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UN 'must listen' to church heads says Rowan Williams
BBC News
Religious leaders and non-governmental bodies should be given a voice at United Nations Security Council deliberations, Rowan Williams has said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said the UN had been weakened by arguments over Iraq and its role in Bosnia and Rwanda.
The UN's work was "indispensable" but the organisation needed to change to recover its moral authority, he said.
Church leaders should be able to make their views heard but did not need a UN vote, Dr Williams told a US event.
"There is an urgent need for structures and relationships that allow a global moral perspective to be voiced more clearly," he said at an event to support the Anglican observer at the UN.
Dr Williams suggested the formation of a "standing commission", which would have the right to comment on Security Council proposals or be heard in sessions.
It would not have a seat on the council or the right of veto.
'Moralising' trends
The Archbishop said the Security Council could have more authority if resolutions could be prompted and executed by local democratic coalitions.
Never has there been a time when the presence of religiously based voluntary groups has been of such moment
Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
Members would then have to consult those affected by their resolutions, he added.
"Trends in UN reform... are driving towards the 'moralising' or civilising of the global economy and the world of international negotiation.
"Never has there been a time when the presence of religiously based voluntary groups has been of such moment," he said.
The comments came in Dr Williams' first major speech on international governance since taking up his post.
He was attending an event in support of the work done by an Anglican observer at the UN.
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