By Daisy Ayliffe - 14th September 2005
UN chief Kofi Annan has not disguised his disappointment at watered down commitments on the table at the world summit in New York.
“We didn't get everything we wanted,” he declared when the UN General Assembly approved a draft blueprint on Tuesday.
“The big item missing is non-proliferation and disarmament (and) this is a real disgrace.”
Annan had high hopes for the world summit on the 60th anniversary of the UN, he was looking forward to sweeping internal reforms and a radical blueprint on global poverty.
“There were governments that were not willing to make the concessions necessary. There were spoilers also in the group; let's be quite honest about that,” he explained on Wednesday.
The compromise document failed to give Annan the authority to move jobs and make management changes that the EU and others sought.
The EU had also tried to push wealthier UN nations to commit to spending more on aid to developing nations.
Calling for closer adherence with the UN ‘Millennium Development Goals’ - 0.7 per cent of GNI on aid - Europe awaited an ambitious declaration on world poverty.
“The 2005 UN world summit is a unique opportunity to show Europe’s determination to keep our promises to the developing world and to bring others with us,” President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso declared ahead of the summit.
But the eventual proposals on aid were criticized by many countries for being too diluted.
Developed countries that have not already met targets for overseas development assistance were advised to “establish timetables by no later than 2015”.
Oxfam's Nicola Reindorp said, “There is very little to celebrate in the latest U.N. Summit outcome document. We wanted a bold agenda to tackle poverty but instead we have a brochure showcasing past commitments..
“Leaders will arrive to find that Cuba, Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Syria, the United States and Venezuela have held the summit hostage," she added.
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