UNITED NATIONS, Sept 17: World leaders at a UN summit approved a landmark outcome document on development, human rights, terrorism and global security on Friday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the United Nations.
“We reaffirm our faith in the United Nations and our commitment to the purposes and principles of the charter and international law,” proclaimed the text of the 2005 World Summit Outcome contained in a resolution adopted by acclamation at the end of the three-day meeting that was attended by 150 heads of state and government.
“We believe that today, more than ever before, we live in a global and interdependent world. No state can stand wholly alone.”
Despite a number of notable omissions, the 40-page document ironed out during down-to-the-wire negotiations was described by Secretary-General Kofi Annan as a major breakthrough in several vital areas.
The document, for instance, expressed strong and unambiguous commitment by all governments, in donor and developing nations alike, to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, and to pledges that would raise an additional $50 billion a year by 2010 for fighting poverty. It also contained commitment by all developing countries to adopt national plans for achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2006.
The document called for timely and decisive collective Security Council action when national authorities manifestly fail to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. It set up two new bodies, a Peace-building Commission to help countries in transition from war to peace, and a strengthened Human Rights Council.
“We’re quite satisfied with the document,” Pakistan UN ambassador Munir Akram said, when a reporter asked for his reaction at a press conference.
Pakistan, he said, had played a constructive role in the negotiations that produce the compromise text. “We achieved what many developing countries wanted in the document,” he said.
For instance, the declaration expressed strong commitment by all governments, in donor and developing nations alike, to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, and to pledges that would raise an additional $50 billion a year by 2010 for fighting poverty. It also contained commitment by all developing countries to adopt national plans for achieving the MDGs by 2006.
When Ambassador Akram’s attention was drawn to some statements naming him among ‘spoilers’ in the excruciating negotiations, he said he would certainly try and block anything that ran counter to Pakistan’s interests. “The United Nations is a noble organization and we support it,” he said, adding, “but Pakistan’s interests come first.”
Mr Akram said that Pakistan’s role has been widely appreciated in the course of the intense negotiations.
In another area, highlighted by Mr Annan, the document called for timely and decisive collective Security Council action when national authorities manifestly fail to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. It set up two new bodies, a Peace-building Commission to help countries in transition from war to peace, and a strengthened Human Rights Council.
