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A/56/326
Executive summary
The road map towards the implementation of the United Nations Millennium
Declaration contains an integrated and comprehensive overview of the current
situation. It outlines potential strategies for action that are designed to meet the goals
and commitments made by the 147 heads of State and Government, and 189 Member
States in total, who adopted the Millennium Declaration.
The report addresses fully each and every one of the goals and commitments
contained in the Millennium Declaration, suggests paths to follow and shares
information on “best practices”. It draws on the work of Governments, the entire
United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade
Organization, intergovernmental organizations, international organizations, regional
organizations and civil society.
In section II,
“Peace, security and disarmament”
, the report outlines
measures that will help promote human security, including:
• Strengthening the rule of law and taking action against transnational crime: the
international community, including the United Nations, will continue to assist
States in ratifying treaties, harmonizing their domestic laws with international
obligations, widening the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and
promoting the rapid entry into force of the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court;
• Taking action when the rule of law fails: the international community often
finds itself with responsibilities ranging from preventing violent conflict to
deploying peacekeeping operations and peace-building missions, often while
working with regional organization partners. These challenges require action to:
(a) Replace the culture of reaction by one of prevention, as reflected in
measures designed to limit armed conflict that include preventive arms control
and marking and tracking “blood diamonds”;
(b) Complete the significant management reforms under way in United
Nations peacekeeping, which include filling new posts and developing a 30-to-
90-day deployment capability;
(c) Support peace-building efforts on the ground and enhance the
coordination of all the actors involved in disarmament, demobilization and
reintegration, while providing the electoral assistance and promoting the
reconciliation that a sustainable peace requires;
• Reforming sanctions. Although sanctions can be important instruments of
Security Council action, progress must continue to be made in making
sanctions “targeted”, ensuring that they become more effective and that their
impact on civilians is further reduced;
• Finally, making progress in disarmament in all areas, including weapons of
mass destruction, landmines and small arms: next steps involve implementing
existing conventions, working to develop regional mechanisms to identify, trace
and halt illicit traffic in weapons, and supporting civil society advocacy e