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Yearbook of the United Nations 2009

Page 20

Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization Following is the Secretary-General’s report on the work of the Organization [A/64/1], dated 4 August 2009, submitted to the sixty-third session of the General Assembly. The Assembly took note of it on 6 October (decision 64/504).

Chapter I

that lie at the core of the United Nations mission. To meet these challenges will require a multilateral effort of immense magnitude—one that draws upon the strengths and contributions of all the countries of the world, as well as their citizens. 5.  Twenty-first century multilateralism must build on the multilateral foundations of the previous century, but must also broaden and deepen them in dramatic new ways. There are five essential elements of a new multilateralism that can lead us through the current crisis-ridden landscape to a more bountiful, peaceful and sustainable future. 6.  First, the new multilateralism must prioritize the provision of global public goods that counter those threats that are contagious across borders and that most directly link the destinies of all our peoples: we must deal with climate change; ensuring economic stability, food availability and prosperity for all; global health; disarmament and non-proliferation; and the struggle against terrorism. 7.  Second, a new twenty-first century multilateralism must recognize the complex interconnections among the challenges that confront us, both the global goods issues and the ongoing challenges of national and regional conflicts, humanitarian disasters and the struggle for truly universal human rights. Solving the problems one by one is neither possible, nor efficient nor effective. An integrated approach must inform our every effort. 8.  Third, it must privilege the most vulnerable people around the world and must deliver muchneeded security, development and human rights for them. This is essential both on moral grounds, as solidarity is the glue which will keep our human family together, and on enlightened self-interest grounds. The systematic bias against the poor and most vulnerable in good times and bad is simply not sustainable. Twenty-first century globalization must be for all, and must in the first instance be premised on realization of the Millennium Development Goals.

Introduction 1.  Ten years into the new millennium, the scope and magnitude of the tectonic shifts that are shaping the emerging global landscape are coming into sharper relief. The accelerated globalization of recent decades has linked people’s fates together in ways we could only have imagined when the United Nations was created 64 years ago. 2.  In recent times, the world has experienced unprecedented prosperity, peace, convergence on an increasingly universal normative framework and, thanks to the expansion of global communication, a heightened sense of community. However, not everyone has benefited from these global developments. Indeed, some have been left behind. 3.  Just as over the past few decades, lives around the globe have become increasingly intertwined, so today, as our world is wracked by crisis, globalization is uniting our destinies in unprecedented ways. This past year the shock waves from the economic crisis spread to all corners of the globe with devastating effects on the most vulnerable populations and countries. An ongoing crisis of food insecurity continues to ravage families and communities, with over 1 billion people now going to bed hungry every night. The influenza A(H1N1) pandemic, the first influenza pandemic in over 40 years, has reminded us that our most precious commodity—our health—is linked to that of every other individual on the planet. Looming over all these crises, and potentially dwarfing them, the climate crisis we face continues to unfold, with scientists warning that the changes to our planet and its people are happening faster, and with a more severe impact, than most of our models predicted even a year or two ago. 4.  We stand on a precipice. And yet, we cannot lose our nerve, or let the multiple crises turn into a crisis of confidence of our peoples. This is the ultimate multilateral moment. We are seeing the convergence of complex challenges across a spectrum of issues 3


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