Development and Cooperation


	Contributions from the Column Facts and trends IMF/World Bank postpone debt relief Prospects for tsunami regions Controversy over UN reform ODA: security measures expanded Sudan: donors need common policy No growth for German ODA ratio Middle East role for Wolfensohn GTZ director stays in office UNDP report criticises Arab regimes 05/2005		Controversy over UN reform There is opposition to the expansion of the UN Security Council by six permanent members. The Chinese government resists the admission of Japan because the neighbouring country has not assumed responsibility for atrocities committed during the Second World War. Together with Italy, Pakistan, Mexico and South Korea, China has formed a group called “Together for Consensus”. This group also opposes the permanent admission of other regional heavyweights such as Germany, Brazil and India into the Security Council. It states that there is no international consensus on this matter. Instead, the committee should be expanded by semi-permanent members, to be elected every four years by the community of states and whereby re-election is possible. In his reform proposal for the world body presented at the end of March, UN General Secretary Kofi Annan put forward the alternatives of either expanding the Security Council by permanent or semi-permanent members. (dem)