As the United Nations nears its 60th anniversary, the world body should be dramatically reformed, not by withholding money or blowing up its headquarters as some have suggested, but through improved management and the insistence that democracies band together to end genocide. These are the reasonable recommendations of a congressionally mandated task force that was asked to look for ways to make the U.N. more effective. Given President Bush’s push to reform the U.N. and Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s desire to do the same, this report should be used by Congress to spur real changes.

Recently, the United Nations has been criticized for failing to stop mass killings in Africa, arguing whether such actions are genocide or murder rather than taking action. Peacekeepers have been accused of rape and the U.N. Human Rights Commission has lost credibility because countries with records of abusing their citizens are members. Other committees are investigating corruption in the oil for food program.

The United Nations has an important role to play in spreading democracy and championing human rights, according to former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and former House Speaker New Gingrich, chairmen of the task force. “The United Nations is important enough to take it seriously. If you take it seriously, you have to clean it up,” Speaker Gingrich said.

To clean it up, the task force first recommended institutional changes such as corporate-style oversight bodies and personnel standards. The group also called for a single senior official to act like a chief operating officer to oversee daily operations.

Such suggestions were applauded by Bruce Stedman, a former U.N. Assistant Secretary-General who now lives in Maine. He said that while Kofi Annan is a great person, he is not a good manager. Mr. Stedman says that every time a problem arises another committee is formed. The result is a bloated, ineffective bureaucracy.

While reform is desperately needed, Mr. Stedman warns any discussion of changes opens the possibility that any of the nearly 200 U.N. member states will want committees and policies re-made to their liking. To fend this off, reform must be guided by a strong hand.

It should also be remembered that the U.N. is a collection of national representatives. While is it easy to blame the U.N. for failing to act in any number of areas, such failures are often the result of political maneuvering among its members.

In addition to structural reforms, the task force called for the abolition of the U.N. Human Rights Commission, which was recently chaired by Libya. It would be replaced by a council made up only of states that have met human rights guidelines. The group also seeks “rapid reaction” capability to halt genocide.

With so many calls for reform, the United Nations must heed them. This task force offers a good guide for remaking the organization.