform, management reform and mandate review, counter-terrorism, the institutional framework of the UN’s environment work, General Assembly revitalization and Security Council reform. We will not finalize all of these reform efforts during my Presidency, but at least we will have started the processes and in some cases, we hope for early results.
Q. At the UN Summit last year, heads of State and Government called for enhanced cooperation between the UN and the IPU in the implementation of the Millennium Declaration and in effective UN reform. What are your thoughts on how this political commitment can be turned into practice?
J.E. I believe that it is necessary to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and national and regional parliaments, including through the IPU, within the existing structures. The United Nations stands to gain from a more active role of parliamentarians in the implementation of the United Nations decisions in general. We need to find better ways to enhance the exchange of information between the United Nations and parliamentary bodies, such as the IPU.
Parliamentarians can contribute to the UN reform efforts in many different ways. Apart from exercising your legislative responsibilities, you can serve to communicate to your constituents back home what difference the United Nations makes in their daily lives and why multilateralism matters.
You can also make contributions on the operational level. One important area where parliamentarians can play a significant role is in peace-building. Countries emerging from conflict need help to build capacity and institutions in many areas, including in democratic governance. Your experience will be invaluable in the international effort to rebuild war-torn societies.
Q. As we speak, the IPU is preparing for its 114th Assembly, to be held in early May in Nairobi, Kenya. Its agenda is a rich one, focusing on global issues that are also high on the radar screen of the United Nations. On the eve of this important international parliamentary event, what message would you like to convey to its participants?
J.E. I understand that the 114th IPU Assembly will gather more than 1 000 parliamentarians. The overall theme of the Assembly - promoting democracy and helping to rebuild democratic institutions - is very topical in light of the recent establishment of the Peace-building Commission and the Human Rights Council. On the eve of this major event, I would like to convey that parliamentarians around the world have an important role to play in building stronger popular support for the multilateral system with the United Nations at its core. Without popular support as the basis for its operations, the United Nations will suffer from a democratic deficit and lack of legitimacy.
I wish you a very successful and productive meeting in Nairobi, and I look forward to opportunities to meet with IPU representatives in the remaining part of my term in office.
