What do colleagues think of the work of the Organization?
| 2005 | 1995 | 2005 - 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | 47.67 | 24.40 | 23.27 |
| Do not know | 28.25 | 39.80 | -11.55 |
| No impact | 14.81 | 22.70 | -7.89 |
| Negative | 9.27 | 13.10 | -3.83 |
The first question is related to the current reform of the Organization. The answers are impressive, with almost half the respondents saying it is positive, up from only 25% ten years ago—a sign of confidence in what is currently happening. Another point worth noting is that colleagues are much more aware of what’s going on than a decade ago. And they are much less pessimistic, with fewer than 10% thinking that the current reform will have a negative impact and 15% that it will have no impact.
| 2005 | 1995 | 2005 - 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universality | 39.13 | 43.37 | -4.24 |
| Its staff | 16.79 | 14.34 | 2.45 |
| Democracy in international relations | 15.29 | 16.16 | -0.87 |
| Impartiality | 13.67 | 12.32 | 1.35 |
| Means and resources | 9.82 | 8.01 | 1.81 |
| Efficiency | 2.69 | 1.95 | 0.74 |
| Other | 2.61 | 3.84 | -1.23 |
The strong points of the United Nations are the same as ten years ago, with universality coming out on top, followed by its staff, the democratic forum it offers and its impartiality. There is slightly more emphasis on staff and impartiality.
| 2005 | 1995 | |
|---|---|---|
| Bureaucracy | 32.11 | 34.44 |
| Control of the Organization by powerful States | 19.90 | 16.72 |
| Self-interest of Member States | 10.55 | 12.72 |
| Lack of accountability | 10.51 | - |
| Lack of political will of Member States | 9.05 | 11.44 |
| Lack of integrity | 6.07 | - |
| Lack of resources | 5.49 | 8.00 |
| Corruption | 4.72 | - |
| Other | 1.60 | 3.13 |
| Indecision | - | 8.55 |
| Rigidity | - | 5.00 |
In terms of the Organization’s weaknesses, it is difficult to compare the two surveys because the criteria are different. But bureaucracy is still on top, followed by control of the Organization by powerful States and the self-interest of Member States. Lack of accountability, lack of integrity and corruption represent a significant concern but less so than the issues mentioned above.
| 2005 | 1995 | 2005 - 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) peace | |||
| Good | 20.15 | 12.00 | 8.15 |
| Good as possible | 57.52 | 56.31 | 1.21 |
| Inadequate | 22.31 | 31.67 | -9.36 |
| (b) international cooperation | |||
| Good | 28.2 | 24.03 | 4.17 |
| Good as possible | 58.92 | 58.03 | 0.89 |
| Inadequate | 12.88 | 17.94 | -5.06 |
| (c) development | |||
| Good | 25.62 | 18.23 | 7.39 |
| Good as possible | 51.90 | 47.95 | 3.95 |
| Inadequate | 22.47 | 33.82 | -11.35 |
| (d) human rights | |||
| Good | 21.72 | 14.75 | 6.97 |
| Good as possible | 48.41 | 46.65 | 1.76 |
| Inadequate | 29.87 | 38.60 | -8.73 |
| (e) environment | |||
| Good | 17.10 | 12.50 | 4.60 |
| Good as possible | 51.30 | 49.15 | 2.15 |
| Inadequate | 31.60 | 38.35 | -6.75 |
| (f) humanitarian aid | |||
| Good | 36.77 | 31.41 | 5.36 |
| Good as possible | 50.56 | 51.31 | -0.75 |
| Inadequate | 12.67 | 17.28 | -4.61 |
| (g) fight against terrorism | |||
| Good | 8.63 | ||
| Good as possible | 50.43 | ||
| Inadequate | 40.95 | ||
| (h) HIV/AIDS | |||
| Good | 24.29 | ||
| Good as possible | 52.39 | ||
| Inadequate | 23.31 | ||
As for the various UN activities, the appraisal is on the whole much more positive than ten years ago. The best rating goes to humanitarian aid, with 37% saying it is good, followed by international cooperation, development, human rights and peace. A lot remains to be done in the fight against terrorism and cleaning up our environment.
