Sixty-sixth General Assembly

Plenary

87^th & 88^thMeetings (AM & PM)

Speakers in General Assembly Call for Stronger United Nations Role

 

at Heart of Global Economic Governance

 

Voting to Elect 25 Judges of International Residual

Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals Will Continue in Third Round Next Week

Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world order, the United Nations must strengthen its role at the centre of global economic governance in order to maintain its incomparable legitimacy, many speakers said during a General Assembly meeting today.

“The United Nations remains the only truly universal and inclusive multilateral forum,” said Assembly Vice-President Mohammed Loulichki ( Morocco), addressing the 193-member body on behalf of its President.  Yet there had been a noticeable marginalization of the Organization in some areas of international economic governance, as recent years had witnessed a rebalancing of global power, he noted.

There had been a marked increase in the importance of emerging market economies — those of developing and middle-income States — which had not been power players at the time of the world body’s founding, he said.  Moreover, people, ideas, money and resources had reached unprecedented numbers and their scope went far beyond the expectations of 1945, he added.  Still, global governance structures today did not reflect those changes, he noted.  It was in that context that the United Nations now faced the challenge of adapting and improving.  International policy coordination on global issues must be strengthened by means of enhanced frameworks, or it would not be possible to tackle global challenges, he stressed.

In a similar vein, Switzerland’s representative said:  “Global governance is about how best to address global challenges,” adding, “It is not an abstract notion but a term which is linked to specific problem areas that affect all our lives.”  Indeed, the role of the United Nation in global economic governance, while central, had not lived up to all expectations.  Reforms of the Organization’s management and coherence currently underway would go a long way towards improving its role, but its cooperation with international and regional organizations — in particular the G-20 — must also be improved and enhanced.  The bloc was influencing the priorities and defining the mandates of international organizations in an unprecedented way, he said, stressing that the United Nations should accept recent outreach efforts by the G-20 and propose areas in which enhanced coordination and collaboration would be possible.

China’s representative joined the call for strengthening the “irreplaceable” role of the United Nations, emphasizing specifically the need to focus on maintaining the world body’s centrality and the important roles of its agencies in international cooperation for development.  Institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should reinforce their development functions and implement projects to help developing countries, he said.

On the other hand, Brazil’s representative emphasized that developing countries were now a driving force on the global economic stage.  “It is no longer possible to ignore the demands of the developing world,” she added.  It was crucial to further strengthen intergovernmental follow-up to the financing for development process, she said, adding that establishing the relevant functional commission would go a long way towards addressing the current concerns of developing countries.

Chile’s representative recalled that his delegation had first introduced the draft resolution which had launched the process of reviewing global economic governance and development in 2010.  One year into that process, it was clear that there were gaps, and that the United Nations was called upon to act.  In particular, some groupings and mechanisms in which developing countries were under-represented suffered from a “legitimacy deficit”, he said.  In contrast, the multilateralism promoted and practised by the United Nations allowed all States, large and small, to make their voices heard.  In light of today’s challenges, that inclusive multilateralism was needed now more than ever.

Egypt’s representative said the Economic and Social Council was one key area in which reform was warranted.  It needed a strengthened role as a forum for policy formulation and consensus-building so that it would be able to fulfil its mandate.  Another element that could support the central role of the United Nations was improving inter-agency coordination and cooperation, he said, adding that reform did not contradict the need for further discussions on proposals to incorporate new mechanisms into the Organization, including a financing for development commission as a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council.

Nevertheless, some delegates pointed out that informal groupings such as the G-20 had proven their ability to take timely and decisive actions in the field of global economic and financial policy.  Liechtenstein’s representative, stressing that the G-20 remained an informal and flexible bloc, said that with its particular composition, the G-20 could produce decisive inputs and initiatives and generate political momentum, in particular where discussions within the wider United Nations system were stalled.  Indeed, the G-20 should make a more systematic effort to feed its global policy initiatives back into the Organization’s work with a view to implementing and thereby legitimizing them.

Earlier today, the Assembly held two secret ballots to elect 25 judges to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.  However, since more than 25 candidates won an absolute majority of votes during each round of voting, additional balloting would be held — in a separate meeting on Tuesday, 20 December — until 25 candidates, and no more, obtained an absolute majority.

Also speaking during this afternoon’s session on global economic governance were representatives of Singapore, Mexico, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the European Union delegation.

The Assembly will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Monday, 19 December, to consider the recommendations of its Third Committee (Social, Cultural and Humanitarian).

