Inclusive Multilateralism, Fully Democratic United Nations Needed to Combat Poverty, Terrorism, Other Threats, Speakers Tell Assembly General Debate
To effectively tackle terrorism, entrenched poverty and the threat of weapons proliferation, a more equitable multilateral system that valued diversity and fostered a “climate of dialogue” was urgently needed, world leaders attending the General Assembly’s annual debate stressed today, as they pushed for a more democratic United Nations.
In a day that heard many delegations describe how they were grappling with exactly how to create a more balanced world order, the newly elected Prime Minister of Japan, Yukio Hatoyama, said his Government, following the spirit of yu-ai, or fraternity, would make utmost efforts to be a bridge between the Orient and the Occident, developed and developing countries, and between diverse civilizations.
Discussing how Japan would carry out that task, he said that as nations further liberalized trade and investment, international coordination would be needed to forge systems that reined in poverty and economic disparity, a difficult task if left only to market mechanisms. Japan would play a bridging role in international forms, including the Group of 20 (G-20), in formulating common rules to that end.
On the issue of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, Japan could both promote disarmament and help bridge differences between nuclear- and non-nuclear weapon States. To ensure success at next year’s Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference, he urged taking action now towards the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and early start of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty.
For Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, creating an inclusive global order required new leadership so countries would stop perceiving the world as a threat, and start seeing it as a place of solidarity. Everyone -- regardless of creed or colour -- was obliged to build a world of peace, justice and prosperity.
He said Turkey continued to be a force for peace and stability in its restive region. Over the past seven years, it had made efforts to resolve its differences with neighbouring countries and to improve bilateral relations.
Regarding the specific situation in Cyprus, he supported a comprehensive solution, citing the United Nations as the foundation upon which a solution could be built and the world body’s Secretary-General as a “bridge” between the two sides’ differences. Noting that a mutual solution should be reached by the end of 2009, he said a fair, lasting solution would help transform the Mediterranean zone into a peaceful and cooperative place.
Picking up that strand, Dimitris Christofias, President of Cyprus, recalled that one year ago, his country had embarked on intensive negotiations with the Turkish-Cypriot Leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, in a common effort to end the division of the island. While there had been progress, the two sides did not appear close to a final solution to the Cyprus question.
Nonetheless, Turkey had become a key player in finding a solution, and that solutions relied on its political will and policies. He urged Turkey to contribute towards creating a dual federation, in line with Security Council resolutions, and to resume normal relations with Cyprus. Cyprus had never sought hostile relations with Turkey but it had to protect its sovereignty. It was prepared to resume talks with the Turkish Government and and with the Turkish-Cypriot leader.
Pointing towards opportunity, Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, said history was replete with examples of how nations, immersed in crises, had changed underlying assumptions about themselves and created new tools to solve problems. While such innovations would vary, the challenges were the same: creating a shared vision, increasing trust among peoples and adopting a moral purpose to achieve such goals.
Today, the world had an exceptional opportunity to address environmental challenges, improve economies and reform multilateral institutions -- at the same time. The G-20, for example, was now playing a crucial role in restoring global economic stability. But should its base not be broadened further, to include nations that were most vulnerable to the decisions of the few? He urged thinking differently about issues, especially on providing better support to regional actors and engaging the majority of the world in truly global decision-making.
“We work with each other or we suffer in isolation”, said Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, calling on all nations to adapt to the reality of common responsibility for sustainable development. United Nations peacekeeping operations were core to nation-building.
Although Lithuania was a small nation, it was fully committed to regional and global responsibility, and would make use of core United Nations principles of dialogue, respect and tolerance, she explained. With that in mind, Lithuania was the current President of both the Council of the Baltic States and the Community of Democracies. Indeed, democracy was inseparable from peace, the rule of law, respect for human rights and overall prosperity. “The global interest is our national interest and the global responsibility is our national responsibility”, she added.
Pressing world leaders to put that spirit into practice, especially times of heightened insecurity, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the main threat to all nations was the marriage between fundamentalism and weapons of mass destruction. Indeed, the greatest challenge was that of preventing Iran from procuring nuclear weapons. “Are the members of the United Nations up to that challenge?” he asked.
Affirming Israel’s desire for a permanent, genuine and defensible peace, he reminded the General Assembly that anytime an Arab leader reached out to make peace, Israel had met with them, as was the case with Egypt and Jordan. He also recalled that when a two-State solution had been voted on in 1947, the Jews accepted the resolution; the Arabs rejected it. What Israel had wanted for 62 years was for the Palestinians to say “yes” to a Jewish State, and in return, Israel would recognize the State of the Palestinian people. “It is as simple, clear and elementary as that.”
