UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan succeeded within one year in mobilizing the General Assembly behind the ambitious programme of reform he embarked on as soon as he took office last January. This achievement is a tribute, first and foremost, to Member States, which did not allow individual concerns to override their common recognition that strategic changes were essential to ensure the relevance and vibrancy of the Organization in meeting global challenges. 

The dramatic changes under way are a tribute also to Secretary-General Annan's demonstrated skill in building consensus among contending parties on sensitive political issues. It is this quality, and his ability to articulate a clear political vision, which has led to confidence in the organization soaring so rapidly. 

Secretary-General Annan has entered his second year in office with a clear mandate to continue his reform efforts, and also to address areas in which he himself recognizes more headway needs to be made. The accomplishment of these tasks had been made easier with the creation of the post of Deputy Secretary-General, which will facilitate the drive to strengthen the Organization's work across the board, as well as raise the profile of its development activities. 

While adopting the bulk of proposals put forward by Annan, the General Assembly has asked him now to elaborate further on some of his reform proposals. These include a new concept of trusteeship to be formulated now that all of the UN's original Trust Territories have either become independent or become integrated into existing States; a Millennium Assembly, along with a companion People's Millennium Assembly for civil society; the establishment of a Special Commission, at the Ministerial level, to examine possible changes in the constitutional relationship between the Organization and the autonomous specialized agencies of the UN system; proposals for a revolving credit fund to help strengthen UN finances and a new results-based budgeting system; and the adoption of "sunset" provisions in new mandates that would set time limits for Assembly reviews and possible termination of programmes. 

The Assembly has rightfully earned itself the nickname of the Reform Assembly, but a number crucial decisions remain. Three of the five Working groups set up by the Assembly to consider wider reform issues still have to present their recommendations, including those considering the reform of the Security Council and changes to the scale of assessments that determine dues to the Organization. 
 

Patrizio M. Civili of Italy appointed Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination, Inter-Agency Affairs. This position was established by the General Assembly last December and is part of the Secretary-Generals reform initiatives aimed at strengthening substantive support to the Economic and Social Council and the Assembly in the economic and social field, as well as to the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC). Mr. Civili joined the United Nations in 1969. 

Miles Stoby of Gyana appointed Executive Director of the United Nations International Partnership Trust Fund (UNFIP) which has been established as an autonomous Trust Fund to interface with the United Nations Foundations, Inc., a public charity established by Ted Turner to channel his US$1 billion gift in support of UN causes. UNFIP will coordinate the solicitation, review, analysis, execution, monitoring and reporting of UN projects to be funded by the Foundation. Mr. Stoby joined the United Nations in 1978. 

Visions of Change 

The demand and need for reform began to be articulated nearly a decade ago, when the ending of the cold war fundamentally altered the relations among States, regions and political blocs. But very little organizational reform had in fact taken place, a result primarily of suspicion that change would be driven by the powerful at the expense of some of the Organization's long-standing commitments, particularly to development. No less important was the absence of a vision of change that could be supported by all member States.