The Foreign Service Journal, September 2006

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 29 nited Nations reform has been at the top of the international agenda for the past year, yet nothing very fundamental has been achieved to date. Rationalization of the secretariat, despite progress due to the efforts of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, still has a long way to go. Apparently resistance among smaller member-states to the introduction of merit systems has impeded further progress. Although I suspect charges about the prevalence of corruption in the staff are politically exaggerated, it has certainly existed and, until merit systems governing recruit- F O C U S O N U.N. R E F O R M U.N. R EFORM : T HINK B IG A BOTTOM - UP OVERHAUL MAY BE THE MOST PROMISING APPROACH TO TAKE . B Y R ONALD I. S PIERS U Poul Hans Lange