The UN's global malfeasance
By Tom DeWeese
web
posted February 24, 2003
Anyone who has submitted themselves to the agony of watching the US Security Council debate has surely concluded the UN is not only incapable of fulfilling its primary mission to avert wars, but is criminally negligent.
UN supporters have accused their opponents of over-stating the case about the threat it poses to national sovereignty, the right of ours and other nations to self-governance. They dismiss documents like the Charter for Global Democracy as merely a "wish list" of private organizations that do not reflect the true UN agenda.
If, however, one accepts UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as the official voice of the UN, then it is useful, if not essential, to listen to what he says regarding the Charter. You be the judge of what is official UN policy.
Principle 1 of the Charter For Global Democracy:
Consolidation
of all international agencies under direct authority of the United Nations
Position of Kofi Annan:
"Formal institutional arrangements
may often lack the scope, speed and informational capacity to keep up with the
rapidly changing global agenda. Mobilizing the skills and other resources of diverse
global actors, therefore, may increasingly involve forming loose and temporary
global policy networks that cut across national, institutional and disciplinary
lines. The United Nations is well situated to nurture such informal ‘coalitions
for change' across various areas of responsibility."
Secretary General
Kofi Annan's report to the Millennium Summit under the section titled "Globalization
and Governance," page 14
Principle 2 of the Charter For Global
Democracy:
Regulation by the UN of all transnational corporations and financial
institutions
Position of Kofi Annan:
"Global companies occupy
a critical place in this new constellation. They, more than anyone, have created
the single economic space in which we live; their decisions have implications
for the economic prospects of people and even nations around the world. Their
rights to operate globally have been greatly expanded by international agreements
and national policies, but those rights must be accompanied by greater responsibilities
– by the concept and practice of global corporation citizenship. The marks
of good citizenship may vary depending upon circumstances, but they will exhibit
one common feature: the willingness by firms, whenever possible and appropriate,
to pursue "good practice" as defined by the broader community, rather
than taking advantage of the weaker regulatory systems or unequal bargaining positions
of host countries."
Secretary General Kofi Annan's report to the Millennium
Summit under the section titled "Globalization and Governance," pages
13-14
Principle 3 of the Charter For Global Democracy:
Demands
an independent source of revenue for the UN
Position of Kofi Annan:
Knowing
it is the single most controversial issue facing the UN, Kofi Annan was being
extremely cautious to avoid making any concrete statements in his Millennium Summit
report concerning UN taxes other than to plead, "to ensure that the Organization
is given the necessary resources to carry out its mandate."
Secretary
General Kofi Annan's report to the Millennium Summit under the section titled
"for consideration by the Summit, "page 80
Principle
4 of the Charter For Global Democracy:
Eliminate the veto power and permanent
member status of the Security Council.
Position of Kofi Annan:
"The
United Nations must also adapt itself to the changing times. One critical area
to which I have already referred is reform of the Security Council."
Secretary
General Kofi Annan's report to the Millennium Summit under the section titled
"Renewing the United Nations," page 69
Principle 5 of
the Charter For Global Democracy:
Authorize a standing UN army.
Position
of Kofi Annan:
"Although we have understandings for military standby
arrangements with Member States, the availability of the designated forces is
unpredictable and very few are in a state of high readiness. Resource constraints
preclude us even from being able to deploy a mission headquarters rapidly."
Secretary
General Kofi Annan's report to the Millennium Summit under the section titled
"Freedom from Fear," page 49
Principle 6 of the Charter
For Global Democracy:
Require UN registration of all arms and the reduction
of all national armies.
Position of Kofi Annan:
"Let us resolve,
therefore: To take energetic action to curb the illegal traffic in small arms,
notably by…Creating greater transparency in arms transfers…Supporting
regional disarmament measures, such as the moratorium on the importing, exporting
or manufacturing of light weapons..."
Secretary General Kofi Annan's
report to the Millennium Summit under the section titled "for consideration
by the Summit," page 79
Principle 7 of the Charter For Global
Democracy:
Require individual and national compliance with all UN "Human
Rights" treaties.
Position of Kofi Annan:
"Let us resolve,
therefore: To strengthen respect for law, in international as in national affairs,
in particular the agreed provisions of treaties on the control of armaments, and
international humanitarian and human rights laws."
Secretary General
Kofu Annan's report to the Millennium Summit under the section titled "for
consideration by the Summit," page 79
Principle 8 of the Charter
For Global Democracy:
Activate the International Court of Justice and make
it compulsory for all nations.
Position of Kofi Annan:
"I
strongly urge all countries to sign and ratify the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court…"
Secretary General Kofi Annan's report to the
Millennium Summit under section titled "Renewing the United Nations,"
page 69
Principle 9 of the Charter For Global Democracy:
Calls
for new institution to establish economic and environmental Sustainable Development.
Position
of Kofi Annan:
Secretary General Annan provided no specifics on the establishment
of new institutions. However, his report emphatically called for strong environmental
controls, saying, "Environmental issues must be fundamentally repositioned
in the policy-making process." He further called for, "Building a new
ethic of global stewardship."
Secretary General Kofi Annan's report
to the Millennium Summit under the section titled "Sustaining our Future,"
page 63
Principle 10 of the Charter For Global Democracy:
Establishment
of International Environmental Court.
Position of Kofi Annan:
Secretary
General Annan carefully avoided providing details as to how the UN would deal
with violators of UN environmental treaties even though he claimed the section
of his report entitled "Sustaining our Future" was presented "with
a particular sense of urgency."
Secretary General Kofi Anna's report
to the Millennium Summit under the section titled "Sustaining our Future,"
page 56
Principle 11 of the Charter For Global Democracy:
Declaration
that climate change is an essential global security interest that requires the
creation of a "high-level action team" to allocate carbon emission based
on equal per-capita rights.
Position of Kofi Annan:
"Implementing
the 1997 Kyoto Protocol would mark a significant advance by binding the industrialized
countries to verifiable emission limitation and reduction targets averaging 5
per cent below 1990 levels, to be achieved over the period 2008-2012."
Secretary
General Kofi Annan's report to the Millennium Assemble under the section titled
"Sustaining our Future," page 59
Principle 12 of the
Charter For Global Democracy:
Calls for the cancellation of all debt owed
by the poorest nations, global poverty reductions and for "equitable sharing
of global resources," as allocated by the UN.
Position of Kofi Annan:
"At the international level, the more fortunate countries owe a duty of solidarity
to the less fortunate. Let them resolve therefore….to remove the shackles
of debt which currently keep many of the poorest countries imprisoned in their
poverty…"
Secretary General Kofi Annan's report to the Millennium
Assembly under the section titled "for consideration by the Summit,"
page 78 
Tom
DeWeese is the publisher/editor of The DeWeese Report and president of the American
Policy Center, a grassroots, activist think tank. Headquartered in Warrenton,
VA, the Center maintains an Internet sit at www.americanpolicy.org.
© Tom DeWeese, 2003
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