“An indispensable organization” is how Allan Rock, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, characterized the UN.
At a full Innis Town Hall last Tuesday, Rock held a lecture on “Reforming the United Nations: Canada’s Objectives for Change.” The event was organized by the United Nations Association in Canada – Toronto Region (UNACTO).
During the lecture, Rock made his case for the strengths and weaknesses of the international organization. He began by identifying the achievements of various UN organizations: UNICEF, for instance, provides immunizations against disease for children around the world, and UN Peacekeepers operate in 17 different conflict areas.
Despite these strengths, Rock believes that reform is necessary.
“The Security Council is unrepresentative,” he said, “dominated by the five permanent members” who are mostly developed countries, and are the only ones able to veto resolutions. Rock explained that “the entire United Nations is driven by a North-South divide” in which the global South is apprehensive about the North’s commitment to their causes. “Who can blame them for their mistrust?” Rock asked.
While the UN has been active in addressing the effects of natural disasters, such as the recent tsunami disaster, it has fallen behind in its responsibility to address human-made disasters. This, said Rock, undermines the entire institution.
One of the largest challenges for the UN has been, and will continue to be, its response to civil conflicts. Rock explains that this deficiency can be traced back to the UN’s creation.
The UN was established around the principle of state sovereignty and was more concerned with conflicts between states than within states. This has made it difficult for the UN to intervene in internal conflicts in Rwanda and Somalia, for example.
Rock said that the UN should focus less on the concepts of sovereignty and the right to intervene and more on a “responsibility to protect”. This responsibility implies that it is the duty of the state to protect its citizens. When the state is unwilling or unable to do this, the responsibility is passed on to the international community. This principle would give the UN greater capacity to act in situations of mass killing or genocide.
There are challenges to this plan, Rock acknowledged. The level of interest in participation among member countries may be inconsistent. Rock describes the likely enthusiasts as “Northern white people,” such as the Scandinavian countries. Furthermore, he says, “like any human organization, [the UN] is capable of corruption” and can be very bureaucratic, he added.
Still, Rock remained optimistic that the UN could be reformed, and that Canada can lead the way. “I believe we can transform the United Nations” he concluded, “and in doing so, make the world a better, safer and fairer place.”
