ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT CALLS ON MEMBER STATES TO STUDY REFORM PROPOSALS OF SECRETARY-GENERAL WITH 'AN OPEN MIND'
Press Release
GA/9284
ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT CALLS ON MEMBER STATES TO STUDY REFORM PROPOSALS OF SECRETARY-GENERAL WITH 'AN OPEN MIND'
19970716 Change in United Nations Must Benefit All Governments and All Peoples, Says Razali Ismail (Malaysia)Following is the statement of the President of the General Assembly, Razali Ismail (Malaysia), at the meeting of the Assembly this morning, when the Secretary-General presented its report entitled "Renewing the United Nations: a programme for reform":
As the President of the General Assembly, I would like to thank the Secretary-General for providing us with his report "Renewing the United Nations: a programme for reform". The report contains qualitative and extensive reform measures and proposals which are designed to enable our Organization to meet the challenges ahead.
I also wish to congratulate the Secretary-General and his staff, and the Executive Coordinator for Reform, for preparing and presenting this report within six months of the Secretary-General's tenure in office.
When you assumed office, Mr. Secretary-General, we spoke of building an enduring partnership between the membership and the Secretariat. In that context, we spoke of working closely to make the United Nations remain relevant to the needs of the peoples of the world.
Today, you have made specific proposals to this Organization, underlining greater unity of purpose, greater cohesion and greater ability to deliver. You have also challenged Member States to do their share so that, together, we can revitalize the Organization to achieve the purposes outlined in the Charter.
I wish to use this occasion to appeal to Member States to seriously study these proposals so we can ensure that the United Nations would be fully equipped and prepared to meet the challenges of the next millennium. In studying these proposals, I do hope that Member States would adopt an open mind. As we all know, it is easy to criticize but often difficult to be constructive. These are important proposals, which I hope would not fall casualty to stereotype processes.
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Above all, the proposals must not be casualty to tussles to benefit only one or two groups. The United Nations must undergo change, but the change must benefit all, meaning not just groups of governments, but all governments and all the peoples of the world as promised in the Charter. Only through change in this fashion will we all serve our collective needs and underline that the United Nations is truly a universal house.
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