UN Response to Emergencies (Hansard, 2 April 1996)

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, the United Kingdom was instrumental in the creation of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs to strengthen the co-ordination of humanitarian emergency assistance of the United Nations. The creation of the DHA has led to a number of improvements in the way in which the UN system responds to complex humanitarian emergencies.

§ Lord Rea
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for that Answer, which certainly sounds appropriate. Does she think that the present structures of the United Nations could work better if they were better resourced? Or does she feel that further structural reforms are necessary in order to get an effective early warning system so that the United Nations is ready to prevent crises before they actually erupt?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, I believe that the present structure could be made to work better. It is not simply a question of increased resources. It is actually a question of the better use of existing resources. Further reforms are needed. One of the things the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, based in Geneva, has in good measure is its early warning system. It is now in a position to give good information to other UN agencies and to call upon other UN agencies to deploy their resources in the most effective way. That is not always easily acceptable to other UN agencies because it causes a feeling that someone else knows how to put the job together. But increasingly the United Nations must look at the 136 deployment of its varied resources and find ways of making the maximum use of them, particularly for preventive work.

§ Lord Redesdale
My Lords, as one of the great criticisms of the DHA is that it has been under-resourced, does the Minister really believe that it has adequate resources to carry out its job?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, it is rather difficult to tell at this moment, particularly when we are in the midst of a considerable amount of debate on UN reform. Whereas we have had much more emergency spending over the past five years, that has now bottomed out. That may give the Department of Humanitarian Affairs the chance to deploy its existing resources still better. In my discussions last week with Mr. Akashi, the new Under-Secretary General in charge of the DHA, I made it quite clear that the existing resources could be better deployed. We are in deep discussion about how that should be done.

§ Lord Clark of Kempston
My Lords, although it is important to increase funding if necessary, does my noble friend agree that it would be much better to concentrate on those members of the United Nations who do not pay their subscriptions?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, my noble friend can rest assured that I was in such discussions in Washington and New York just last week.

§ Lord Judd
My Lords, does the Minister agree that undermining the effectiveness of the UN generally has been the major funding crisis? Does she further agree that the stand being made by President Clinton at the moment is to be welcomed and that we should be giving him all possible support in ensuring proper resourcing and proper paying of dues? Does she accept that if the Department of Humanitarian Affairs is to be fully effective it is essential to have strong co-ordination with the authority of the 38th floor and the Secretary General at headquarters and equally strong co-ordination in the field?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, I am not sure that it is just the funding crisis that is undermining confidence in the United Nations. As we covered in a Question in your Lordships' House yesterday, there is the problem of bringing together the different agencies which, in all honesty, are more competitive than they need to be. We have to help the United Nations through this reform process. It is always good for departments, as my own has recently done, to look at their objectives and at how they are fulfilling those objectives. That is very necessary for the United Nations.
There is a need for much better co-ordination, not only between New York and the field, but also between New York and Geneva. There are often quite stupid disputes and a lack of communication despite the vast increase in IT these days. So there is a great deal to be done. I can assure the noble Lord and your Lordships' House that the British Government and my department in particular are working very hard on the matter.

§ Lord Jenkins of Putney
My Lords, can the noble Baroness tell the House whether there is a department 137 which concentrates on inhumanity within member states of the United Nations; for example, Saudi Arabia? That is the country which probably contains the most torture victims; it is part of state policy and includes whipping women and other disgusting activities. Can the noble Baroness say who is looking after that?

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, I do not expect that this House would expect me to agree that the whipping of women was ever justified.

Noble Lords
Hear, hear!

§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey
My Lords, I believe there is a good deal of serious consideration taking place in a number of UN departments about the lack of respect for human rights and the way in which some national governments pursue their endeavours. One thing I do know is this: neither the United Nations nor other governments can impose on a sovereign government rules on how to run the lives of their people; nor should they.