UN needs to reform 'current organizational structure'

ANKARA

The United Nations needs to reform its “current organizational structure” for the sake of resolving world issues, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Saturday.

The UN “will not be able to deliver on any pressing issues as long as its current organizational structure remains the same,” Kalin, a top aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wrote in his column titled "UN and Global Disorder" for Turkey's Daily Sabah newspaper.

He said the UN’s lack of “common global agenda” is one of the challenges since its foundation, although there are some who strive for “real change for the good of our global village”.

The problem is in the structure of current Security Council, Kalin said, recalling Erdogan’s famous quote “World is bigger than five”.

“The UN system must be reformed and restructured if the UN is to have any meaning and relevance in the 21st century.”

Recalling the theme of this year's General Assembly "Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet”, the presidential aide said the international community had failed to provide a “decent life for all”.

“The reality is crony capitalism,” Kalin said.

He also said the UN’s decision-making mechanisms had become “paralyzed”.

“Just like in Syria before and Myanmar now, the UN has no power whatsoever to prevent conflicts, ethnic cleansings, war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he said.

Kalin also recalled the global efforts of President Erdogan to raise a voice against violence on the Rohingya people.

Since Aug. 25, around 400,000 Rohingya have crossed from Myanmar's western state of Rakhine into Bangladesh, according to the UN.

The refugees are fleeing a fresh security operation in which security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages. According to the Bangladesh government, around 3,000 Rohingya have been killed in the crackdown.

Turkey is the first country to send aid to Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state since the recent violence began.

The permission for aid from Myanmar came hours after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s telephone call with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi on the recent violations of human rights in Rakhine.

Despite the “conundrum” by structural obstacles in the UN, Kalin said: “Like-minded countries with a similar agenda, wisdom and conscience can still do a lot of good for the poor, the weak and the oppressed of the world.

“All they need is to join forces, work on a common agenda and have courage and determination to deliver justice, equality and respect.”

*Reporting by Yildiz Nevin Gundogmus; Writing by Cansu Dikme