2005: OUR DATE WITH DESTINY . .
.

Reforming the role of the UN
Towards achieving the MDGs
Simon Maxwell
Overseas Development Institute• High Level Panel on Threats etc . . .
• Sachs Report and MDG Summit• Africa Commission• High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness• IDA renewal• G8 initiatives• EU (new Commission, new policy, financialperspectives)• Hong Kong trade agenda• The IFF?

UN Roles• Research on cross-cutting issues• Consensus-building, advocacy, and target-setting• A forum for the preparation and negotiation ofinter- national treaties or conventions• Technical co-ordination and standard-setting• Information collection and dissemination• Co-ordination of action among agencies, bothnational and international.
• Direct action (development, peace-keeping)1

UN System
ODA from MultilateralAgency
6,000
5,000

ODA toMultilateral Agency

4,000
3,000
2,000
1,0000

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

oda through the UN 2003 ($m and %)275, 8%1080, 29%

567, 16%

310, 9%392, 11%351, 10%633, 17%

UNDP
UNICEF
UNFPA
WFP
UNHCR
UNRWA
OTHERS

But . . .
‘ . . . The system is not working as it should. . . We need to take a hard look at ourinstitutions themselves...

They may need radical reform.’

Kofi Annan - 8 September 2003

No lack of vision
1992 Agenda 21
1995 Commission on GlobalGovernance1996 Nordic UN Reform Project
1997 Renewing the UN: A
Programme for Reform
1999 UNDP Human Development
Report2000 - ‘We the Peoples: the role of
the UN in the 21st Century- UN Millennium Declaration- Panel on UN Peace Operations(Brahimi)- Swedish Initiative on financing
the UN

2002 - Helsinki Process established- Strengthening the UN – anagenda for future change
2003 - Commission on Human Security- EU Communication on EU-UNrelations
2004 - World Commission on Social
Dimensions of Globalisation- High level Panel on UN Civil
Society Relations- High level panel on threats,challenges and change- WEF Global GovernanceInitiative- Utstein Plus Initiative
2005 - In Larger Freedom2No lack of principles
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Respect for life
Liberty
Justice
EquityMutual respect
CaringIntegrity
Solidarity
Diversity
Safety first
Respect for human rights
Equitable North-Southrepresentation
Tripartism
Greater subsidiarity
Participation

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Dignity
Sovereign equality of states
Self-determination
Tolerance
Respect for nature
Shared responsibility
Human development
Effective voice
Challenge and competition
Medium term predictability
Flexibility
Impartiality
High returns, added value and lowtransactions costs
Responsive to political analysis

UN Reform

No lack of ideas• Track 1 and Track 2• Expanded membership ofSecurity Council• Qualified Majority Voting inGA
• Economic and Social
Security Council• New role for the TrusteeshipCouncil• New voting arrangements
for BWI Boards• More open appointment
procedures• Replenishment funding ofUN agencies• Greater coordination, at
headquarters and in thefield (e.g. UNDG,UNDAF, UNHouse)• Better evaluation andoversight• Harmonisation of procedures

One way in: collective action theory• Thin and thick rationality• Public goods• Managing common property• Kin and Group selection• Reciprocity and tit-for-tat• Role and norm theories• Social capital• Six thinking hats

• Not Why?
• Not What?
• But How?

(Do read: Sarah Gillinson: ‘Why cooperate? A multi-disciplinary study of collective action’ ODI Working Paper
234, February 2004)When does cooperation happen?
Sixteen conditions, including . . .
• Individual andcollective interestsaligned• High degree of trust• Long time scale• Parties relatively equal• The powerful needcooperation• Social norms foster
cooperation• Free-riding noticed insmall group• The costs of defection
are high• Selective incentives
induce cooperation• Cooperation wideranging

Doing better:
An eight step programme
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Keep the core group small
Trust building measures
Use the same core group throughout
Encourage network closure
Choose the right issues
Use positive incentives
Increase costs of defection
Establish institutions to manage change

32005 Specifics

What might be added?

In Larger Freedom:––––––

Security Council Reform
Responsibility to Protect
Human Rights Council
Peace-building Commission
Democracy FundECOSOC as a development cooperationforum• Governance Reform of the BWI?
• A financial funding window for the UN?
• Central financing of OCHA?
• A central budgeting system for the UN
development system?
• Is there a need for Jackson II?

Moremultilateral

Less
Propoor

MorePropoor

Less multilateral4