Background

Meeting this morning to consider the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, the General Assembly had before it a letter from the President of the Security Council to the President of the General Assembly (document A/66/564) dated 17 November 2011.  It transmits nominations for judges of the Mechanism, as submitted to the Secretary-General by Member States and Permanent Observer Missions of the United Nations.

Also before the Assembly was a note by the Secretary-General (document A/66/572) dated 6 December 2011, which contains the curricula vitae of the nominated candidates.  A separate memorandum by the Secretary-General (document A/66/571/Rev.1) contains the list of candidates and the procedure for their election.

For its afternoon session, the Assembly was expected to take up the “Central role of the United Nations system in global governance”, for which it had before it a report of the Secretary-General on global economic governance and development (document A/66/506) dated 10 October 2011.  It focuses on the link between global economic governance and development in the aftermath of the world financial and economic crisis, and more broadly on the role of the United Nations system with respect to economic governance.  It also touches on the Organization’s relationship with the G-20 and regional institutions.

It concludes, among other things, that there is a need to enhance coordination, cooperation, coherence and effective policymaking across the entire United Nations system, as well as the functioning and working methods of relevant organs, especially the Economic and Social Council, and their subsidiary machinery.  The performance of those bodies should be periodically reviewed, it adds.  The report also urges continuing predictable and consistent engagement between the G-20 and the United Nations to ensure that each complements the objectives and activities of the other in support of development.  Efforts to further enhance the voice and representation of developing countries in multilateral institutions and other norm- and standard-setting bodies should continue, and regional institutions and arrangements should be better incorporated into the framework for global economic governance, it adds.

Election of Judges

As the meeting opened, the Assembly held a secret ballot to elect 25 judges to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.  Prior to the vote, delegations were informed that an absolute majority of 98 votes would be needed to fill each position.

PETER THOMSON (Fiji), Assembly Vice-President, also said that Olivera Andjelkovic (Serbia), Wolfgang Schomburg (Germany), Shiranee Tilakawardene (Sri Lanka) and Tatjana Vukovic (Serbia) had withdrawn their candidature, and those changes were reflected on the voting ballots.

The representative of Uganda said that one of his country’s two candidates, Daniel David Ntanda Nsereko, had also withdrawn his candidature.  However, since that information had not yet been reflected on the voting ballots, delegates were asked not to cast their votes for that candidate.

Voting Results — First Round

Number of ballot papers:	185
Number of invalid ballots:	1
Number of valid ballots:	184
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members voting:	183
Required majority:	98
Number of votes obtained:
Liu Daqun ( China)	176
Lee G. Muthoga ( Kenya)	170
Carmel A. Agius ( Malta)	167
Gberdao Gustave Kam ( Burkina Faso)	167
Seon Ki Park ( Republic of Korea)	166
Patrick Lipton Robinson ( Jamaica)	166
Aydin Sefa Akay ( Turkey)	165
Burton Hall ( Bahamas)	162
Bakone Justice Moloto ( South Africa)	162
Mparany Mamy Richard Rajohnson ( Madagascar)	162
Solomy Balungi Bossa ( Uganda)	161
Florence Arrey ( Cameroon)	160
Ivo Nelson de Caires Batista Rosa ( Portugal)	157
Theodor Meron ( United States)	157
Christoph Flügge ( Germany)	154
Vagn Prüsse Joensen ( Denmark)	149
Alphons Orie ( Netherlands)	148
José Ricardo de Prada Solaesa ( Spain)	141
Ben Emmerson ( United Kingdom)	141
Prisca Matimbe Nyambe ( Zambia)	138
Graciela Susana Gatti Santana ( Uruguay)	128
Joseph E. Chiondo Masanche (United Republic of Tanzania)	125
William Hussein Sekule (United Republic of Tanzania)	125
Michèle Picard ( France)	122
Jean-Claude Antonetti ( France)	118
Aminatta Lois Runeni N’gum (Zimbabwe/Gambia)	117
Lombe P. Chibesakunda ( Zambia)	94
Juan Antonio Durán Ramírez ( El Salvador)	92
Carlos Ernesto Sánchez Escobar ( El Salvador)	88
Juan Bautista Delgado Cánovas ( Spain)	76
Alfredo Gómez Tedeschi ( Uruguay)	72

Since more than 25 candidates obtained an absolute majority of votes, a second ballot would be held on all candidates until 25, and no more, obtained an absolute majority.

The Assembly then proceeded to a second ballot, and once again more than 25 candidates received an absolute majority of votes.

