Whither does the UN car go?

 

Cartoon by Gou Ben; Poem by Long Yuan

 

Whither does the UN car go?
Different hands pull the wheel to and fro,
And regardless of how the rudder bends,
The car must follow the prevailing winds
Of overwhelming governance trends.
Collective energy is conducive
To achieving an order that is equal and inclusive.
Reform must be smarter
While staying true to the UN charter.

Notes: The reform of the United Nations is necessary for the survival and development of the UN itself and to address the challenges of the changing times. Now, cosmopolitism, regionalism, environmentalism, human rights activism, pacifism, feminism, etc., are all trying to exert influence over the future reform of the UN. In such circumstances, nations should uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, expand common ground when possible and jointly combat significant challenges facing humanity.

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The need to address global threats and challenges has prompted reform of the United Nations. For instance, the Counter-Terrorism Committee was established in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A panel of experts was convened to discuss the 2008 financial crisis and the reform of international financial institutions. The Office of the Special Adviser on Africa was set up to deal with Africa’s conflicts and development issues.
 

Thus, it can be predicted that these global challenges, such as climate change, refugees and migrants, will continue to motivate the reform of the UN and its affiliates.
 

Without reform and innovation to adapt to new circumstances, the UN will hardly play any role in combating global threats and challenges and thus is likely to be marginalized. In this sense, reform and innovation are requirements for the survival and development of the UN.
 

At present, three major problems need to be addressed through reform—the expansion of representativeness, including membership in the UN Security Council; the improvement of the capacity to solve global problems; and the relations between the UN and other multilateral mechanisms, including its relations with regional organizations and blocs like the G20 and BRICS.

The trend of multi-polarization, diversification and globalization will continue to have an impact on UN reform, which manifests in two ways.
 

First, there is a louder voice calling for the UN to be more representative. Major developing nations, including India, Brazil and South Africa, are hoping to obtain permanent seats on the Security Council. Small and medium-sized countries are hoping to have more rights to participate in the decision-making process. Germany and Japan are hoping to overcome their status in the UN as vanquished nations in World War II.
 

Second, as regional organizations, informal groups of states and non-governmental organizations gain influence, changes will occur in relations between the UN and these multilateral mechanisms. As an international organization, the UN increasingly shows non-state and transnational characteristics while maintaining its role as an intergovernmental organization composed of sovereign states, which may become one focus of future UN reform.
 

Reform of a multilateral organization will be influenced by multiple forces, and its outcome is a result of competition and compromise. Though all member states agree on the need to reform the UN, different interests and values cause them to disagree on the means of reform.
 

For instance, while countries wanting permanent seats have called for an increase in the number of seats on the Security Council year after year, some small nations emphasize reforms to operations of the council itself to ensure transparency, effectiveness, fairness and wide participation. Developed nations focus on the UN’s consistency and efficiency, while developing nations pay attention to development assistance funding and the universal, voluntary, free and neutral principles.
 

In addition, different ideologies and political ideas influence UN reform, too. Different schools of thought are always contending over whether to build a strong, centralized UN or a decentralized, weak UN. There is also the question of intervention in sovereign states. Cosmopolitism, regionalism, environmentalism, human right activism, pacifism and feminism are all trying to exert influence over future reform of the UN.
 

Determining what kind of UN reform China should support and finding ways to make a constructive contribution to the innovation of the UN are challenges that need to be addressed by the nation’s multilateral diplomacy. In this respect, China will uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, support expanding representation of developing nations in the UN and balance the requirements of different groups of member states so that the UN can play a greater role in combating global threats and challenges.
 

At present, international relations are undergoing changes and adjustments. As a consequence, it is necessary to reform the UN, which was established after World War II, to adapt to the changing international situation.
 

However, the international system is still unstable. And countries differ in their interests, creating an obstacle to international consensus on fundamental reform of the UN. As a result, the reform must be conducted in a prudent, gradual way. And China will seek staged and transitional solutions while obtaining the highest degree of agreement in order to make a positive contribution to UN reform.

 

Li Dongyan is from the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.