View from the Think-Tank.

• Author: Maxwell, Simon
• Position: Ways in which global governance can be achieved - Brief Article

IF THE NEED FOR ACTION IS SO EVIDENT,

At the beginning of May 1999, 27 Directors of think-tanks from around the world were invited to spend a day in New York, talking to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his senior colleagues. The ostensible purpose of the meeting was to discuss closer cooperation between the United Nations and the research community, but the discussion ranged more broadly. I cannot speak for the others, of course, but personally I was left with five conclusions, one conundrum and a challenge.

First, global governance is or ought to be the hottest topic in development, as big as any other topic, including the much-talked-about (and undoubtedly important) favourites like poverty or human security. I thought this before I arrived in New York, but the feeling was reinforced by our exchanges-- on Kosovo, capital flows, environmental problems and trade. Any lingering doubts have been banished since reading the latest Human Development Report and the excellent new book, also from the United Nations Development Programme, on global public goods.

Secondly, the United Nations needs to be at the heart of global governance arrangements, but is not. It's all very well the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), or the G-7, putting together packages which solve particular problems, but legitimacy and democratic accountability require wider participation. President Jacques Chirac of France has talked about "globalization with a human face", respecting principles like participation and social inclusion. He's right, and that means building a stronger role for the United Nations.

Thirdly, it's easy to see why the United Nations finds itself bypassed on so many current issues. The constitution, structure, procedures, financing arrangements and sheer practical politics are all at fault. There's no surprise here. Kofi Annan said as much when he first took office. That's what his reform agenda was all about.

Fourthly, and this is where things start to get serious, the pace of change has slackened. Mr. Annan has achieved what the management literature calls the "quick wins"--some tidying up, some budget savings, some good new appointments. However, the bigger changes are slower in coming: reform of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, reining in the specialized agencies, recapturing the Bretton Woods institutions, keying in the World Trade Organization. Has the change coalition run out of steam as the climb...