Consensus built, 'in part through compromise.' (UN) (includes related articles on reforms adopted by the General Assembly, General Assembly working groups and the background of the UN reform initiative).

After months of intensive review and negotiation, the General Assembly in November and December endorsed a number of actions proposed by the Secretary-General to reform the Organization. Mr. Annan's initiatives, which are within his purview as the United Nations chief administrative officer, aim to enable the Organization to better carry out its mandates in an increasingly complex and cost-conscious world. These range from a cabinet-style decision-making structure for the Secretariat to new measures to fight crime, drugs and terrorism, and to strengthen the protection of human rights and its development work.

"Together, we have taken major strides to initiate the process of revitalization that we all agree is necessary if the United Nations is to thrive in the twenty-first century", Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Assembly on 22 December, as it suspended its work. "Together, we are making this the 'reform Assembly'", he stated.

The broad discussions on the reform proposals demonstrated a notable convergence in the aspirations and intentions of Member States to prepare the Organization to face new realities and challenges, said General Assembly President Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine at the same meeting.

A major outcome of the "reform Assembly" was the establishment of the post of the Deputy Secretary-General as an integral part of the Office of the Secretary-General. The Deputy will be appointed by the Secretary-General, with a term of office not exceeding his own, and will assist the Secretary-General in managing the operations of the Secretariat, ensuring coherence of activities and programmes, and elevating the profile and leadership of the United Nations in the economic and social spheres.

Two consensus resolutions, adopted by the Assembly on 12 November and 19 December, contained a wide range of reform actions which, in the words of the Secretary-General, "will create a United Nations that has a leaner and more cost-effective structure, a budget that is more committed to solvency and development priorities, and a management that is better coordinated and accountable".

The suspension of the fifty-second session followed the adoption by the Assembly of the scale of assessments for 1998-2000, which maintained the ceiling rate of 25 per cent, but lowered the floor rate to 0.001 per cent. The Assembly also appropriated $2.532 billion for the 1998-1999 budget, which incorporated elements of the Secretary-General's proposals.

Following the presentation of his reform package to the General Assembly in July, the Secretary-General took every opportunity to explain his plan to Member States and major groups, including the European Union, the Group of 77 and the Non-Aligned Movement, all of which had expressed reservations on different points. Assembly President Hennadiy Udovenko, speaking after the 12 November vote, referred to the differences that had to be overcome before this part of the reform package received the delegates' support.

In its resolution, the Assembly commended the Secretary-General's reform initiatives and called on him to implement them, keeping in mind the many views and concerns expressed by Member States in the first two months of the Assembly's debate. Many States emphasized that reform must be undertaken with the view of strengthening the Organization and its role, rather than seeing it as merely a cost-cutting exercise. The 12 November resolution opens the way for the Assembly's consideration of the broader recommendations for reform from the Secretary-General and the Assembly's Working Groups.

The reform process highlights the determination of the United Nations and its constituents to rethink a broad range of questions about the Organization. "The United Nations has not only to grapple with systemic problems", explained the fifty-first General Assembly President, Razali Ismail, who was responsible for much of the progress by the Working Groups during the last session. "It also has to overcome the greater difficulty of defining its role and functions against critical and often unfair examination, against a backdrop of swirling global events and rapidly emerging challenges."

The Secretary-General initiated wide-ranging measures to streamline the Secretariat on 17 March when he established reform mechanisms that, in addition to taking immediate action, would provide him with recommendations for strategic, structural changes.

In addition to proposing a cut of 10 per cent in staffing, aggressively reducing administrative costs and proposing a zero-growth budget, the Secretary-General consolidated the three departments involved in economic and social development into one entity, and undertook other departmental restructuring designed to facilitate better coordination and eliminate duplication of the work in the Secretariat.

The Secretary-General also outlined the framework for longer-term reforms, grouping together some 30 UN entities into four thematic areas: peace and security; economic and social; development operations; and humanitarian affairs. Four Executive Committees, comprising the heads of the departments, funds and programmes working in these four areas, have been meeting regularly in order to provide a stronger and more unified direction to their respective work programmes.

The Executive Coordinator for UN Reform, Maurice F. Strong, has been chairing a Steering Committee of senior officials that monitors and coordinates the reform process in the Secretariat. The Secretary-General also established a cabinet-style Senior Management Group, under his personal chairmanship, composed of top Secretariat officials and other senior managers.

A new Management Reform Group within the Department of Management, under the chairmanship of UnderSecretary-General Joseph Connor, has been focusing on management reform measures throughout the Secretariat, which aim to bring more coherence and efficiency to its work. Its efforts have been complemented by corresponding groups in many of the United Nations funds and programmes.

Reforming the Security Council

As its recommendations will likely require changes in the UN Charter, this Open-ended (meaning open to all Member States) Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council has been grappling with...