Also speaking today were the Heads of State of Comoros, Ghana, Bosnia and Herzegovina, São Tome and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Panama, Switzerland, Venezuela, Slovenia, Guyana, Costa Rica, United Republic of Tanzania, Latvia, Malawi, Iraq, Gambia, Paraguay, Maldives, Guatemala, Haiti, Senegal, Finland, Zambia, Croatia, Marshall Islands and Georgia, as well as the Heads of Government of Spain and Malta.
The General Assembly will reconvene at 9 a.m. Friday, 25 September, to resume its general debate.
Background
The General Assembly, this morning, met to continue its general debate for the sixty-fourth session.
Statements
AHMED ABDALLAH MOHAMED SAMBI, President of the Comoros, said the Comorian islands had been accepted into the international community with the colonial Powers. Despite many relevant resolutions and consultations that had taken place, France continued to hold referendums in Mayotte to anchor the island to the French republic. The consultations held meant that the status of Mayotte had been changed, in the context of French law. The latest referendum aimed at making the island an overseas French department in 2011.
However, he pointed out that the relationship between France and the Comoros was unique. Despite attempts to separate one island from its sisters, the country had a privileged partnership with France, especially as it was always associated with the international community in major decision-making. France was still its biggest trading partner and provider of development aid, and more than 200,000 Comorian people lived in France. There was no hostility between the two countries, and the desire for cooperation in no way diminished the importance of the territorial integrity of the Comoros.
He proposed ending differences and discussed the principle of “one country, two administrations”. By that principle, France should acknowledge full sovereignty of the Comorian islands. Both parties had to agree on the duration of the French presence on the islands and he requested that France encourage the economic development of the three other islands, so as to strike a balance over the archipelago that would foster a rapprochement. Those efforts would enable islanders to preserve their living standards.
Describing the relationship between France and the Comoros, he said there had been almost two centuries of shared history, culture and language. “We must not spoil this inheritance by allowing misunderstandings to persist,” he said. For such reasons, he was here to show his goodwill, which he hoped would never be annihilated by inflexibility or intransigence.
As for the Assembly, he said progress had been made “here and there”, but children still suffered. Health care was still a luxury for the majority of Comorian citizens. Small island States, such as his, were also threatened by multiple natural disasters, which worsened an already fragile socio-economic situation. Technological advances had been huge and true international mobilization, especially by countries better served to face challenges, was necessary. It was time to show solidarity by acting and being pragmatic, if people were to find hope. Developing countries were not asking for the moon, “at least for the time being”. They were asking that efforts be pooled to meet their demands.
He said the United Nations had a huge role to play in attaining that goal. Only a more representative and equitable Organization could better solve the problems faced by all nations. He called for a better definition for the responsibility to protect. On peace and security, he welcomed the United States President’s efforts in the Middle East, expressing hope also to see an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict and coexistence of the two States, as outlined in various resolutions. Regarding the situations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Great Lakes region and Darfur, he said fratricidal conflicts only exacerbated abject poverty in those areas.
JOHN EVANS ATTA MILLS, President of Ghana , said that the combined effects of the crises Africa continued to face, among them climate change and high food and energy prices, as well as the ongoing global financial and economic turbulence, threatened recent economic and democratic growth. Those challenges also had a profound impact on international peace and stability. The beneficial effects of globalization were still negligible in developing countries, and many citizens still lived on less than one dollar a day.
All that, he observed, threatened the recent progress made by many African countries, leaving them vulnerable to erosion by continued external threats, as well as practically ensuring that, for many, the Millennium Development Goals would not be attained in any meaningful way. He noted actions taken by African countries to mitigate those obstacles, amongst them the recapitalization of financial institutions, trade policy changes and regulatory reforms, to name a few. However, additional support was needed to bolster those efforts.
He called for developed countries to meet existing commitments on aid and debt reduction. He also called for sale of International Monetary Fund (IMF) gold reserves to help support the efforts of African countries struggling in the economic crisis, and urged the Fund to support African economies during the crisis by putting in place a new facility with relaxed conditions. Equally important was the fact that although the ongoing World Trade Organization Doha Round talks were committed to improving market access for developing countries, the current global trading system, especially tariff and non-tariff barriers, hindered and damaged earning opportunities of farmers and rural communities in poor countries.
