Memorandum submitted by the Department
for International Development
The Outcome of the 2005 UN World Summit
SUMMARY
1. The 2005 UN World Summit - or Millennium Review
Summit - was held at UN Headquarters in New York on 14-16 September.
Its purpose was to review progress since the Millennium Summit
of 2000, and other UN Summits such as the Monterrey Conference
and Johannesburg Summit of 2002, and in particular towards achievement
of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, including
commitments of donor assistance to finance these. The Summit was
informed by a report by the UN Secretary-General entitled In
Larger Freedom which drew on the reports of the High Level
Panel and the Millennium Project. It included a session devoted
to Financing for Development (FfD), to review progress on financial
pledges of aid. This Memorandum concentrates
on areas of most direct interest to DFID.
2. The UK was represented at the
Summit by the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for International
Development (who also represented the UK and EU at the FfD session)
and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
As the current holder of the EU Presidency, the UK also represented
the EU throughout, presenting agreed EU papers on our objectives
for the Summit and the session on Financing for Development.
3. Following negotiations involving
all of the UN's member states - 191 countries in all - an
Outcome Document was agreed. For the first time, there was an
unambiguous commitment from all member states to achieving the
MDGs, with support for developing countries' efforts to implement
comprehensive national development strategies. In terms of development
issues, the Document consolidated all the achievements of the
G8 Summit at Gleneagles, endorsing the need to accelerate progress
towards the MDGs, acknowledging the special needs of Africa, and
endorsing the G8 approaches on HIV/AIDS and climate change, including
on stabilising greenhouse gas concentrations. The commitments
of the G8 and EU to increase and improve development assistance
were welcomed, and there was recognition of the expectation that
development assistance will increase by around US$50 billion a
year by 2010. The value of developing innovative sources of finance
such as the International Finance Facility (IFF) was also acknowledged.
The UK's Development-related objectives for the Summit were, therefore,
largely met.
4. On humanitarian reform, peace and security,
human rights and strengthening the United Nations, the Summit
conclusions represented important steps forward.
5. We welcome the agreement on establishing
the Peacebuilding Commission by the end of this year. This is
a major innovation that will address some of the critical weaknesses
in the international response to conflict and help support long-term
institution building. The Summit also agreed a strong condemnation
of terrorism in all its forms. A separate Summit-level meeting
of the Security Council agreed a UK-drafted resolution calling
on all states to prohibit by law incitement to terrorist acts.
6. On humanitarian reform, there is now a consensus
that the response of the international community to emergencies
needs to be improved through more timely and predictable funding
and developing stand-by capacities. Proposals for a strengthened
Central Emergency Revolving Fund (CERF) were agreed and six countries,
including the UK, agreed to contribute to it. Endorsement of the
concept of Responsibility to Protect, in line with the suggestion
first made by the Prime Minister in his speech at Chicago in 1999,
is another major step forward. For the first time, the international
community has agreed that it has a responsibility to support States
in protecting their populations. Where states are unwilling or
unable to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes
and crimes against humanity, the international community has the
responsibility to intervene, including as a last resort, militarily.
7. On human rights, the Summit resolved to create
a new Human Rights Council to replace the discredited Commission
on Human Rights and to strengthen the Office of the UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights, including by doubling its budget over five years.
These are important first steps towards building a better international
human rights system.
8. The Summit made some advances on strengthening
the management of the UN itself, in particular regarding ethics,
oversight, a review of mandates over 5 years old and a one-time
staff buy-out programme. The UN Secretary General was given a
mandate to address longer-term reform of the UN development architecture
in line with proposals contained in In Larger Freedom for
"more tightly managed entities in the field of development",
humanitarian assistance and environment. The Summit agreed to
launch further work to strengthen environmental governance, in
the UN system, including better integration of environmental activities
at operational level.
9. For DFID, our immediate priorities will
be to support the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission
by the end of the year and to develop satisfactory arrangements
for the Peacebuilding Fund; to be closely involved in the process
by which the Secretary-General develops his ideas for longer-term
reform of the UN development architecture; and to continue to
work with the UN on reform of the humanitarian assistance system.
