MANDATE REVIEW

Overview

During the historic U.N. summit in September 2005, world leaders asked Secretary General Kofi Annan to conduct a review of all mandates older than five years. A mandate is simply a direction for action from a principal organ of the U.N. (such as the General Assembly, the Security Council, or the Economic and Social Council) to the U.N. Secretariat or a specific U.N. agency.

Over the years, some of these mandates have become repetitive or have outlived their usefulness. Annan’s report – “Mandating and Delivering’ – released in March 2006, reviews the mandates and includes an analysis and recommendations for moving forward. The document analyzes burdensome reporting requirements at the U.N., overlap between and within organs, and the gap between mandates and resources.

The report provides member states a unique opportunity to determine priorities, consolidate mandates and strengthen the United Nations.

U.S. Position

The Bush Administration and the U.S. Congress have routinely criticized waste and programmatic overlap at the U.N.; Annan’s report highlights solutions to many of the issues raised by the U.S. The report was immediately embraced by Ambassador Bolton.

Citizens for Global Solutions Position

Citizens for Global Solutions strongly supports the secretary-general’s efforts to strengthen the United Nations and make it a more effective institution. The mandate review process should be transparent and will help member states determine concrete goals for United Nations. 
 

Updated May 10, 2006