Drawing from the report of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change
(UN, 2004), the UN secretary-general proposed that these should include the
panel's vision of collective security and the case for a more comprehensive concept
of collective security, and a strategy against terrorism, organized crime, control
of weapons of mass destruction, peacekeeping and peace-building, and strength-
ening the role of the UN Security Council. At the same time, democracy should be
promoted, the rule of law strengthened, and respect for all internationally recog-
nized human rights and fundamental freedoms should be observed. To achieve
these aims, the UN secretary-general proposed that the UN Office of High Commis-
sioner for Human Rights should be strengthened and the UN Commission for
Human Rights replaced by a Human Rights Council. The UN secretary-general
also called for a strengthening of the major components of the UN, including the
UN General Assembly, the UN Security Council, ECOSOC and the UN secretariat,
and for improving coherence and co-operation among the UN bodies.
of our collective institutions', which had led to a `proliferation of ad hoc responses'
that were `destabilizing and dangerous'. He recalled that he had appointed a High-
level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change and had commissioned a Millennium
Project to meet the MDGs. Their reports would set the agenda for reform. He
had put forward what he regarded as a `balanced set of ambitious proposals' that
had been negotiated to produce the outcome document for the 2005 summit.
In the meantime, there were some encouraging signs. A `democracy fund' had
been created and a convention against nuclear terrorism had been finalized. An
addition $50 billion a year had been provided in the fight against poverty by
2015. The 0.7 target for ODA had gained new support, innovative sources of
financing were coming to fruition, and progress had been made in debt relief.
By agreement on the outcome document, these achievements would be locked
in and progress in development would be matched by commitments to good
governance and national plans to achieve the MDGs by 2015. He ended with
reference to what President Franklin D. Roosevelt once called `the courage to fulfil
our responsibilities in an admittedly imperfect world' and that `precisely because
our world is imperfect, we need the United Nations'.
(UN, 2005a). It reaffirmed the Millennium Declaration of 2000 and recognized the
`valuable role' of the major UN conferences and summits in mobilizing the inter-
national community and guiding the work of the United Nations. It recognized
peace, collective security, development and human rights as the `pillars' of the
United Nations system and foundations of collective security. There was a general
commitment to adopt national development strategies by 2006 to achieve inter-
nationally agreed development goals, with the support of increased development
assistance. The DAC/OECD estimate that ODA to all developing countries would