Reloaded News Desk
President of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Dr Khalilur Rahman, has challenged member states to confront growing doubts about the effectiveness of the UN, asking whether the organisation still works for the people it was created to serve.
Rahman raised the question while opening the high-level General Debate of the 81st General Assembly in New York.
“Outside these walls, people are not asking whether the United Nations still exists. They are asking whether it works,” he said.
From Existence To Effectiveness
Rahman acknowledged the historical achievements of the United Nations but argued that survival alone could not be the measure of success.
He pointed to the organisation’s growth from the 50 countries represented at the 1945 San Francisco Conference to 193 member states today.
The UN, he said, remains an irreplaceable institution because the alternative to international diplomacy is the return to conflict as the primary means of resolving disputes.
Security Council Under Pressure
The General Assembly president identified the Security Council as one of the areas requiring attention.
He said the Council has demonstrated its effectiveness in some historical crises but has also been unable to act on important issues, undermining confidence in the wider organisation.
Rahman argued that the Security Council and General Assembly are complementary institutions and must both fulfil their responsibilities under the UN Charter.
Development And Debt
He also highlighted the widening gap between military expenditure and development assistance.
According to figures cited in his address, development assistance from OECD donors fell substantially while global military expenditure approached $3 trillion.
Rahman linked the imbalance to stalled progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and called for stronger development financing, debt relief and reform of the international financial architecture.
A UN That Delivers
Rahman’s central message was that trust cannot simply be demanded from the international community.
It must be rebuilt through decisions, fulfilled commitments and measurable results.
He called on member states to work together to make the organisation more effective and responsive to the challenges facing the world.
His intervention provides an important backdrop to the competing demands coming from national leaders at the 81st General Assembly, many of whom have called for changes to the international system.
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