Detail
10. The 2005 UN World Summit reviewed progress
on all aspects of the 2000 Millennium Declaration (peace and security,
development, human rights, UN reform, Africa, environment) and
commitments made at other Summits (eg on finance through the Monterrey
Consensus on Financing for Development of 2002 and on sustainable
development at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held
in Johannesburg in 2002). The Summit included a session devoted
to Financing for Development, as a follow-up to the Monterrey
Conference on Financing for Development. The focus was on upholding
commitments made at Monterrey on aid volume, and securing agreement
on aid effectiveness and innovative finance.
11. The UN Secretary-General's report In Larger
Freedom, published in March 2005, drew on two sources: (i)
the High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, created
by the Secretary-General in 2003, to consider new global threats,
and how the UN needs to change to meet them; and (ii) the United
Nations Millennium Project under Professor Jeffrey Sachs to review
progress on achieving the MDGs and propose an implementation plan
that would allow all developing countries to meet them by 2015.
12. The High Level Panel reported in December
2004. It emphasised the link between security and development
- neither being sustainable without the other. It identified six
clusters of global threats - economic and social arising from
poverty, financial instability, infectious diseases and environmental
degradation, including climate change; inter-state conflict
and rivalry; internal conflict, encompassing civil war, state
collapse, genocide and mass human rights abuses; proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction; terrorism; and organised international
crime.
13. Two of the Panel's conclusions were of particular
interest to DFID: the call for stronger action by the UN in humanitarian
crises, and the establishment of a Peacebuilding Commission
to fill the current gap in the international architecture for
helping countries in the transition between conflict and post-conflict
institution building.
14. The Millennium Project reported in January
2005. Its main message was that progress towards achieving the
MDGs was off track for many countries. The report made a compelling
case for increased aid volumes, and for urgency and ambition in
both developing countries and donors. It also emphasised the need
for better aid - more alignment and harmonisation, increased
predictability and reducing donor transaction costs through using
developing country systems. 'More and better aid' is a key 2005
objective for DFID.
15. In his report In Larger Freedom,
the Secretary-General made a number of proposals for endorsement
by Heads of member states at the Summit. The report put freedom
as the central goal of the UN, based on development ('Freedom
from want'), security ('Freedom from fear') and human rights ('Freedom
to live in dignity'), underpinned by UN institutional reform ('The
imperative for collective action: strengthening the UN'). The
Secretary-General's report set the framework for the Outcome Document
agreed by member states and published at the end of the Summit.
16. In the light of these reports and conclusions,
the UK Government established nine priorities for the negotiations
on the Summit Outcome Document, as follows:
(i) agreement on more and better aid to deliver
much faster progress
towards the MDGs, with specific commitments from
donors and
developing countries;
(ii) agreement to develop a new international
framework for tackling
climate change, endorsement of G8 outcomes on scientific
basis and new technologies; and more work on environmental
governance;
(iii) agreement to establish a new Peacebuilding
Commission for countries emerging from conflict;
(iv) agreement to work to a definition of, and
comprehensive convention on, terrorism;
(v) agreement on ways of improving UN's response
to humanitarian crises;
(vi) agreement on Responsibility to Protect;
(vii) achieve reform of the human rights machinery
to make it more effective and efficient;
(viii) agreement on a reformed, streamlined,
more effective and accountable Secretariat; and
(ix) early agreement on Security Council enlargement
without damaging prospects for the Summit.
The Government later added non-proliferation following
lack of agreement at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference
(NPT RevCon).
The Outcome Document
17. The UK represented the EU at the Summit as
holder of the EU Presidency. Prior to the final negotiations on
the Outcome Document, a strong EU position was agreed, and the
final EU statement to the Summit enshrined many of the principles
which are central to the UK's own objectives.
18. That the Outcome Document as agreed by all
UN member states represents a consolidation of major achievements
agreed elsewhere during 2005, and is a vehicle for deep-rooted
reform of the UN system in a number of significant areas in the
years ahead. Importantly, it is a global endorsement of the outcomes
of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles.
Development
19. Our key objective on development was to secure
agreement on more and better aid, including through multilateral
debt relief and innovative sources of finance, to deliver much
faster progress towards the MDGs, recognising particularly the
special needs of Africa, with specific commitments from donors
and developing countries.
