4 9. Fourth, it must bring to bear a much broader and deeper set of forces to address the multiple crises, broadening our collective response to include at its core, not as add-ons, constituencies from the private sector, civil society and academia. Multi-stakeholder coalitions must become the norm and not the exception if we are to successfully address the challenges before us. 10. Fifth, our new multilateralism will need to adapt and strengthen the existing global multilateral architecture to address the challenges of the twenty-first century. This will mean drawing upon the strengths of all nations, particularly those that are rising with the new century. It will mean harnessing both power and principle. A choice between one or the other is a false one. It also means improving the channels and mechanisms that ensure that the voices of the weak and vulnerable are heard in key decisionmaking forums. The United Nations is uniquely positioned to marshal this effort. 11. Strengthening our multilateral institutional architecture will also require adapting our multilateral mechanisms to be significantly more robust, as well as faster, more flexible and responsive than they have ever been. This is due in part to the fact that the accelerated pace of life in our contemporary globalized world has shrunk our time horizons, requiring much faster decision-making, and in part to the fact that the alliances and cooperation necessary to achieve desired goals increasingly vary widely from issue area to issue area and change over time. 12. The United Nations can and should be the hub of the new multilateralism. The Organization must provide the platform to harmonize competing interests and views of how to solve the problems the world faces. The United Nations must also continue to develop its ability to deliver the required services to people all over the world, especially those most in need. Not only is this a natural vocation for a universal organization, it is also the comparative advantage of an organization that has global reach, draws upon the resources and strengths of all nations and is charged by its Member States to address the broad spectrum of security, development, humanitarian and human rights challenges. 13. The Organization is committed to adapting to the new realities of this millennium and as this report reveals, has already taken many proactive steps to do so. However, without the full engagement and support of Member States, the magnitude of the global changes under way will quickly overtake our capacities. But with the help and commitment of our Member States, the Organization can be the agent of transformation that helps the human family adjust and adapt to the tremors and tectonic shifts reshaping our world.
Yearbook of the United Nations, 2009
Chapter II Delivering results for people most in need 14. As the financial and economic crisis threatens to drive nations to look inward, now more than ever, the United Nations has an important role to play in giving voice to the voiceless and meeting the needs of the most vulnerable. 15. There is no question that the economic crisis is affecting us all in developing and developed countries alike. The United Nations report World economic situation and prospects as of mid-2009 (E/2009/73) foresees that the world economy will shrink by 2.6 per cent in 2009, the first negative global growth since the Second World War. 16. Notwithstanding the hardships faced in many parts of the developed world, the scenarios unfolding in many developing countries are grimmer. At least 60 developing countries are expected to face declining per capita income. Weak capacities for crisis mitigation in most developing countries further threaten to undermine efforts to address poverty, hunger and disease. 17. As the guardian of the global development and security agenda, the United Nations must play a key role in addressing these crises. It must use this historical moment to promote progress. A. Development 18. In 2000, with the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations charted out an ambitious course for development. Today, that course is threatened by uncertainty. However, if the global community responds with unity and in a determined and coordinated fashion, we will be able to overcome this difficult period in the world’s history and secure peace and prosperity for all. 1. The Millennium Development Goals and the other internationally agreed development goals
19. With economies contracting, the resources needed to ensure continued progress towards the Millennium Development Goals are in short supply these days. At the same time, the demand has never been greater. The Millennium Development Goals require our redoubled efforts from now till the target date of 2015. As detailed in the 2009 Millennium Development Goals Report, in areas where global investments have been scaled up—such as in efforts on aids, tuberculosis, malaria and vaccine-preventable diseases—we are seeing heartening progress. In areas where Millennium Development Goal investments are still lagging, such as primary education, maternal health, smallholder agriculture and basic infrastructure for the poor, the world is far behind in reaching its agreed targets.