Voting Results – Second Round

Number of ballot papers:	186
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	186
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members voting:	185
Required majority:	98
Number of votes obtained:
Liu Daqun ( China)	173
Carmel A. Agius ( Malta)	167
Patrick Lipton Robinson ( Jamaica)	166
Seon Ki Park ( Republic of Korea)	164
Aydin Sefa Akay ( Turkey)	163
Lee G. Muthoga ( Kenya)	162
Gberdao Gustave Kam ( Burkina Faso)	162
Burton Hall ( Bahamas)	158
Solomy Balungi Bossa ( Uganda)	158
Bakone Justice Moloto ( South Africa)	156
Florence Arrey ( Cameroon)	156
Christoph Flügge ( Germany)	156
Mparany Mamy Richard Rajohnson ( Madagascar)	155
Theodor Meron ( United States)	155
Ivo Nelson de Caires Batista Rosa ( Portugal)	151
Vagn Prüsse Joensen ( Denmark)	147
Alphons Orie ( Netherlands)	143
Ben Emmerson ( United Kingdom)	140
José Ricardo de Prada Solaesa ( Spain)	134
Graciela Susana Gatti Santana ( Uruguay)	123
Joseph E. Chiondo Masanche (United Republic of Tanzania)	121
William Hussein Sekule (United Republic of Tanzania)	121
Michèle Picard ( France)	119
Prisca Matimbe Nyambe ( Zambia)	118
Jean-Claude Antonetti ( France)	117
Aminatta Lois Runeni N’gum (Zimbabwe/Gambia)	110
Lombe P. Chibesakunda ( Zambia)	95
Juan Antonio Durán Ramírez ( El Salvador)	74
Carlos Ernesto Sánchez Escobar ( El Salvador)	71
Juan Bautista Delgado Cánovas ( Spain)	67
Alfredo Gómez Tedeschi ( Uruguay)	67

Since more than 25 candidates had obtained an absolute majority of votes, a third ballot would be held on all candidates until 25 candidates, and no more, obtained an absolute majority.  That vote would be held in a separate meeting on Tuesday, 20 December.

The Assembly then took up the agenda item “Strengthening of the United Nations system:  Central role of the United Nations system in global governance”.

Opening Remarks

MOHAMMED LOULICHKI ( Morocco), Assembly Vice President, read out a statement on behalf of the President, saying the meeting was taking place at a time when the world economy was more interconnected and interdependent than ever.  Recent years had witnessed a rising trend in the rebalancing of global power with the increasing economic importance of emerging market economies.  Yet, existing global governance structures did not reflect those changes as they had been shaped more than 60 years ago and were now out of date.  For example, the number of developing economies was not adequately reflected in decision-making structures, he pointed out.  People, ideas, money and resources had reached unprecedented numbers and their scope went far beyond the expectations of 1945.

While the Bretton Woods Institutions had taken steps towards redressing those imbalances, much more remained to be done, he continued.  Global economic governance still suffered from shortcomings in legitimacy, efficiency and coherence.  International policy coordination on global issues needed to be strengthened by means of enhanced frameworks, or it would not be possible to tackle global challenges.  The current formal multilateral frameworks had not been effective in addressing challenges such as rising food prices, climate change and others, he said, adding that other challenges, including multilateral trade, migration, sovereign debt and others, also still loomed.

“The United Nations remains the only truly universal and inclusive multilateral forum,” he said, stressing that its legitimacy brought incomparable value to negotiations.  Yet there had been a noticeable marginalization of the world body in some areas of international economic governance, he noted, underlining the utmost importance of strengthening the Organization’s role in global economic governance.  Proposals in that regard called for new structures, such as a coordination body within the United Nations, or the strengthening of existing bodies such as the Economic and Social Council.  Representativeness and inclusiveness should be paramount as Member States considered those proposals, he said.

The performance of United Nations bodies should be reviewed and reformed when needed, he continued.  Meanwhile, informal groups such as the G-20, the G-8 and the Global Governance Group (3G) should also strive to collaborate among themselves and with the United Nations, as they dealt with issues that were relevant to all people.  There was a critical need to ensure a greater “voice” and participation by developing countries in the major global economic governance structures, he said.  That was imperative if they were to respond effectively to the challenges of the day.  Indeed, today’s discussion could help the international community move towards a common ground from which meaningful economic reform could be undertaken, he added.

