UN: Germany, Brazil, India and Japan, who are all campaigning for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, are expected to hold a "mini-summit" at UN headquarters today to co- ordinate their efforts.
Reform of the UN will be one of the dominant issues in the annual general assembly debate of world leaders which opens this morning.
In his speech to the general assembly today, President Bush is expected to stand over US policy in Iraq, express grave concern about alleged genocide in Western Sudan and call for the extension of electoral democracy throughout the Middle East and the developing world generally.
A major point of interest will be whether he chooses to respond directly to last week's statement by the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, who said the Iraqi war was illegal in terms of the UN Charter and that there could not be "credible elections if the security conditions continue as they are now".
The Prime Minister of the interim Iraqi government, Mr Ayad Allawi, will also speak at the general assembly and has already urged the UN to send more staff to Iraq, rather than "put obstacles and decide for us, on our behalf".
Strong backing for India's claim to a permanent security council seat came yesterday in London from the British Prime Minister. At a joint news conference with the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Manmohan Singh, Mr Tony Blair said: "India is a country of 1.2 billion people. For India not to be represented on the security council is I think something that is not in tune with the modern times in which we live."
In New York yesterday, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, represented Ireland at a special gathering of heads of state and foreign ministers yesterday, called by President Lula of Brazil to discuss new financing mechanisms for the reduction of world poverty.
Mr Cowen said he wanted to show solidarity with efforts to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals, which include halving the total of one billion people who are estimated to be living on less than $1 a day. Commenting on the Minister's attendance, Oxfam Ireland said it "represents an ideal opportunity to announce that Ireland will be getting back on track in its aid spending".
A spokesman, Mr Colin Roche, pointed out that four years ago at the UN Millennium Summit, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, committed the Government to reaching the UN target of 0.7 per cent of GNP to be spent on official development assistance by 2007.
"The Government must substantially increase aid spending this year to move us towards the 0.7 per cent target," Mr Roche added. "We must keep our promises to the world's poor."
Meanwhile, a panel of experts is to deliver proposals for UN restructuring on December 1st Earlier this month, the Secretary General said: "Quite honestly, I do not believe that anyone will consider the UN reform complete without security council reform, bringing it into line with today's realities."
As presently constituted, the security council has 15 members, five of them permanent and 10 elected for a two-year term. The five permanent members are China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. They also have the power of veto on political resolutions.
The choice of permanent members was made on the basis that they were the victorious powers in the second World War. Sixty years later, there is a widespread view that the council needs an overhaul to take account of changed international circumstances.
Africa also has a strong claim to permanent representation, possibly on a rotating basis between different countries. There is also a growing view that the Muslim world is entitled to permanent status, particularly in light of the Iraqi war and the Middle East situation generally.