20. The development section reflects this. It
underlines the need for urgency on all sides, and for more ambition
in developing countries' national development strategies. This
includes endorsement of a key recommendation of the Millennium
Project for 'quick impact' initiatives, in particular on malaria
and the elimination of user fees in education and, where possible,
also health services. Reflecting the Gleneagles Africa Communiqué,
the Outcome Document reaffirms the central principle that developing
countries must take primary responsibility for their own development,
and that good governance, anti-corruption and the rule of law
underpin that development.
21. The G8 commitment to increasing aid volumes
is now endorsed by the wider donor community. During the Financing
for Development session of the Summit, non-G8 countries - recognising
the lead the G8 had set - added their own pledges of further aid.
The Outcome Document now sets out clear expectations of the donor
community for which it will be accountable.
22. Through its welcome for the G8 multilateral
debt relief proposals, the Summit represented a broadening of
international support for this initiative. The efforts of the
UK and others to develop innovative methods of financing also
gained support through the explicit endorsement of the value of
such initiatives, and a number of countries have come together
to launch the International Finance Facility for Immunisation
(IFFIm).
23. HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other health
issues were addressed, and in line with G8 commitments, there
was support for reaching as close as possible to universal access
to treatment for AIDS by 2010. There are now global commitments
to providing substantial funding of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria and to achieving universal access to
reproductive health by 2015.
24. We welcome the recognition given to the special
needs of Africa. The Outcome Document emphasises the centrality
of NEPAD and reflects many of the priorities outlined in G8 commitments,
including the importance of promoting sound economic management
and sustainable growth, deepening democracy, human rights and
good governance, helping to build Africa's capacity to trade and
working to mobilise extra investment for infrastructure.
25. The importance of collective donor effort
to improve the quality of aid is also recognised, through
the endorsement of donor commitments made in the Paris Declaration
on Aid Effectiveness. This sets clear monitoring arrangements
and deadlines for meeting these commitments.
26. The Outcome Document, while pointing to
the importance of climate change and trade, recognises that these
must be dealt with in the appropriate international fora. On climate
change, the Montreal Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change will take place in November. The
Outcome Document does contain two important advances - the commitment
to establishing a worldwide early warning system for all natural
hazards, building on existing national and regional capacities,
and agreement by member states to explore the possibility of a
more coherent institutional framework for the governance of environmental
work in the UN system. On trade, there is much more work to be
done ahead of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial in
Hong Kong in December. The Government will be playing a full part
in trying to secure progress on climate change and trade.
Peace and Security
27. The Summit agreed to establish a Peacebuilding
Commission (and associated Peacebuilding Fund and Peacebuilding
Support Office). This responds to a well-recognised institutional
gap in the UN architecture for "marshalling resources and
advising on strategies for peace building and post-conflict recovery
to help prevent countries lapsing back into conflict". The
Commission is intended to address some of the obstacles currently
faced, such as the failure to begin peace building tasks early
enough during the immediate post-conflict phase; failure to maintain
international attention long enough in the post-conflict period;
problems in mobilising early financing for peace building and
then sustaining it; and a lack of shared analysis and coordination
between different actors, both within the UN system and with those
outside, such as bilateral donors and the International Financial
Institutions.
28. The Summit agreed that the Commission
should be operational by the end of this year and the Outcome
Document identifies details, such as its mandate and categories
of membership (although not numbers). Some important elements
remain to be agreed, in particular its working arrangements, how
it will formally be established (by the Security Council or the
General Assembly or jointly), and the respective roles of the
two bodies in the oversight of the Commission's work.
29. Establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission
is a priority for the UK and we will be working with the UN Secretariat
and the President of the General Assembly's office on this.
Humanitarian Reform
30. Improving the UN's response to humanitarian
assistance is a DFID objective. In a speech at the Overseas Development
Institute in London in December 2004, the Secretary of State for
International Development proposed six reforms - faster, and more
equitable funding through a reformed Central Emergencies Revolving
Fund (CERF); strengthening the capacity and influence of UN Humanitarian
Coordinators to to ensure that the most urgent humanitarian needs
are met promptly and effectively; the production of more inclusive,
prioritised and strategic Common Humanitarian Action Plans with
donors pooling their funding behind the Humanitarian Coordinator
in support of these; the establishment of benchmarks to inform
the planning and evaluation of humanitarian response, against
which we can measure progress and improve accountability; greater
attention by donors to forgotten crises/donor orphans; and increased
donor funding for Disaster Risk Reduction and reform of the UN
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
31. These proposals were welcomed by the UN
Secretary-General, and DFID has since been promoting debate with
humanitarian agencies and donors on how best to take these forward.
