United Nations' Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged world leaders to approve sweeping U.N. reforms to tackle the global threats of the 21st century and prevent corruption. The United Nations clearly wanted to keep the spotlight on the most extensive reform package to be proposed since the world body was founded 60 years ago and its proposals to tackle war, fight terrorism, combat poverty and put the protection of human rights at the forefront of its work. Annan's overhaul calls for a realignment of the United Nations to give additional weight to key development, security and human rights issues. It also sets out plans to make the world body more efficient, open, and accountable _ including strengthening the independence and authority of the U.N.'s internal watchdog. Annan has invited world leaders to a summit in September to hopefully adopt the reform package, and he is planning a six-month campaign to sell the proposals to them. That campaign was to begin Monday when the secretary-general officially presents the 63-page report on reforms to the U.N. General Assembly. "These are reforms that are within reach _ reforms that are actionable if we can garner the necessary political will," Annan said in the introduction to the report which called 2005 "a historic opportunity" to create a better life for millions of people. He urged the leaders to "act boldly" and adopt "the most far-reaching reforms in the history of the United Nations."
