Representing Indonesia, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi attended the summit along with world leaders, including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, US President Donald Trump, and British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson.
"The main focus is to make the UN more efficient and less bureaucratic," Minister Marsudi affirmed.
Marsudi said Indonesia and several other countries had conveyed their views on the need for reforms in the UN when a new secretary general was installed.
Several countries focus is on reforming the UN Security Council, while others believe that reforms should also prioritize efficiency.
Many countries have shared a similar view with Indonesia on the need for reforms in the UN, as the organization has been viewed as being too slow and unresponsive in facing global changes.
By addressing efficiency, the UN is expected to swiftly respond to the dynamic global situation, she noted.
Meanwhile, pledging to overhaul the UN bureaucracy to make the world body stronger and more responsive to the people it serves, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday launched a pledge of support for reforms that has the backing of 128 countries.
"Our shared objective is a 21st century UN focused more on people and less on process, more on delivery and less on bureaucracy," the secretary-general was quoted as saying on the website of the UN News Centre.
"To serve the people we support and the people who support us, we must be nimble and effective, flexible and efficient," he stated.
The 10-point Declaration for support for UN reforms aims to simplify procedures and decentralize decisions, with greater transparency, efficiency, and accountability, according to Guterres.
In his speech, Guterres also noted reforms to the UNs development system in order to become more coordinated, focused on the people, and more accountable to better assist countries along the 17 priorities in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The general debate of the UN General Assembly is taking place on Sept 19-29, 2017.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
