Euro-Med Movement

Involvement in the UN and the international financial and trade organisations is an important part of the efforts to promote a more just and better organised world. A functioning democracy and political government with strong popular support are key requirements for every country’s development. They are also necessary conditions for responsible, binding interactions between countries. No country can guarantee its own security, peace and stability all by itself. Globalisation makes increasing demands on global mechanisms for negotiation and control.

Malta must work systematically to improve international co-operation so as to create a better organised world. This work must be done globally as well as regionally. There is no contradiction between working for international justice and looking after Maltese interests. As a small country Malta has many interests that coincide with those of other countries: international rules of conduct must be strengthened and developed, conflicts must be prevented in time, the global society must work collectively to help develop the weakest countries, and principles such as democracy, human rights and a good system of government must be accepted as fundamental values throughout the world.

The UN system was established in a period of internationalism. Now the system must be further developed into effective institutions in a globalised world. It is necessary to clarify the UN’s role, tasks and sphere of action in relation to the strong regionalisation of the world society. The Euro-Med Movement wants a strong, dynamic UN with a mandate to and possibility of making binding joint resolutions on fundamental issues that the people of the world can only resolve together. The UN must continue to be a common instrument for peace, security, sustainable development and defence of human rights.

Today there is a big contrast between the under-financed UN system and the enormous wealth that is amassed in the global private sector. The UN system must seek alliances with new players in the global arena, which also includes the private sector and civil society. There are great opportunities in these new partnerships, but there are also major challenges with regard to ways of working, decision-making and government in order to ensure that these new alliances strengthen the UN’s capability of acting and do not undermine the UN’s legitimacy.

It is a problem for the UN that the organisation is completely dependent on the contributions from the member countries, at the same time as many member countries are delinquent in their payments. This weakens the UN’s ability to work effectively, not least when a quick response is required.

A necessary condition for a strong UN is effective problem-solving and debureaucratisation.