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Funding crisis reflects crisis in confidence, says Secretary-General

The United Nations faces an "uncertain and precarious" future unless member states start to put their money where their mouth is, UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali told an audience at the Ottawa Congress Centre on November 22.

Member states are demanding more and more of the UN, yet are not providing it with sufficient funds to get the job done, said the Secretary-General, whose speech was made in the context of the UN/50 World Leaders Lecture Series. Speaking on friendly soil, in a country that prides itself in paying its UN dues in full and on time, the Secretary-General lamented the fact that more than half of all member states have not paid their dues in full. Total unpaid assessments are approaching nearly $3 billion. It is unacceptable, he said, that he feels obliged to congratulate member states which pay up in full and on time.

The current funding crisis reflects a crisis in confidence both in the UN and in multilateralism, he said. In this environment, support for the UN from countries like Canada is critical. "I am aware," he said, "that Canadians are perhaps foremost in all the world in their support for the United Nations." The approximately 1,200 people in attendance were praised by the Secretary-General as being "a highly knowledgeable audience - an audience that knows that the United Nations is not a sinister world government."

The Secretary-General also praised the important and activist role Canada has played in the UN over the last 50 years. He noted that the very first UN peace-keeping mission was a Canadian initiative, and that Canada continues to serve peace through its peace-keepers and through initiatives such the recent Canadian study on a UN rapid reaction force. He also mentioned Canada's role in the elaboration of An Agenda for Development and in efforts to strengthen the UN Economic and Social Council.

Such support is especially important as more problems become global and transnational. "In the new world order that is taking shape," he said, "everyone must understand the indispensable role of the United Nations." The world needs a strong UN, he argued, one that is not only able to prevent and resolve international conflicts, but also one that is able to confront emerging ethnic, religious, or cultural conflicts within states. The UN must be capable of dealing with new challenges, such as global epidemics, drug trafficking, and transnational crime. And it must maintain its efforts to protect the environment, promote sustainable development, and ensure the progress of international law and the respect for human rights around the world.

The Secretary-General's speech was the third in the World Leaders Lecture Series, a UN/50 project designed to give prominent national and international personalities an opportunity to present their vision of the UN's next 50 years. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien gave the inaugural World Leaders Lecture at the official Canadian UN/50 launch in October 1994. British parliamentarian Lord Frank Judd, a key member of the Commission on Global Governance, followed with an address to the First Canadian Conference on UN Reform, which took place in Montreal in March 1995.

The speech was made during Boutros-Ghali's first official visit to Canada. During three days, the Secretary-General met with Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, as well as with Foreign Minister André Ouellet and Defence Minister David Collenette. He also attended a successful fund-raising dinner for the United Nations Association in Canada, and received an honourary Doctor of Laws Degree from Carleton University.