In order for Ghana and other African countries to fully participate in global trade and achieve sustainable social and economic development, he said there needed to be enhanced access to markets. Moreover, abuse of anti-dumping rules must be eliminated, and tariff and non-tariff barriers should be reduced. However, he also noted that for their part, African countries needed to remain committed to good governance in order for any sustainable development to succeed.
Addressing climate change and how that phenomenon was risking Africa’s social, economic and environmental development, he urged that at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the issue of financing, mitigation and adaptation for developing countries be a central component in the deliberations. Further, in illuminating the intricate link between security and development, he heralded Ghana’s peacekeeping operation, one of the oldest and most consistent troop-contributing countries. He said that, although the increasing demands had placed a strain on an already overstretched system, it was an honour to participate in the success of such efforts of the Organization and that he was optimistic about the reform process that had already shown improvements.
Recalling Ghana’s commitment to the adopting of the 1995 Beijing Declarations and Platform in Action, he said that, although there was often a huge gap between policy and practice, his Government was pursing an Affirmative Action Policy, which would ensure 40 per cent representation of women in decision-making positions. In that respect, he noted the appointment of the first female Speaker of Parliament, as well as female Ministers for Women and Children Affairs, Justice and Attorney-General, Trade and Industry, Environment and Science, among the many positions being filled by women.
ŽELJKO KOMŠIĆ, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that one of the most pressing issues last year was the global economic and financial crisis, which had become the biggest threat to global peace and stability. “Global crises require global solutions,” he said, stressing that if the international community failed to act, there could be unimaginable consequences. Welcoming the outcome of last June’s High-Level Conference on the Economic and Financial Crisis and Its Impact on Development, he said the role of the General Assembly was to lead the process, to improve cooperation to eradicate poverty and to create global social justice.
The global economic crisis had jeopardized and compromised efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals, one of the Organization’s most noble tasks, especially for sub-Saharan Africa’s poorest countries. However, he said developed countries must also take responsibility for helping Africa reach those Goals, including by doing everything they could to overcome the global economic crisis, by reforming the financial system and by making that system more transparent.
He said Bosnia and Herzegovina had made systematic efforts to accomplish the Millennium Development Goals, and it was currently preparing a development and social inclusion strategy with the United Nations. Turning to climate change, he said the international community must respond to this universal threat urgently, and expressed hope that the Copenhagen Summit would gain the support of all Member States and produce a solid post-Kyoto agreement. Political and economic interests should not hinder such goals to regain the loss of the natural balance of our planet.
On Organizational matters, he agreed that the United Nations in general and the Security Council in particular should undergo careful, prudent reforms to ensure better coordination and efficiency of all bodies of the system. There was overall consensus that reforming the Security Council would ensure more transparency by allowing non-member States, particularly those on its agenda and those ridden with crises, to take part in its work and help find the best solutions. While such a move needed to be made urgently, he called for dialogue and compromise when the time came to discuss the way forward.
Continuing, he said a group of countries from Eastern Europe must have another non-permanent seat in the Council, especially as the number of countries in that region had grown over the past two decades. He stressed that the Council must take more efficient use of preventive diplomacy. Indeed, taking such a course would ensure that crises were solved before they became full-blown conflicts. Overall, the United Nations should foster early warning mechanisms to help curb numerous crimes against humanity. He also noted his country’s ongoing commitment to the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia.
Turning to the global refugee crisis, he expressed his support for a joint United Nations and the non-governmental sector’s efforts to tackle that problem, as the number of refugees grew every day, while viable solutions seemed ever more elusive. On United Nations peacekeeping missions, he urged Member States to do their utmost to ensure that such operations were more long-term oriented, efficient and culturally and geographically sensitive, by ensuring a clear assessment of the situation in the field and peacebuilding processes in order to find a universal sustainable solution.
The country’s foreign policy was committed to finding long-lasting peace, security and stability within a democratic context. Smaller countries had to be encouraged to be part of the Council’s decision-making process. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s participation had been the topic of many international debates. Given its multi-ethnic, multinational and multi-religious state, it was willing to share know-how on building peace especially towards multiculturalism and reconciliation in a post-conflict context.
