Hillary Clinton: United Nations is ‘Single Most Important Global Institution’

Hillary Clinton: United Nations is ‘Single Most Important Global Institution’Wednesday, September 08, 2010
By Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer


(CNSNews.com) – In a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) on Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the work of the United Nations and said it is “the single most important global institution.”

At the CFR in Washington, D.C., Clinton said, “Now the U.N. remains the single most important global institution. We are constantly reminded of its value: The Security Council enacting sanctions against Iran and North Korea. Peacekeepers patrolling the streets of Monrovia and Port-au-Prince. Aid workers assisting flood victims in Pakistan and displaced people in Darfur.”



“And, most recently, the U.N. General Assembly establishing a new entity, U.N. Women, which will promote gender equality, expand opportunity for women and girls, and tackle the violence and discrimination they face,” Clinton said.

Clinton did acknowledge what she described as “limitations” of the U.N. because of “diverse perspective and interests."

“But we are also constantly reminded of its [the U.N.] limitations,” Clinton said. “It is difficult for the UN’s 192 Member States, with their diverse perspectives and interests, to achieve consensus on institutional reform, especially reforming the Security Council itself.”

“The United States believes that the Council must be able to react to and reflect today’s world,” Clinton said. “We favor Security Council reform that enhances the U.N.'s overall performance, effectiveness and efficiency to meet the challenges of the new century.”

Besides the United Nations, other global institutions include religious denominations with worldwide reach, such as the Roman Catholic Church, secular institutions such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, Doctors Without Borders, and the G-20, and multi-national firms such as General Electric, Toyota and ExxonMobil.