The United Nations must undertake the most sweeping overhaul in its 60-year history to strengthen collective security, lay down a truly global strategy for development, promote human rights and democracy, and ensure that all of these commitments are translated into action, Secretary-General Kofi Annan argues in the current issue of Foreign Affairs.

Addressing an Asian-African summit in Indonesia as it marked the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark Bandung declaration, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged leaders from the two continents “to be as innovative and as visionary as your forebears were” by supporting his agenda for UN reform.

Setting his sights on the United Nations summit in September to review progress on socio-economic development goals, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged Member States to negotiate his reform proposals on the "three great purposes" of the world body in a spirit of give and take and to increase development aid to a long-held UN target.

The General Assembly today set the stage for a summit-level commemoration of the United Nations sixtieth anniversary in September, when world leaders will take decisive action on achieving important goals for development, security and human rights.