The Center for Modernity Planning and Assessment proposes that the public and governments give greater attention to questions concerning the accountability, authority, and institutional development of the United Nations system.

This proposal grows out of the Center’s broader examination of governance, international institutions, and the consequences that may result when authority and responsibility become increasingly separated from direct political accountability.

The Question the Proposal Raises

The United Nations was created after the Second World War as an intergovernmental organization intended to provide a framework through which nations could address international disputes and pursue peaceful relations.

In Salim Maloof’s analysis, an important question is whether the subsequent expansion of the United Nations system into economic, social, and other operational fields has created institutional arrangements that differ substantially from the original relationship envisioned between governments and the organization.

The Center believes that this question deserves independent examination.

Accountability and Remedies

A particular concern of the proposal involves questions of accountability and access to remedies.

The Center argues that when significant differences in power exist between parties to a dispute, access to an independent and impartial process for seeking remedies becomes especially important.

For this reason, the Center proposes a broader examination of the legal and institutional mechanisms through which individuals and other parties may seek remedies in disputes involving organizations within the United Nations system.

The proposal also invites examination of the relationship between institutional immunities, internal dispute mechanisms, and the principle that individuals should have access to effective remedies.

The Proposed Index

The Center proposes the development of an independent index that would enable governments, businesses, investors, and the public to examine and compare information concerning:

• institutional authority;

• accountability;

• immunity and legal responsibility;

• access to independent remedies;

• transparency; and

• the relationship between institutional decision-making and external oversight.

The purpose would not be to assume wrongdoing by every person working within the United Nations system.

Rather, the purpose would be to create a framework through which questions concerning institutional accountability and potential risks associated with concentrations of authority could be examined more systematically.

Why the Center Considers This Important

The Center believes that people and institutions making significant political, financial, or operational decisions should have access to information that helps them evaluate institutional arrangements and potential risks.

This is particularly important when the differences in resources and power between the parties involved are substantial.

The proposal therefore forms part of the Center’s broader effort to examine how questions of governance, authority, accountability, and human security interact within the modern international order.

Support for the Initiative

The Center seeks to determine whether individuals or organizations with substantial resources are interested in supporting the independent development and examination of this proposal.

Those interested in learning more about the proposed initiative may contact the Center.