IOANNIS VRAILAS, Deputy Head of the European Union delegation, noted that the representativeness of many institutions of the international system, and thus their perceived legitimacy, had repeatedly been questioned.  Strengthening and modernizing the United Nations remained at the centre of attention, and that included reform to reflect changes in the world since 1945 and also to better reflect the financial share of the emerging economies in terms of their support for development efforts.  He agreed that global economic governance was essential to achieving the purposes of the United Nations, and that ways should be identified to enhance the world body’s central role in realizing its broad development agenda.  Hopefully, the Organization would deliver aid more effectively, helped by adherence to the “Delivering as One” approach.

He said the roles of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in global economic governance had been strengthened, with direct support from the European Union.  Reforming voice and representation had enhanced their legitimacy and their resources had been increased to cope with current and future crises, he said, adding that their instruments and strategic priorities had been adapted to the changed global economic situation.  The global economic and financial crises had demonstrated the need for multilateralism, he said, emphasizing that the United Nations was clearly the most universal global forum, benefiting from the support of other international institutions and forums.  There was a need for greater coherence and cooperation, as well as better use of the comparative advantages of existing forums, to increase the Organization’s effectiveness, he said, pointing out that the G-20 had become Member States’ primary forum for international economic cooperation.  Welcoming the call for consistent engagement between the G-20 and the United Nations, he emphasized that striking the right balance between legitimacy and effectiveness was the key issue of global economic governance.

PAUL SEGER ( Switzerland) said that the United Nations system’s role in global economic governance, while central, had not lived up to all expectations.  Indeed, the Organization could play a key role by focusing on its core mandate.  Cooperation within the United Nations system must be enhanced and duplication of efforts avoided.  Reforms currently underway to improve the world body’s management and its system-wide coherence, among other things, would make a significant contribution to a more efficient division of labour and allocation of resources.

Those reforms must be intensified, he continued, stressing that improving the effectiveness of the Economic and Social Council was crucial.  Additionally, the Chief Executive Board of Coordination filled a critical gap, but had yet to reach its full potential in relation to global economic governance.  United Nations cooperation with international and regional organizations, in particular the G-20, must also be improved and enhanced, he said, noting that the latter was influencing priorities and defining the mandates of international organizations in an “unprecedented way”.

He went on to underline that those mandates must be more transparent and explicitly approved by respective governance bodies.  The United Nations should accept recent outreach efforts by the G-20 and propose areas in which enhanced coordination and collaboration would be possible.  “Global governance is about how best to address global challenges,” he said.  “It is not an abstract notion, but a term which is linked to specific problem areas that affect all our lives.”  An action-oriented work plan, structured according to global priorities, could help to organize discussions, and there was no better forum than the General Assembly to continue and deepen those discussions, he said.

KOK LI PENG ( Singapore), speaking on behalf of the Global Governance Group, said the Group had consistently highlighted the need for G-20 deliberations to be more inclusive if they were to translate into effective actions on a global scale.  Multilateral standard-setting initiatives that impacted directly on non-G-20 members needed to be inclusive and transparent, and to work alongside the United Nations.  The Global Governance Group had advocated greater cooperation between the G-20 and the United Nations system, as well as the practice of “variable geometry” to allow participation of non-G-20 stakeholders, she said, adding that while the G-20 had made important contributions to global economic governance, the United Nations system must remain the cornerstone.

Going on to speak in her national capacity, she said global leadership was being contested as more countries developed the capabilities and the influence to rival the traditional capitals of power.  States needed to collaborate with one another if real solutions to problems were to be found.  Describing the G-20 as a speedy response to the 2008 financial crisis, she noted, however, that it lacked the world body’s legitimacy and could not substitute its role or function.  On the other hand, the United Nations should strengthen its relationship with the G-20, she said, pointing out that countries were no longer looking to the Organization for leadership, vision and collective will because it housed a polarized membership in which “politics and national priorities trump partnership and the pursuit of the common good”.  Strengthening the United Nations system was necessary to ensure that it remained central to global governance, she said.  Its working methods needed improvement and there was a need to install a culture of accountability and innovation, replacing obsolete methods of doing business.  That could only take place with modernization, she said, stressing that the world body should not hesitate to use the political will and legitimacy it embodied.

LUIS ALFONSO DE ALBA ( Mexico) said it was essential to strengthen the Economic and Social Council in order to respond better to the negative impacts of the global economic crisis and promote the crucial development agenda.  Mexico was committed to joining efforts towards a just and inclusive world economic system, and was participating in a large number of regional economic initiatives and groupings, he said, adding that his country was working with the G-20 in promoting the necessary reform of the international economic and financial system.

