BOOK LAUNCH AT HEADQUARTERS PRESS BRIEFING

Press Briefing

BOOK LAUNCH AT HEADQUARTERS PRESS BRIEFING

Kamalesh Sharma, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, met with correspondents this morning at a Headquarters briefing to launch and discuss Imagining Tomorrow: Rethinking the Global Challenge, a book he edited and coordinated.

Introducing Mr. Sharma and the book, the President of the General Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), said the timing of the release of the important book was “most propitious”. It was an extensive compendium of thought-provoking essays written by eminent personalities, each one a recognized authority in his respective fields of competence. The book dealt with the challenges of globalization, as well as the acute social problems that cried out for collective attention as the international community entered the twenty-first century. Topics ranged from development and globalization to democracy and human rights, as well as a vision for the future.

The Assembly President said he recommended the book highly to statesman, businessmen, academics, religious leaders, diplomats, students and grass-roots activists. After he had completed his tour of duty as Assembly President, he intended to make good use of the book in his new role as Namibia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting. He was honoured to officiate on such an occasion and hoped that the book would serve as a guideline for discussion and action in the service of humanity.

Mr. Sharma said that the genesis of the book was two-fold. First, it was to be a souvenir of the truly historic occasion of a new millennium. Second, it was intended to display the necessity for creative engagement in the field of multilateralism. He strongly believed that the United Nations was a unique vehicle for the delivery of human aspirations.

The contribution to the debate had to be made by every global participant, he continued. Since the ownership of the world was common and its destiny shared, the contributing ideas had to be as widespread as possible. That could not be limited to the delegates of the United Nations.

He said that was the spirit in which it was agreed that, apart from making a series of formal statements on the occasion of the Millennium Summit, there would be round tables with heads of government and heads of State. Because those meetings would not be recorded or formalized, it would serve as a symbol that debate was essential for tomorrow’s world.

He said an effort had been made to get contributors from all walks of life, including current heads of United Nations agencies, heads of think tanks, professors, diplomats and commentators, among others. He felt that a sense of urgency and engagement for the work of the world came through in the publication.

He added that, in such a publication, the results had to be a bit “hit and miss”. A large geographical spread was maintained, in the belief that many points of view would be represented, but in the end the results came from those who had contributed. The high response to his request for contributions was an indication

Sharma Briefing - 2 - 1 September 2000

of the increasing regard of the United Nations. He hoped that the United Nations continued to be a place where constructive debate took place.

He said the book would be distributed to all the delegates at the United Nations and made freely available. There had been a show of interest by publishers and he would be pursuing that.

Asked by a correspondent how the public could know what the leaders were thinking at the round-table discussions next week, Mr. Gurirab answered that the format for the Summit was two-tier. The heads of State and government would have an opportunity to make brief statements in the plenary of the General Assembly. The leaders were asked to provide ideas regarding the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century. There would also be an opportunity for the leaders to talk to one another in a more informal setting that allowed them to be free from inhibitions. After the end of each round table, there would be an opportunity to share their insights and impressions with the public.

A correspondent said that Sir Brian Urquhart, a contributor to the book, held the view that the future of peacekeeping was pessimistic. There was a spreading belief that the United Nations was unable to quickly and effectively send forces to various conflict areas. Did the Ambassador agree with that view?

He responded that the main points being made by Mr. Urquhart were that the projection of peacekeeping must be credible and that the United Nations must prepare for the worse-case scenario. That required political and financial investments. Given the investment of that will, peacekeeping could work.

According to Mr. Urquhart, he continued, there were a series of benchmarks. One was whether it was useful to go into a conflict area. Two, if the United Nations did go in, was the situation such that it could make a difference? Third was to have a very factual evaluation of the situation and to have the means capable of meeting that situation.

That sort of criticism was not limited to Mr. Urquhart, he added. It had been made quite frequently. There was a recognition of the fact that the United Nations was in a different situation with peacekeeping now than it had been in the past few decades.

In response to another question, he said that there might be another incarnation of the book. Due to the size of the book and commercial considerations, it might not be exactly the same book. He remained hopeful that there would be a commercial version of the book in due course.

A correspondent asked if the Ambassador foresaw any sort of peacekeeping role in South Asia, either between States or within States. He replied that the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was the oldest United Nations peacekeeping mission and it was playing whatever role it could in that region. The book was about multilateralism and the challenges of shared problems. It was not about specific regional issues.

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