World's parliamentarians can help with UN reform, Annan says

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today told a meeting in New York of members of parliaments around the world that they must play their part in reform of the United Nations.

Mr. Annan, speaking at the annual UN hearing of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), said delegates are ideally placed in their home countries to shape the debate about world reform.

"Your efforts to place, and keep, the seemingly distant issue of reform of international institutions high on the political agenda at home will, I am sure, make a real difference," he said.

Member States, Mr. Annan said, need to show they can advance the global interest when they debate what should be done to improve the performance of the UN and other international organizations.

The Secretary-General has already announced he will be appointing an eminent panel to explore issues surrounding UN reform, and then make recommendations for change to the General Assembly next year.

Mr. Annan said the UN's inter-governmental structures reflect an earlier age, but said consensus has not yet been reached - on matters such as on the size of the Security Council - on how to make the necessary reforms.

Video of the Parliamentary Hearing