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2005 ANNIVERSARIES: FOCUSING ON OPPORTUNITIES

2005 represents the 100^th anniversary of Dag Hammarskjold’s birth and the 60^th anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations. These events are a call for strengthening the efforts towards the full establishment of right human relations and for an unconditioned acceptance of responsibility by all those who are ready for the personal challenge to embody and make brotherhood a living ethics. The solidarity generated by the Tsunami relief efforts has demonstrated how much Goodwill is present within mankind to make the achievement of such goals a reality.

These are hectic days at the United Nations in New York. In the discussions on the UN reform UN civil servants, State and civil society representatives are torn between instances of realpolitik and a clear understanding that living conditions for billions of human beings must be improved without any further delay. Fear of, and hope for, change characterize the current discussions on the reform agenda. A lighter atmosphere can be felt at country level where the UN teams work under the unifying purpose of serving the local community.

While experts are taking care of the technicalities of the reform process, a few considerations may help understand the process and its meaning in order to focus on and support it.

• The UN is a mirror of life and of its duality. As such, it symbolizes a center of purpose, will and unity present in each human being, as well as an instrument for action. In other words, spirit and matter. The UN is not the solution to world challenges, but rather an indication of the existing potential resources for a just, sustainable and peaceful world.
   
• The UN is an organism whose action and effectiveness is conditioned by the attunement of, and right relations between, four main entities: State representatives sitting in the governance bodies such as the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council, NGO representatives, independent experts, and UN civil servants. In other words, UN action is a shared responsibility conditioned by the understanding of, and commitment to, unity.
   
• The current crisis of the UN HQs and the call for strengthened UN Country Representations show that the UN is unity in purpose and not in form. The interplay between HQs and UN Country Teams mirrors the transition from the 6th to the 7th ray energy, or from vertical structures to constellations, symbolizing the increasing emergence of multiple centers of light, hence the realization of the principle enshrined in article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which reads that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”. This is a necessary step toward shared responsibility and group endeavor.
   
• The mentioned rebalancing between UN HQs and UN Country Representation is to be coupled by a rebalancing of powers between the General Assembly, Security Council and Economic and Social Council, to further strengthen the manifestation of collective will through, and coordination of policies for actions by, the General Assembly. The excessive importance and centrality given to the reform of the Security Council is misleading. The focus of the reform must be the UN as a whole and therefore the dynamics among its organs.
   
• Stimulating a stronger sense of respect for the law in people and within relationships is a core purpose of the UN Charter and therefore must be a guiding principle for the reform process. Law as intended by the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration goes beyond being an instrument of coercion: and it is rather an expression and tool of mankind’s creative power. The rule of law is an organizing principle for governance systems, instrumental to both freedom from want and from fear. Potentially, Law represents an instrument by which human beings imagine and organize relations and rhythm within a system/group, hence a vehicle for the manifestation of the Purpose of this group. In other words, an increased appreciation for the Law within mankind will bring about a deeper understanding of individuals and mankind’s unity and closeness to all the higher and lower realms of life and to a shared purpose.
   
• Crucial guidance for the current reform efforts aiming at the betterment of the UN both as an instrument and a symbol of the manifestation of humanity’s soul, is contained in article 1.4 of the UN Charter, which reads that one of the Purposes of the UN is to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of … common ends. This implies that to address the current challenges faced by people throughout the world, the actions of nations must be harmonized first, and to achieve this harmonization we need to build a center of unified and unifying will. The creation of such a center requires the strong determination and unconditional commitment of “focalizers” who embody and help keep focus on the ideal model received through the intuition by mankind and crystallized in the UN Charter and the Resolutions of the General Assembly. This is the responsibility of international civil servants. The message from the UN Charter seems to be that only when article 1.4 has been reasonably achieved will it be possible to achieve also the purposes enshrined in article 1.1 (to maintain peace and security through peaceful means and in full respect of international law), 1.2 (to develop friendly relations among nations), and 1.3 (to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of economic, social, cultural, humanitarian character, and in promoting human rights). This helps identify the right choices and priorities that we are called to make in our daily life, thus answering the daunting question: “what can I do?”.
   

Is all the above too big a challenge? Dag Hammarskjold, throughout his Secretary-Generalship, demonstrated that this is possible. Among the many elements of his legacy, three are relevant here.

At the basis of his ethics there was a decision to take responsibility as an individual to support and lead group endeavors based on just and fair relations. His point of departure was the value and potentials of individuals and the need to choose¹ service to improve human conditions. To support those willing to engage in this personally challenging group endeavor, he developed a clear theory and practice on the role, functions and responsibility of an international civil service². It was under his tenure that the first code of conduct for international civil servants was adopted in 1953 ³. This code, integrated in 2001 ⁴, constitutes very solid and concrete guidance for facing the challenges encountered in service not only for UN civil servants, but for all those who serve locally and internationally.

Central to Dag Hammarskjold’s service and leadership as Secretary-General was the constant advocacy for respect for international law as an indisputable means to achieve equal political rights and economic opportunities for nations small and big and for individuals, hence right human relations as the expression of goodwill.

Finally, Dag Hammarskjold demonstrated that reform processes are not about reshaping the form of things but rather the underpinning relations and dynamics that bring form into reality. Indeed, some of the most important innovations of the organization, such as the creation of the peace-keeping operations and the system of member states’ diplomatic missions at the UN HQs, happened under his leadership.

In 1953, the year he took service as Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjold affirmed that “the public servant is there in order to assist, so to say from the inside, those who take the decisions which frame history. He should – as I see it – listen, analyze and learn to understand fully the forces at work and the interests at stake so that he will be able to give the right advice when the situation calls for it. Do not think that he – in following this line of personal policy – takes but a passive part in the development. It is a most active one. But he is active as an instrument, a catalyst, perhaps an inspirer – he serves.“⁵

Hammarskjold also challenged the UN staff with the following statement: “…Why are the standards and the independence of the Secretariat so important? The more I see of the work in the United Nations the more convinced I feel of this importance. Countries are arming in order to negotiate from a position of strength. The Secretariat too has to negotiate, not only in its own interest, but for the cause of peace and a peaceful development of our world. The weight we carry is not determined by physical force or the number of people who form the constituency. It is based solely on trust in our impartiality, our experience and knowledge, our maturity of judgment. Those qualities are our weapons, in no way secret weapons but as difficult to forge as guns and bombs. The Secretariat has an essential part to play in the world affairs today. We will play it if we accept the price for building up our position of strength. We must reject a role of insignificance subject to constant criticism and shirking the risks of a full part in our world. We must choose a role of responsibility and independence, sacrificing part of the illusory safety you may derive from a locked door….”⁶

1. Secretary-General’s Annual Report on the Work of the Organization, 17 August 1961.

2. Oxford University Lecture, 30 May 1961.

3. Report on Standards of Conduct in the International Civil Service, 1954, International Civil Service Advisory Board.

4. Status, basic rights and duties of United Nations staff members, ST/SGB/2002/13, 1 November 2002

5. Statement to the Press upon arrival at the international airport in New York on 9 April 1953 to assume his functions as Secretary-General.

6. Message for UN Staff Day, 4 December 1953.