July 14, 2000
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THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA July 14, 2000 |
| Identifies deadly confict, climate change and youth as major global challenges by Kirsten Rodenhizer A recent report on globalization, governance and the future of the United Nations argues that a stronger UN is needed to provide better governance as globalization progresses. The report, entitled Altered States, was co-authored by Gordon Smith, director of UVic’s centre for global studies, and Moises Naim, editor of Foreign Policy magazine, and sets the framework for a UN Millennium Summit this September. The report calls for the UN to take a more active role in world politics — possibly a supervisory role amid new political formations called “global policy networks,” or political coalitions made up of international bodies, non-profit groups, states and other players. Smith doesn’t think states are becoming powerless or anachronistic, as some people maintain, nor does he believe we should be looking to the UN for world government. “The role of states is changing. We’re not moving toward world government but the UN should be a main player in developing better means of managing our growing interdependence,” says Smith. “We also need the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to ensure that the benefits of globalization are significantly more widespread, and that people feel included.” Smith and Naim spotlight three global challenges for the UN to address: preventing deadly conflict, managing climate change, and providing opportunities for the young. They make specific recommendations for action on each problem. “We looked at what the big global issues are. These three areas are all capable of changing in the most fundamental way the quality of life in this world,” says Smith. He adds that some people are surprised by the third area they selected. “One-third more people on this planet are a certainty in the next quarter century, with most living in developing countries,” he says. “Most of this increase will be in the poorest countries, in their already overcrowded and environmentally unhealthy urban areas. Therefore, there has to be a high priority on giving youth access to education and a better quality of life, or the consequences will be far-reaching and enormous.” Every leader attending the UN summit will be sent the 78-page book, which was published by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan already drew on it for his recently published Millennium Report. The project originated a year ago, when Annan proposed that the leaders of UN member countries hold a summit this September to mark the year 2000. “His goal was not just to have one more celebration, but to see if the leaders would be prepared to address their vision for the future of the UN,” says Smith. Smith hopes the Millennium Summit will give people a sense that something is being done about the world’s problems, rather than just ceremony. “We hope that when the leaders meet in September they’ll agree to move forward on these recommendations,” he says. “Whether they do exactly what we recommend isn’t as important, as long as they actually do something.” Smith further describes the global challenges we face in the Viewpoint column . |