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Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's
Reform Agenda - 1992 to 1996
UN Secretary General
Boutros Boutros Ghali
Picture Credit: OECDUN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali undertook a number of reforms at the beginning of his term in 1992, including reorganizing the Secretariat. Many of his structural reforms were concessions to Washington and to influential conservative think-tanks such as the Heritage Foundation. Boutros-Ghali's reorganization notably eliminated the Center on Transnational Corporations, a pioneering office that most companies disliked but many NGOs admired for its excellent research into Transnational Corporations (TNCs) and its proposals for a TNC "code of conduct." On the more positive side, Boutros Ghali made important reform proposals in two major reports to the General Assembly -- titled "An Agenda for Peace" and "An Agenda for Development." These reports showed the Secretary General's innovative thinking and they continued to influence reforms over the following decade in such areas as peacekeeping. Boutros-Ghali was most radical in his approach to UN finance. In the face of US non-payment of its dues, and near-bankruptcy of the organization, the Secretary General proposed global taxes as a new funding source. But Washington reacted with fierce objections and shortly thereafter vetoed his candidacy for a second term.
Also See GPF's Pages on:
UN Reform Initiatives | Peacekeeping | UN Finance | Transnational Corporations | Global Taxes | The Secretary General
An Agenda for Development (May 6, 1994)
Secretary Boutros Boutros-Ghali describes the nature and scope of UN development efforts and proposes ideas for reform.
Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali emphasizes preventive diplomacy and proposes strengthening UN peacemaking and peacekeeping. The report is considered innovative but short on strategies for implementation. Supplement to an Agenda for Peace (January 3, 1995) A followup report that develops the ideas of the first and proposes further reforms.Globalopolies (May 18, 2004)
Reflections on the UN Center for Transnational Corporations and why it was abolished by Washington appointee Richard Thornburgh in early 1992. (Nation)An Agenda for Peace Ten Years On (February 3, 2002)
This briefing presents an overview of Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali’s Agenda for Peace and its 1995 Supplement. It extensively analyses the contributions these reports made to international arms control and disarmament. (United Nations Association of the United Kingdom)Why Washington Wants Rid of Mr Boutros-Ghali (November 1996)
This article examines Washington’s opposition to UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali’s re-election. US government members labeled the Secretary General “a dangerous subversive” trying to increase the powers of the UN and turn the world body into a supranational state. Boutros-Ghali regarded post-Cold War international relations as an opportunity to strengthen the UN and called for extensive reform of the organization. (Le Monde diplomatique)Why the Right Loves the UN (April 19, 1992)
How a network of US right-wing organizations with backing from Washington worked to impose a conservative agenda on the UN in the wake of the Cold War. (Nation)"Slanted US Agenda Transforms UN" (April 1992)
Details the 1992 reorganizations, showing US pressure and the prescriptions of the Heritage Foundation and other conservative forces in Washington. (In These Times)
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