KOFI ANNAN UPDATE:

KOFI Annan has summoned all UN staff to a meeting today in an effort to shore up his crumbling leadership of the organisation.

THE United Nations Secretary-General will address several thousand officials crammed into the General Assembly hall, where world leaders meet every northern autumn, and thousands more by video link around the world.
Aides say the embattled UN chief will deliver a “pep talk” in an attempt to buoy the spirits of UN personnel after a series of scandals, including last week’s oil-for-food report criticising Mr Annan and his son, Kojo.

He is expected to tout his recently released reform agenda, In Larger Freedom, which calls for institutional changes to revive the organisation.

Mr Annan, the first UN chief to rise up through the ranks, will find many staff angry and demoralised at what they see as the humiliation of the institution.

One mid-level official said he wanted an apology from Mr Annan, but did not dare ask.

Meanwhile, the criticism of the U.N. and its institutions just gets harsher:

Speaking at the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Annan said that the world body is failing to protect against human rights abuses, particularly in Sudan’s conflict-ravaged Darfur region, and should be replaced by a council with greater authority.

“We have reached a point at which the commission’s declining credibility has cast a shadow on the reputation of the United Nations system as a whole and where piecemeal reforms will not be enough,” Annan told delegates.

“The commission’s ability to perform its tasks has been overtaken by new needs and undermined by the politicization of its sessions and the selectivity of its work,” Annan said.

And that’s just from Kofi!