As host and president of the seventh Summit of Leaders, slated for 2012, Mexico was committed to taking the voices of non-members, as well as those of other world leaders and civil society, into account, he said.  The Mexican Presidency of the G-20 would open a broad-based dialogue to provide greater legitimacy, effectiveness and transparency to the Group’s dealings.  High on its agenda would include restoring economic stability, reactivating growth, rejecting protectionist measures, finding ways and means to strengthen multilateral trade, solutions for hunger, the green economy, poverty reduction, and curbing speculation in food prices.  Mexico hoped to make gains through the G-20, while at the same time maintaining its “flexibility and informality”, he said, emphasizing that his country also attached major importance to the connection between economic governance and development.

DMITRY MAKSIMYCHEV ( Russian Federation) said his country had consistently supported the expansion of the United Nations role in global economic governance.  Ensuring a central future role for the world body required rational adaptation to new global realities, and strengthening the Economic and Social Council in support of its charter functions was a key aspect of reforming its socio-economic sector.  In the realm of global partnerships for development, there was a need to establish parameters and guidelines, he said, adding that a strengthened United Nations role would stem from the creation of mechanisms within the Economic and Social Council for ensuring follow-up on financing for development.

United Nations specialized agencies also needed reform, he said, citing the IMF and the World Bank in particular.  There was also a need for further improvement of the interaction between the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council on the one hand and the Bretton Woods institutions on the other so as to improve the monetary and trade systems.  A constructive dialogue was needed with groups like the G-20 and regional associations, which could help build the effective and timely responses needed in both United Nations and non-United Nations formats.  He said he was pleased to note that the G-20 supported regular contacts with the United Nations and civil society.

MARIA CORDEIRO DUNLOP ( Brazil) said the main challenges that the world faced in the twenty-first century required collective action, adding that “no country will be able to single-handedly manage the emerging multifaceted challenges”.  The United Nations remained firmly at the centre of the international system despite the rise of a myriad informal groupings and regional bodies over the last few years.  However, the Organization had increasingly come under pressure to deliver effective results, and in order to preserve its legitimacy — perhaps its most valued asset — it must reflect changing world realities and priorities, she emphasized.

By some measures, developing countries already accounted for close to half the global gross production in terms of purchasing power parity, she continued.  One of the lessons learned in that evolving global context was that in order to address the prevailing crisis, “it is no longer possible to ignore the demands of the developing world”.  Together, developing countries were a driving force in the governance reforms at the IMF and the World Bank, as well as in the Financial Stability Board, she said, adding that while her country supported the 2008 and 2010 agreements on reform of the IMF, additional measures were urgently needed.  Brazil remained committed to expanding the quota share of developing countries in both institutions to at least the level of parity with developed countries, she stressed.

The aim of the United Nations should not be to compete with the international financial institutions, but to engage through effective and productive dialogue, she said.  In that regard, it was crucial to strengthen further the intergovernmental follow-up mechanism to the Financing for Development process.  Establishing a functional commission on financing for development would also go a long way towards addressing the current concerns of developing countries.  As the “ Rio+20” Conference approached, it was also important to consider challenges to the role of the United Nations in global governance of sustainable development.  Moreover, the Conference could become the starting point for a substantive process of reforming the Economic and Social Council with a view to converting it into the central intergovernmental body for sustainable development, she said.

For the United Nations to remain at the centre of global governance, its vital role in the maintaining international peace and security must also be duly reckoned with, in particular the credibility of the Security Council, she said.  Reform of that organ would enhance its representativeness, legitimacy and effectiveness, she emphasized, calling for the expansion of Security Council membership in both permanent and non-permanent categories.  As an elected member in 2010/11, Brazil had had a “challenging experience”, she said, adding that her delegation had sought to highlight its strong commitment, and seriousness, to supporting the United Nations in a balanced, fair and constructive way.  Multilateralism and the United Nations would benefit from an expansion that would make the Council truly reflective of current geopolitical realities, she said.

CHRISTIAN WENAWESER ( Liechtenstein) said the global economy was in constant and urgent need of solutions to a variety of structural and systemic problems, and in that context, Liechtenstein continued to advocate inclusive and transparent multilateralism as a central driving force for successful implementation of global standards and policies, he said.  While the United Nations was at the centre of global decision-making, at times, informal groupings such as the G-20 had proven their ability to take timely and decisive actions on global economic and financial policy, he said.

