Courage to fulfil our responsibilities

UNIDO (UN Industrial Development Organization)

IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)

WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)

IMO (International Maritime Organization)

WMO (World Meteorological Organization)

ITU (International Telecommunication Union)

UPU (Universal Postal Union)

Establishes international regulations for postal services, provides technical assistance and promotes cooperation in postal matters.

Fosters international cooperation to improve telecommunications of all kinds, coordinates usage of radio and TV frequencies, promotes safety measures and conducts research.

Promotes scientific research on the Earth's atmosphere and on climate change and facilitates the global exchange of meteorological data.

Works to improve international shipping procedures, raise standards in marine safety and reduce marine pollution by ships.

Promotes international protection of intellectual property and fosters cooperation on copyrights, trademarks, industrial designs and patents.

Mobilizes financial resources to raise food production and nutrition levels among the poor in developing countries.

Promotes the industrial advancement of developing countries through technical assistance, advisory services and training.

(by Secretary General Kofi Annan, the Economist December 4^th, 2004)

At the beginning of the 21^st century, we face a world of extraordinary interconnectedness. We are all vulnerable to new security threats, and to old threats that are evolving in complex and unpredictable ways. Either we allow this array of threats, and our responses to them, to divide us, or we come together to take effective action to meet all of them on the basis of a shared commitment to collective security.

Late last year, convinced that the time had come for a fundamental review of our collective security system, I established a High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change. I asked its 16 members – eminent people, representing many nations and points of view – to analyze the threats to peace and security our world faces; to evaluate how well our existing policies and institutions are meeting them; and to recommend changes to those policies and institutions, so as to ensure an effective collective response to those threats.

Their report, "A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility" which I received this week follows a year of consultations around the world. It makes 101 far-sighted but realistic recommendations. If acted on, they would address the security concerns of all states, ensure that the UN works better, strengthen the international rule of law and make all people safer.

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