SECRETARY-GENERAL, CONFIDENT THAT UN'S VITAL ROLE WILL BE RECOGNIZED, CALLS ON US FOREIGN POLICY INSTITUTE CHIEFS AT LUNCHEON FOR SUPPORT

Press Release
SG/SM/5983

SECRETARY-GENERAL, CONFIDENT THAT UN'S VITAL ROLE WILL BE RECOGNIZED, CALLS ON US FOREIGN POLICY INSTITUTE CHIEFS AT LUNCHEON FOR SUPPORT

Following is the text of a statement by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at a luncheon meeting with chiefs of United States foreign policy institutions on 8 May:

I'm glad to have this opportunity to get together. As you know, I was not able to join you in March when you met at the United Nations, because of the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit that followed the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.

I sent a message to you at that time, giving you my thoughts on the importance of the United Nations. I have just returned from Africa, where I opened the ninth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD IX). The UNCTAD has transformed itself. It now serves practical needs for countries seeking to enter international trade -- needs like how to operate a port and how to run a customs service.

In Africa one can see in clear focus the many kinds of problems the world is facing today. The problems are greater and more concentrated in Africa than elsewhere. But they are problems that the world outside Africa can neither ignore or escape.

And in Africa can be seen the vital role of the United Nations, working to solve these problems. The United Nations played a crucial role in helping South Africa bring an end to apartheid only a year ago. Most United Nations peace-keeping takes place in Africa. Mozambique is a United Nations peace- keeping success story. Even where there have been setbacks, as in Somalia, the United Nations continues to serve the needs of the Somali people. In Angola, new hope for peace and reconciliation is justified. And the United Nations is seeking to deal with the terrible and urgent crisis in Liberia today. The United Nations has made great progress for disarmament in Africa. Last month, the signing of the treaty declaring Africa to be a nuclear-weapon- free zone was a major international achievement.

I have urged nations to work for what I call "micro-disarmament", to reduce the flood of light weapons that make conflict in Africa almost perpetual. My call for a world-wide ban on land-mines has received widespread

support. But the international conference just concluded in Geneva did not go far enough. Land-mines make development impossible for large areas of territory, and must be banished entirely.

The United Nations saved thousands of lives among Rwanda's refugees, and has helped millions of refugees and displaced persons across the continent. I am making every possible effort to prevent the horrible events in Rwanda from being repeated in Burundi.

To strengthen African development, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provides the widest network for basic economic support all over the African continent. Africa continues to receive the largest share of United Nations development assistance.

The United Nations is also assisting African States in their transition towards democracy. The United Nations has responded to over 30 requests for electoral assistance from African countries. And United Nations experts are helping with other key elements of democratization such as a free press, judicial institutions and constructing a political party system.

Just a few weeks ago the United Nations launched a coordinated, system- wide Special Initiative for Africa, to draw together these various programmes of support. At the deepest level, the Special Initiative will expand basic education and health care across the continent. Billions of dollars will be needed. If the international community will support the Special Initiative as it deserves to be supported, Africa's prospects, which are brighter than ever before, may actually be realized within the next decades.

The United Nations is doing this kind of work not only in Africa, but in every part of the world, from Guatemala to Haiti, from Georgia to Tajikistan.

The great and wealthy nations of the world cannot on their own hope to cope with such a range of problems. Nor could any group of nations do so. That is why the United Nations is indispensable. But the United Nations is in serious financial trouble. Throughout the past four years I have carried out far-reaching reforms in the United Nations. For four years I have urged Member States to pay their dues. The amount of overdue assessments continues to rise. The total of unpaid assessments is more than $2.8 billion.

The United Nations has no capital and no reserves. We owe about $1.4 billion to countries that have contributed troops and equipment for peace- keeping. We have had to borrow unprecedented amounts from the peace-keeping budget to meet regular budget requirements. As a result of the recent United States budget agreement, and the announced intention of the Russian Federation to pay $400 million, our estimated cash position has improved somewhat. But

- 3 - Press Release SG/SM/5983 9 May 1996

current cash flow estimates indicate that the United Nations will run out of regular budget funds by the end of August.

My efforts to achieve zero growth in real budget terms have been successful. But while available funds are less than they used to be, the mandates given to the United Nations by its Members are more than they used to be. And as long as the United Nations has to face one cycle of financial crisis after another, steps towards the most serious reforms will be almost impossible to carry out.

The United Nations is an increasingly indispensable instrument for world progress. While the present situation is very serious, I am confident that the United Nations vital role will be recognized -- certainly the American public recognize it, to judge from recent polls -- and that we will successfully emerge from this difficult time. In this endeavour I hope that I shall have your support.

* *** *