Annan names Latvian leader as envoy for UN reforms

RIGA: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga to be an envoy at the UN reform summit, completing the team of five special envoys, her office said on Wednesday. Annan last month proposed the most wide-ranging overhaul of the world body since its creation in 1945, with the envoys seeking a consensus on how to implement the reforms at a conference in New York in September. Annan’s recommendations include expanding the UN Security Council, a radical programme to combat poverty, a new human rights body and a series of management and watchdog reforms. He hopes to restore confidence in the United Nations that has been shaken by corruption in its oil-for-food programme, the debate over the US invasion of Iraq and revelations of sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers. reuters

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