The Future we want…
If you are reading this, I am sure that there has been a certain point in time where you were just astonished as to how old you are. Personally, I do this every day from the moment I wake up since my alarm clock just had to rudely interrupt the private concert I was having in my dreams. I sit up and remember that once upon a time, it was Mama Mike who used to endeavour to do that tedious task. Ah!
Memories!
However, just as everything else in the world, we are bound by the torment of time and the fact that we can never control it. As such, it is up to us to roll up our sleeves and cope with it. That is where the concept of change comes in. As humans, we have a constant and inherent desire to adapt… to upgrade… to improve… to remove… summarily, to change something, someone, or a situation to fit our desire for comfort and perfection.
It is with the above in mind, that we can now transfer the same idea and desire to the United Nations, and more specifically, the General Assembly. On the 22nd of September 2020, the United Nations General Assembly held the 75th General Assembly Debate since its inception in October 1945. However, this was preceded by a one-day event on 21st September where leaders from the 193 UN member states reflected on the journey of the global organisation since its formation and look at ways of making sure that it responds more effectively to the aspirations of its members going forward. The theme of the event was “The Future We Want, The UN we Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism.” You see, dear reader, one of the major setbacks that the UN has faced over the years has been a particular and seemingly intentional recognition of a few member states and a complete neglect of various states.
This should not be the case, especially when it comes to the General Assembly which is the UN’s most democratic body, since it includes ALL member states. It is unfortunate how great powers often belittle the Assembly and call it irrelevant, yet its work better reflects the will of the world’s peoples than does the oligarchic Security Council. I might be getting ahead of myself and I am probably rushing most of you, but all will be resolved in due time (KEEP IT Strathmore KMUN).
Simply put the UN General Assembly has been a forum for lofty declarations,
sometimes audacious rhetoric, and rigorous debate over the world’s most vexing issues, from poverty and development to peace and security. However, as I stated earlier, everyone and everything has no choice but to recognize and appreciate change. As such, it is my humble opinion that the General Assembly needs reforms and expectedly, many experts on the UN and leading donor nations agree with me.
There have been countless efforts to execute various reforms to revitalize the
assembly’s work by focusing on increasing its power vis-à-vis the Security council, making the process of appointing UN executives more transparent and improving the quality of debate with the body, but all have proven to be futile. This is a direct reflection of the rift between its many members from the developing world, who want to retain a strong say in deliberations, and the wealthy nations that serve as the United Nations’ main donors.
In March 2005, the then UN secretary-general Kofi Annan called for a new push for reforms in his report ‘In Larger Freedom’. He suggested that the Assembly simplify and focus its agenda. He also proposed that the GA end its reliance on consensus. This was based on his criticism that the GA always ended up passing resolutions that reflected “the lowest common denominator” of opinions. He also went on to propose that the GA pay more attention to the implementation of its resolutions so that they do not remain dead letters of non-compliance.
It is clear where I stand. I believe various reforms need to be taken in the GA to make it more holistic in achieving its aims and objectives. On the occasion of the UN’s 75th anniversary, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that “In the end, the United Nations can only be as good as its members are united.” This calls for a change to ensure that every country has a voice and more importantly, that voice is listened to. There is no limit to change. Winston Churchill once said that ‘to improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.’
~ Michael Kimathi.
