The reform of the United Nations (UN) has become a passionate debate in the field of International Relations. Having been created in the mid-1940s, it high time this organisation makes changes to reflect the world in which we now live.

As Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the UN points out, "Today's United Nations is vastly different from the Organisation that emerged from the San Francisco conference more than 60 years ago".

He goes on to say, "In the past decade in particular, it has undergone a dramatic operational expansion in a wide range of fields, from human rights to development."

The official report that looks at the UN, 'Investing in the UN', is about to be released and has an implementation deadline of September 2006.

The proposed changes cover both the structural (for example, who is answerable to whom and is responsible for what areas) and practical aspects (for example, outsourcing of internal services such as payroll and translation).

Apart from outsourcing some vital services to reduce costs, there are also structural changes that Annan believes need to be made.

He is quoted as having said, "The present top management structure of the Secretariat is not well equipped to manage large and complex operations; and the Secretary-General, as Chief Administrative Officer, has too many people reporting to him directly."

This highlights the increasingly complex nature of global political climate, and the UN's role in balancing multiple needs, interests and agendas.

He criticises his role by pointing out, "I am expected to be the world's chief diplomat, and to run a large and complex organisation, as it were, in my spare time".

To address this, Annan wants to increase the power of the Deputy Secretary-General so that the position can efficiently manage the day-to-day running of the organisation. He also wants to create several organisational clusters (which would be headed up by a Senior Under-Secretary- General) into which all current 25 UN Departments would fit.

These changes represent the need to modernise an out-of-date institution. Kofi Annan is taking a brave step to mobilise often-reluctant member states in creating an institution that reflects the current global environment.

Finally, it is important to remember that the UN as a whole, is not completely full of corruption and waste, but does lots of positive things. Departments such as UNICEF, WHO and UNHCR do great work at the grass roots level and positively affect the lives of millions. Often, they work in areas that have been forgotten and/or neglected by the international community.

Annan has a challenging task ahead. Having seen the work one with the Millennium Development Goals, I know that he really wants to help the poorest people of the globe, but I hope that he is able to reform the institution to ensure they have an adequate voice and the MDGs are followed up on.

Gabrielle Trenbath
gabrielletrenbath@iypf.org