Holy See: UN is vital, but needs to be more efficient

Vatican City, Oct 5, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations, highlighted the importance of the United Nations principles as “a system founded on cooperation rather than on competition among States” which recognizes that all nations are “equal in dignity”, but he insisted that its structures need to be more inclusive and its procedures more efficient.

The Archbishop’s comments came during debates on October 4, at the U.N. Plenary Session on Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly and on Strengthening of the United Nations System, and  October 5, when he addressed the General Assembly on the question of Social Development andSustainable Development.

He noted that "the United Nations is a community of States that shares fundamental values, well outlined in the Millennium Declaration: freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature and shared responsibility.”

“Strengthening the United Nations system implies the acknowledgement that this is a system founded on cooperation rather than on competition among States and actively nourished by constructive will, trust, keeping of commitments and collaboration among equal and reciprocally responsible partners. Making these founding principles irreversible is a primary task,” he underscored.

"The bottom line is the recognition of the principle that all States are by nature equal in dignity," he said. "It is true, however, that the nations that have attained a superior degree of scientific, cultural and economic development have the responsibility to make a greater contribution to the common cause."

"On a more practical note," affirmed Archbishop Migliore, "the essential criteria that should be taken into account for reshaping the structures and revisiting the procedures of this Organization are as follows: for the structures: representation and inclusiveness; for the procedures: impartiality, efficiency and efficacy; for the outcomes: accountability and responsiveness."