China has conveyed a clear message to visiting United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Chinese leaders told the UN's top diplomat that the country will
throw its weight behind reform of the global organization.
Annan's itinerary in China helped him become familiar with the
attitudes of a wide range of Chinese people.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao promised that his country would
firmly fulfill its commitment to the UN Millennium Development
Goals and continue its battle against poverty.
Established in 2000, the Millennium Development Goals are
intended to ensure decisive progress by 2015 in dealing with
poverty, malnutrition, disease and environmental degradation.
China has been co-operating well with the UN and will continue
to support the world body and the work of its
secretary-general.
As the world's largest developing country, China is well aware
of what kind of assistance other developing nations need. This has
been clearly illustrated by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's pledge to
help more developing countries with their poverty alleviation and
development programs.
Development is the issue which must top the agenda of UN
reform.
An authoritative, efficient and well co-ordinated UN benefits
global peace, security and common development.
Some progress has already been made towards achieving goals to
end global poverty, the biggest challenge facing the world
today.
There is no alternative for the world organization but to
undergo a thorough reform, and this must include prioritizing the
fight against poverty.
Through its various agencies, the UN provides food, shelter and
healthcare to millions of needy people around the world.
This is a mission that is both possible and unavoidable for the
world body.
The 35-page document which heads of state and government signed
up at last September's New York summit serves as a map for the way
ahead. The meeting was the culmination of the single most ambitious
and wide-ranging attempt to reform the UN since it was established
in 1945.
It calls for the creation of peace-building commission to
supervise the reconstruction of countries after conflicts are
ended. A new doctrine setting out a "responsibility to protect" in
cases of genocide and crimes against humanity has been adopted.
UN reform is making progress, although debate on how to move it
further is dragging on.
A new and more credible Human Rights Council has been
established to replace the Human Rights Commission, marking a major
step in better addressing this important issue.
In this era of rapid and unstoppable globalization, the UN is
the venue where "global villagers" are supposed to find ways to
collectively deal with natural catastrophes, massive outbreaks of
disease, global financial crises and security issues.
Challenges have been piling up for the world body. The reform
must help it work together with regional organizations in a more
integrated manner than in the past and master the complexities of
current situation.
(China Daily May 24, 2006)
