UN Reform developments, 2005
last revised: 12 August 2005
The subject of UN reform has been discussed for years, but it has received heightened attention since December 2004 with the release of a UN High Level Panel report. Reform topics include expansion and/or other changes to the Security Council, and a re-engineering of the UN's human rights bodies, in particular the UN Commission on Human Rights (parent body of the Sub-Commission). There has been very little mention of the Sub-Commission in any of the subsequent reports or statements, but it is presumed that elimination of the Sub-Commission is being considered.
Here are links to the NGO and other reports, draft documents and statements that have been released since March 2005.
Joint NGO statement on UN reform and the Sub-Commission [with NGO sponsors as of 12 Aug 2005 added]
Consensus Statement of the Sub-Commission, on the role of an expert body in UN reform activities , adopted without a vote, 11 August 2005
Latest revised draft outcome document of the General Assembly (5 August 2005), to be considered by the UN General Assembly in September 2005
Secretary General's Report, March 2005 (In Larger Freedom) (PDF)
Addendum 1 to Secretary General's Report, March 2005 (on the concept of a new Human Rights Council) (PDF)
Plan of Action of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, May 2005 (PDF)
Prior Draft Outcome Document (of July 22, 2005) (PDF)
UN Press Release, releasing the first draft Outcome Document, June 04, 2005 (PDF)
American Interests and UN Reform, Report of the Task Force on the United Nations, June 2005 (bipartisan task force, United States Institute of Peace)
Statement of Amnesty International, 24 June 2005
Statement of Human Rights Watch, June 6, 2005
Report of the International Commission of Jurists, 28 June 2005
Statement of Global Rights, June 24, 2005
Joint Statement of 14 NGOs to the Commission on Human Rights, April 12, 2005 (PDF)
Report of the informal interactive hearings of the General Assembly with NGOs in New York, June 23-24, 2005 (this is the site of the UN NGO Liaison Service; it includes comments filed by many NGOs on the Secretary General's report for these hearings)