Sofia 2005
The Liberal International Congress
Recognizing that the world has changed since the creation of the United Nations and the end of the Cold War underlining the need for reforms of the United Nations for greater legitimacy and effectiveness;
Reaffirming the call of Liberal International at the Dakar Congress in 2004 for the right of the peoples of the world to live in peace and security;
without systematic or random violation of human rights from internal and external governments or other forces and to include “human security” in the concept of peace and security recognised by the UN Charter Chapter 7;
Noting the Report of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, “A more secure world: Our shared responsibility “ ,published in December 2004, which outlines Charter and administrative reforms necessary to ensure greater legitimacy and effectiveness of the UN;
Urges all UN-members, including the permanent members of the Security Council, to engage in the necessary debate on reforms of the UN, without undue prejudice towards national interests and established rights, reaching a symbolic peak at the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the Sixtieth Session in September 2005 due to review not only the aspirations of the Millennium Declaration but also the path of the UN in the 21st Century;
Further urges all UN-members to support reforms that will ensure that the UN will continue as the central forum for global debate and decision making on peace, security and development; that the United Nations can act decisively for conflict prevention, management and resolution; and that the Security Council can re-establish global legitimacy through expanded and representative membership including models to increase permanency in membership;
Supporting recent proposals and initiatives on this subject by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan;
Calls on the member parties of the Liberal International to study possible reforms of the UN and to engage their members and surrounding societies in the debate on the future of the UN and of the idea of an international society based on rules and principles instead of raw power.