The Outcome Document reaffirms the need to strengthen the effectiveness
of UN humanitarian responses. At the Summit itself, member states
pledged over US$150m to a reformed CERF, including at least US$70m
from DFID. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) will make detailed proposals on the arrangements
for reforming the CERF in October, and the UN General Assembly
will take decisions on this in November.
32. The UN has established
a working group to make recommendations by December on how to
strengthen the UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator system. A
few donors, including the UK, are intending to pool funding behind
the Humanitarian Coordinators in Sudan and DR Congo in 2006. DFID
has set up an expert working group, to develop proposals on benchmarks
for the humanitarian system. The UN has launched reform of its
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and DFID is developing
its own paper on disaster risk reduction in response to a National
Audit Office recommendation.
Human Rights
33. The agreement of UN member states on 'Responsibility
to Protect' is an important achievement. This formally recognises
the principle that, while each country has a responsibility to
protect its own population, the international community should
act in the face of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and
crimes against humanity. This includes both the prevention of
such crimes and their incitement.
34. The agreement in principle to replace the
existing Commission on Human Rights with a more robust Human Rights
Council represents a significant step forward in restoring credibility
to the international human rights machinery. While it is regrettable
that more detail could not be agreed at the Summit itself, the
UK is working with EU partners to maintain the momentum for reform
and reach agreement as soon as possible on establishing the Council.
We are currently aiming to get agreement on the priority issues
by the end of this year. We welcome the agreement to strengthen
the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, including
through a doubling of its regular budget over the next five years.
Strengthening the United Nations
35. It is now generally accepted
that there are some key issues concerning the management and management
practices of the UN that need to be addressed. Progress made on
this at the Summit can be seen only as a first step, and the Government
attaches high priority to working to ensure that these advances
are built upon.
36. The Outcome Document recognises the need
for a more effective Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It
calls for a biennial high level Development Cooperation Forum
to review international development cooperation and to strengthen
coherence among development partners and between different areas
of the work of the UN.
37. The Document emphasises the importance of
improving the accountability mechanisms in the Secretariat, and
of ensuring the highest standards of efficiency, competence and
integrity of staff. The Secretary-General will establish an independent
ethics office and make proposals for ensuring the independence
of oversight mechanisms (such as the Office of Internal Oversight
Services - OIOS) for reviewing the operations of the UN, including
the creation of an independent oversight advisory committee. The
Secretary-General will also make proposals for strengthening his
capacity to carry out his managerial responsibilities more effectively
and for management reforms to the UN.
38. The Outcome Document also supports more
effective coordination of governing bodies, and improvements in
UN performance at country level through a strengthened role for
the UN Resident or Humanitarian Coordinator with the appropriate
resources, authority and level of accountability.
39. DFID will support the United Nations Development
Group Office (UNDGO) to implement management reforms across the
system. We will promote the use of the Common Country Assessment
and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF)
as the primary programming and monitoring tools used by the UN
at country level. The UN Resident Coordinator is to be responsible
and accountable for the delivery of the UNDAF. We will also encourage
reporting on commitments through follow-up to the Paris Declaration
on Aid Effectiveness.
40. The UK will participate actively in ECOSOC,
encouraging it to focus much more rigorously on its core activities.
This includes building stronger relations with the Bretton Woods
Institutions and making sure the United Nations is informed about
new development challenges, the priorities for addressing these
and how the UN can make a unique contribution. ECOSOC also needs
to show leadership on reform.
41. For the longer term, the Summit gave support
to the Secretary-General's proposal contained in In Larger
Freedom to implement fundamental reforms of the UN
structure. This could involve the grouping of agencies, funds
and programmes into three areas dealing respectively with development,
environment and humanitarian action. DFID, along with like-minded
development partners, will strongly support such changes.
Conclusion
42. The G8 commitments entered into at the Gleneagles
Summit were essentially supported at the UN Summit. Over the coming
months, the Government will keep up the pressure to ensure delivery
of these commitments. But we also want to go further, and
there will be opportunities to do so. If we succeed, it will make
a difference in helping to tackle poverty in developing countries.
Department for International Development
October 2005
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