Returning to the United Nations: Then and Now.

After a lapse of nearly 15 years, I have returned to New York once again to represent my country at the United Nations. During the interim, I served my Government in other diplomatic assignments and as Minister for Trade, Industry, Power and Tourism in the Bhutanese Cabinet for about a decade.

A sea change had occurred. With the glaring disappearance of the other superpower-the Soviet Union-the politics of cold war in its previous manifestation no longer prevailed. Though I welcomed the end of this phenomenon, I somehow missed the earlier situation with its peculiar absurdity and bipolar rationale. At that time, the functioning of most States, and especially of the small ones in the international community, seemed somehow easier and more clear-cut. The role of the Non-Aligned Movement, of which Bhutan has been a member since 1973 and which still to a large extent is the forum for 114 countries to hammer out their positions on diverse international issues, looked markedly less important. As one Permanent Representative commented to me while campaigning for a seat in a United Nations body: "Now each delegation has to fend for itself. Each to his own." The collapse of the Soviet Union also resulted in a large number of States seeking and becoming members of the United Nations. The substantial prolife ration of membership also meant that each delegation had to deal with a larger number of other sovereign entities. This task becomes quite confounding when campaigning for seats and attending national days and other receptions-not forgetting the increased congestion of the General Assembly Hall!

Though individuals make the major difference, as is definitely the case with Mr. Kofi Annan, the role of the Secretary-General in a unipolar (or is it multipolar?) world has become much more significant and taxing on his time and energy. In this context, the appointment of a Deputy Secretary-General was the right move, though the role of this position is yet to fully crystallize. The person occupying this position should be a true deputy by giving the Secretary-General more time to deal with urgent and critical issues facing the Organization. In this way, the Secretary-General would have more time to handle the day-to-day containment of security questions and deal directly with world leaders and heads of international organizations.

Again, when we talk about value, we should not only mean reducing expenses or containing the United Nations budget, but making the workings of the Organization, as well as the recruitment and retention of its staff, more equitable and more transparent to Member States. There are definitely serious problems in these contexts, and one can observe attempts to downplay and sweep things under the carpet rather than pursue the path to genume solutions. This situation needs to be rectified as the role of the United Nations in world affairs grows ever larger, and the Organization becomes increasingly complex.

But I guess it takes time for a new situation to evolve, and we should allow such a period of transition to occur before reviewing the outcome of our actions. While most everybody, or at least the more vocal amongst them, feels that too much time is being wasted on crying out for reforms in the United Nations, it is my observation that a lot of genuine, and I mean objectively genuine, reforms still need to be brought about in the UN system. While expenditures are liable to increase, and activities to proliferate in keeping with the wishes of Member States, members should get value for their inputs.

On the other hand, the United Nations has been a great success in maintaining dialogue, peace and security in the world. One has only to envision the international situation after the Second World War without the United Nations to recognize the importance of this body. Its achievements in decolonization, international law, and social, political and economic issues have been extraordinary to say the least. These accomplishments become more glaring if one cares to delve into these matters and make comparisons with past human achievements in this arena. I can also see the United Nations taking on more important responsibilities in the interests of humanity and justice. The Organization will undoubtedly consolidate its position increasingly in the next couple of decades and become the inescapable forum for the Governments of the world. It will be a place where the interests and well-being of all peoples can be safeguarded with justice, dignity and equity. This is so, because mankind needs the United Nations for a peaceful world order.