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Secretary General Annan's Message to the Vigil '97 The Secretary General's
To be delivered at the New York Vigil by Ms. Gillian Sorensen,
Message to the Second World-wide Vigil for the United Nations
Assistant Secretary General for External Relations
New York, 23 October 1997I am pleased to convey a message to this Second Worldwide Vigil for the United Nations and thrilled to know that people in cities around the world have gathered to show their solidarity with the United Nations and its indispensable work for peace, development and human rights.
At the same time, I am convinced that there should be no need for such an event; no need for the United Nations to exist in a perpetual state of financial instability; no need for an Organization that seeks to fulfill the highest aspirations of humankind to be thwarted not by enemies but by the very States who created it, endowed it with an enduring, universal vision and pledged their steadfast support.
The facts are as follows: As of 21 October, Member States owed the United Nations $2.3 billion. This number represents their unpaid assessments to the regular budget, to the peacekeeping budget and to the international criminal tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. One State accounts for 61 per cent of this total. But 91 others -- nearly half the membership -- have also failed to pay their contributions in full. This problem has not gone away. It may be getting worse.
It is a terrible irony that the United Nations is highly dependent on the level of peacekeeping activity, and the forbearance of troop and equipment providers -- to whom we will owe $900 million by year's end -- for our financial liquidity and stability. This is a precarious perch. It is not a good place to be.
As we dwell on this stark reality, the generosity of individual supporters of the United Nations such as youselves is what sustains us. One individual, Mr. Ted Turner, stands out in his generosity. Through this extraordinary act of philanthropy, he underscored the reality that the United Nations is also an investment -- an investment in our common future. An investment that pays dividends, in the broadest sense, many times over.
The reform effort currently being debated by the Member States aims to ensure that that investment keeps on paying, that the United Nations can do even more, even better. But the reform plan does not alleviate the current, perilous situation.
And Ted Turner's contribution, like that of so many individuals around the world, in no way substitutes for the responsibility of Member States to meet this fundamental obligation.
Assessments are based on a formula that was negotiated and agreed upon by all parties. Nonpayment thus raises a very basic question: Do Member States want the United Nations to succeed? If the answer is yes, they must provide the resources needed to meet the challenges they put before the United Nations.
United Nations Day is a day of celebrations. In that spirit I would like to thank the sponsoring organizations of this event: the World Federation of United Nations Associations, the Global Policy Forum, the World Federalist Movement, the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Status with ECOSOC, the Tribal Link Foundation, Economists Allied for Arms Reduction and the DPI/NGO Executive Committee.
In recent years, United Nations Day has also become a day to dwell on the financial crisis, and to try and arrest the crisis of confidence that afflicts our Organization. On this second world-wide vigil, let us wish this effort out of existence so that we may devote all our energies to the true work of the United Nations -- assuring a world where peace, justice, development, democracy, human rights, health, hope and opportunity prevail.
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