As a member of the Global Governance Group, Liechtenstein believed that those views were fully compatible and had repeatedly argued to that effect, he continued, recalling that the G-20 had reaffirmed at its recent meeting in Cannes the understanding that it would remain an informal grouping.  With its particular composition, the G-20 could produce decisive inputs and initiatives, and generate political momentum, in particular where discussions at the United Nations or the wider United Nations system were stalled.  However, it should make a more systematic effort to feed its global policy initiatives back into the work of the United Nations, with a view to implementing, and thereby legitimizing, them, he said.

WANG MIN ( China), associating himself with the “Group of 77” and China, said current global economic governance displayed structural flaws, and despite recent changes, still adapted poorly to changed reality.  Developing countries were now expanding their role in global governance, he said, calling for enhanced mutual understanding between developed and developing countries, better fulfilment of commitments by the former and greater assumption of international responsibilities by the latter as their capabilities allowed.

The role of the United Nations in international affairs was “irreplaceable”, he said, calling for international support for the world body’s role in global economic governance.  Specifically, he called for efforts to focus on maintaining the Organization’s centrality and the important role of its agencies in international cooperation for development.  Institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF should reinforce their development functions and implement projects to help developing countries, he said, adding a call for the G-20 to give priority attention to development and to make it a major topic of discussion.

OSAMA ABDELKHALEK MAHMOUD ( Egypt) said he recognized the close link between the renewed attention paid to global governance and the eruption of the world financial crisis, which had revealed the shortcomings of international multilateral decision-making frameworks, and their inability to achieve macroeconomic policy coordination.  However, the idea of global governance went beyond just economic governance to include other dimensions, such as peace and security, human rights and sustainable development, he pointed out.  International decision-making frameworks in those fields were outdated because they had been shaped many years ago, he said, emphasizing that efforts at reform must focus on designing governance architecture more responsive to current and emerging challenges in various fields, and on enhancing real participation by developing countries in international decision-making.

He said the United Nations held a unique position in the multilateral system because of its universal membership and ability to coordinate among international and regional agencies, especially in the trade, monetary and financial fields.  One key area of reform was the Economic and Social Council, which needed a strengthened role as a forum for policy formulation and consensus-building so that it could fulfil its mandate.  Another element that could support the central role of the United Nations was improving inter-agency coordination and cooperation, he said, adding that United Nations reform did not contradict the need for further discussions on proposals for the incorporation of new mechanisms into the Organization, including a financing for development commission as a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council.  He added that the relationship between the United Nations and informal associations, such as the G-20, had become controversial, and although while recognizing their important role in addressing the repercussions of the financial crisis, he underlined the importance of including developing countries in the decision-making process because the impact of the G-20’s decisions would be felt beyond its membership.  Specifically, Egypt supported the inclusion of African countries, which were being further marginalized, he added.

OCTAVIO ERRAZURIZ (Chile), recalling that his delegation had introduced the resolution on global governance during last year’s session, said that the multilateralism promoted and practised by the United Nations allowed all States, large and small, to make their voices heard.  In view of today’s challenges, that inclusive multilateralism was needed now more than ever.  A world in which the United Nations did not play a key governance role would be an unfair world with no collective authority, he stressed.  Last session’s resolution had decided that future texts should focus on particular areas, and this year’s debate was therefore considering global governance and development, a very important area and one which the United Nations was well placed to consider.

The Secretary-General’s report endeavoured to show where there were gaps or shortcomings in governance, he said.  In that vein, it mentioned a “legitimacy deficit” of some groupings or mechanisms, in particular because developing countries were under-represented.  Chile endorsed the report’s observations about the regional dimension of global governance, he said.  One year after Chile’s text had initiated the process of reviewing global economic governance and development, it was clear that gaps existed and that the United Nations was called upon to act.  Chile would work towards a new resolution, he said, adding that it would aim to establish more appropriate parameters for consideration of the item in future sessions.

BARBARA HENDRIE ( United Kingdom) recalled that her country’s Prime Minister had presented a report at the recent G-20 Cannes Summit titled “Governance for Growth”.  It focused on practical proposals for improving the G-20, the institutions with which it worked, such as the Financial Stability Board and the World Trade Organization, as well as the governance of wider global issues.  The report called for strengthened and more systematic engagement between the G-20 and the United Nations, she said, adding that it included a recommendation that the G-20 endorse the proposal by the Global Governance Group’s to regularize the practice of briefings and consultations with the United Nations membership.  The Cannes Summit’s final communiqué had welcomed the report, she said, adding that it agreed with its recommendation that the G-20 should remain an informal grouping that would continue to engage consistently and effectively with the United Nations.

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For information media • not an official record