The 2005 World Summit: An Overview

The major focus of the Summit agenda is to make the world safer by improving collective security arrangements.

The 2005 World Summit, to be held from September 14 to 16 at United Nations Headquarters in New York, is expected to bring together over 170 Heads of State and Government: the largest gathering of world leaders in history. It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take bold decisions in the areas of development, security, human rights and reform of the United Nations. The agenda is based on an achievable set of proposals outlined in March by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his report In Larger Freedom. These have since been reviewed by Governments in a series of informal consultations conducted by General Assembly President Jean Ping, who released on August 5 a third draft outcome document for the Summit. It is anticipated that another draft will be issued in late August.

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Freedom from want

Proposals in the area of development call for breakthroughs in debt relief and trade liberalization, and increases in aid to revitalize infrastructure and improve health and education services, in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including cutting extreme poverty in half by 2015.

Freedom from fear

Another major focus of the Summit agenda is to make the world safer by improving collective security arrangements.

Proposals include initiatives to prevent terrorism and the growth of weapons of mass destruction. Member States are being urged to reach an agreement on a universal definition of terrorism and to sign on to a comprehensive convention against terrorism. A comprehensive convention against nuclear terrorism has already been approved by the General Assembly and will be opened for signature at the World Summit.

Freedom to live in dignity

The three-pronged approach to collective action hinges on the idea that there can be no development without security, no security without development, and neither without the universal application and protection of human rights. The Secretary-General recently announced the creation of an independent and self-financing Democracy Fund to help Governments strengthen their democratic practices and institutions. Another key step calls for the acceptance of a universal principle of the responsibility to protect civilian populations from crimes against humanity when Governments are unwilling or unable to do so.

(Courtesy: UN.org)