British Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday called for the radical reform of world institutions to help meet the new challenges of the 21st century and take more account of the rise of Asia.
On a two-day visit to New Delhi, Brown told business leaders the changes should be inspired by the post-war "visionaries" who set up the UN and other bodies such as the IMF and World Bank.
But he said the "new world order" should be more representative of what he called "the biggest shift in the balance of economic power in the world in two centuries" -- the Asian economic boom of countries like India.
"Only with international institutions that promote cooperation out of shared interest and predictability and accountability can large numbers of states consistently work together for the benefit of all," he said.
"But to succeed now, the post-war rules of the game and the post-war international institutions -- fit for the Cold War and a world of just 50 states -- must be radically reformed to fit our world of globalization; 200 states, an emerging single market place, unprecedented individual autonomy and the increasing power of informal networks," he said.
"We can and must do more to make our global institutions more representative. I support changes to the IMF, World Bank and the G8 that reflect the rise of India and Asia," Brown said.
The keynote speech was billed by his office as an outline of one of Brown's main foreign policy priorities and an attempt to secure Indian backing for his plan due to its growing clout on the world stage.
Britain already supports moves to make India a permanent member of the UN Security Council -- a reflection of its status as an emerging economic powerhouse increasingly courted by world leaders.
Chief among his proposals was making the World Bank "an environmental bank" to tackle climate change and more proactive work by the IMF to spot and intervene in financial crises like that affecting Britain's Northern Rock bank.
He also called for a new standby civilian force to go into failed states under the auspices of the UN to work in tandem with international peacekeepers.
Brown arrived in India from China on Sunday. Both countries are among the world's fastest growing economies and like many European countries, Britain is keen to court them to boost lucrative trade ties and other links.
He indicated on Sunday that Britain was no longer the dominant partner. Instead he said the relationship was now "a partnership of equals" striving for common goals.
After his speech, Brown and his wife Sarah were given an official state welcome at the Raj-era presidential palace.
Brown went on to pay his respects at the memorial to Mohatma Gandhi -- revered as the father of the independent state.
Also See: Taiwanese defector downplays World Bank appointment
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique