June 14, 2003
Canada calls for major reform in the UN.
The
Globe and Mail reports on a call for some major changes.
Canada is calling for a sweeping reform of the United Nations, including the expulsion of members who violate the fundamental principles of the world body.
Canada also wants permanent members of the UN Security Council to refrain from using their veto to block peacemaking or policing operations in a crisis if there is a broad international consensus to proceed.
This is long overdue of course, and just maybe it will finally happen. I don't think that placing limits on the vetoes in the Security Council even begins to go far enough. The whole notion of "great powers" being able to dictate things is offensive and archaic.
One further issue that needs to be addressed is adherence to the UN Declaration of Human Rights. In particular, the part that guarantees women full and equal rights to men. There are quite a few members of the UN that don't even come close to respecting this, and which have laws that specifically restrict womens' rights.
And they still don't call for democratic elections to the UN. The complete lack of democracy there is, I think, the major reason so few people take it seriously. One person, one vote, for the entire world. The time has come. Don't laugh, the world's changing faster than a lot of people think.
