UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is encouraging U.N. member states to quickly approve a new biennium budget, emphasizing the importance of implementing management reforms for the world organization, as he serves his last year in office.
While U.N. member states remain deadlocked on the issue of the budget for the next two years, Annan spoke to reporters Wednesday at an annual year-end briefing both assessing what he called a difficult year and addressing his priorities for the next year.
The secretary-general said he had hoped the budget would be decided on by members by Christmas, however, he acknowledged differences between the United States, the European Union and the Group of 77, actually now a group of some 130 developing nations, plus China, may not make that a reality.
"On the budget, I know there has been some differences between the G-77 and other groups of countries," said Annan adding "They all want to see the United Nations move ahead."
A U.S. State Department official said Tuesday United Nations steps toward management reform have been inadequate. In response, the Washington, which provides 22 percent of the world organization's budget, has stonewalled the two-year $3.6 billion U.N. funding.
John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, echoed U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for a call for "a lasting revolution of reform." He added, "A lasting revolution takes a lot more work than we've accomplished so far."
The United States has requested the United Nations adopt an interim three-month budget to move the organization toward management reform. The secretary-general said operating without an adequate budget would be "very disruptive" and may lead the organization to "have to take some drastic measures."
Most nations agreed, saying it was standard operating procedure from the business world to governments that a full budget be put in place and then, if necessary adjust it through a later, supplementary, budget.
Annan said reforming the world body was among his highest priorities in addition to fighting poverty and disease and addressing peace and security. He said the burden of providing both the budget and reform lies with the member states.
"I have appealed to the member states to maintain the pressure on reform, while maintaining a budget which can go toward ongoing activities while we address reforms," Annan said.
The United Nations made important strides with the adoption of a blueprint for reform at the U.N. 2005 World Summit in September, though few breakthroughs have been actually made, said Annan.
Among the reforms adopted in the summit document is the potential upgrade of the Commission on Human Rights to a human rights council and like the other reforms, movement has been slow.
"I have not given up the prospects of a human rights council. It is slow but I am confident that we will have a council, if not at the end of the year, then early next year," said Annan adding a commitment to human rights was essential to addressing other recurring issues.
"You cannot have development without security and you cannot have security without development," Annan said. "You can have neither without human rights or the rule of law."
He added the members states have a broad agenda of reform before them including remaking the composition of the U.N. Security Council.
"I'm one of those who believes that U.N. reform will never be complete without looking at the Security Council," said Annan. "It should reflect the realities of the world."
Many of the questions directed at Annan addressed the issues surrounding his office, both concerning his eventual successor, who will take office in 2007, and implications from the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal.
Annan said he could offer little advice to his successor, expected to come through a rotation process from Asia, except to be thick-skinned and have a sense of humor.
However, Annan was uncharacteristically, at least in public, stern at Wednesday's session with reporters, accusing one reporter for posing a question in a potentially "libelous" manner and chastising another for behaving as an overgrown schoolboy during repeated questions at daily briefings on the same oil-for-food scandal related topic.
"The year about to end has been a really difficult one," Annan said, "Let us look forward to what we can and must do in the next year and what we have to build on." He said that the year has been both tough on the world in terms of conflict and disasters as well as on himself and the organization.
He asked the media to reflect introspectively on how it dealt with the scandal, saying the media focus was misplaced and missed several important stories.
"We have submitted ourselves to incredible scrutiny and there are few organizations that have put themselves under such scrutiny," Annan said.
He was cautious in predicting what will be on the plate for the United Nations in his tenth and final year as secretary-general, but said "the issue of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction is going to be a major issue for us." Annan also said the Middle East will remain a focus for the organization while a close eye should be kept on Africa, particularly in Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
(With additional reporting by William M. Reilly)