PAUL KAGAME, President of Rwanda, said the Assembly’s session offered another chance to reflect on how best to reconcile what, at times, were mistakenly considered irreconcilable concepts: socio-economic development and a healthy environment. Leaders and citizens the world over often wondered how to spread prosperity without degrading oceans, rivers and the air we breathe. However, these were also times of extraordinary scientific, technological and business innovations that could help address such challenges, if decision-makers had the courage to harmonize national, regional and global priorities. History was replete with examples of how nations, immersed in crises, had changed underlying assumptions about themselves and created new tools to solve problems. While such innovations would vary, the challenges were the same: creating a shared vision; increasing trust among peoples; and adopting a moral purpose to achieve such goals.
He said today the world community had an exceptional opportunity to address environmental challenges, improve economies and reform global multilateral institutions -- at the same time. The Group of 20 (G-20), for example, was now playing a crucial role in restoring global economic stability. However, should the base not be broadened further, to include nations that were most vulnerable to the decisions of the few? All nations should be part of those important discussions.
“This is the time to embrace true multilateralism,” he said. Multilateralism had always been key to forging a fairer global community. The rise of global networks of trade, industry, prosperity and social values, together with the creation of multilateral institutions to guide such processes, had contributed to an improved decision-making system.
Improving global governance also had to address international justice, which had to be fair to all -- rich and poor, strong and weak. He was pleased that the Assembly’s sixty-third session had examined the issue of universal jurisdiction and looked forward to resolutions on that matter in the current session. Turning to the East African Community, he discussed progress, saying that the January 2010 inauguration of the East African Common Market would boost trade, investment and the free movement of some 130 million people. Indeed, there was no better way to reduce economic difficulty than by building larger regional markets that improved productivity, which, in turn, increased purchasing power and eventually strengthened societies.
On the environment, he said every nation should have co-equal status and be considered a concerned nation at the forthcoming Copenhagen summit. Each nation had rights and obligations, and should be open to burden sharing, according to their ability to do so. Some key issues to be addressed included how much the industrialized nations would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, how much developing nations would limit emissions growth and how to finance strategies to conserve energy and build green technologies. Rwanda had made modest, but proportionate contributions, notably by hosting African preparatory meetings for the Copenhagen conference and implementing policies for reforestation and terracing. On peace and security, he pointed to continued progress in addressing the question of the Great Lakes Region. Leaders recognized that solutions, starting with a joint regional effort, could bring about peace. In closing, he urged thinking differently about various issues: fostering economic growth while investing in the environment; improving peace and stability of all regions by supporting legitimate regional actors; and engaging the majority of the world into multilateral decision-making.
DALIA GRYBAUSKAITE, President of Lithuania, said the challenges facing the global community could not have been envisioned by the founders of the United Nations some 60 years ago. Effectively tackling the economic crisis, and addressing terrorism, proliferation of weapons and climate change required transforming the Organization into an instrument of global politics. “The modern world insists we are dependent on each other. We work with each other or we suffer in isolation,” she said.
In order to address the lag in donor commitment towards the Millennium Development Goals, which was impacting the poorest and most vulnerable, she called on all nations to adapt to the global reality of common responsibilities for sustained development and listed five components to ensure continued growth, cooperation and progress. First, the United Nations peace operations were core components to peacebuilding and nation-building. Therefore, Lithuania was committed to its peacekeeping obligations, regardless of the current economic limitations.
Second, she called for a strengthening of United Nations policy against nuclear proliferation, while still encouraging civil nuclear power. To that end, the forthcoming review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) next year would offer the opportunity to seek diplomatic solutions that complied with international commitments and requirements. As for her third point, she said that responsible global, regional and local governance was necessary to ensure steady and sustainable economic recovery. “Protectionism and isolationism never worked and will not work,” she added.
On her fourth point, she noted that climate change required a broad and coordinated response that included inputs from all nations. Underscoring Lithuania’s commitment to the success of the upcoming Copenhagen Conference, she also applauded and supported the European Union’s goal to cut emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. Her final point focused on the interdependence of global and regional responsibility towards full implementation of the United Nations Charter. She urged regional organizations to take a greater responsibility in their areas of operation and to share best practices with their neighbours and other local actors.
Although Lithuania was a small nation, it was fully committed to its regional and global responsibility by utilizing the core principles of the United Nations of dialogue, respect and tolerance. To that end, she said her Government was the current President of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, as well as the President of the Community of Democracies. It would continue its preparations for the 2011 Chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Presidency of the United Nations General Assembly in 2012, as well as the Lithuanian European Union Presidency in 2013. Concluding that democracy was inseparable from peace, the rule of law, respect for individual and human rights, equal opportunities and overall prosperity, she called on Member States “…[to] recognise, from now on, in each of our capitals, that the global interest is our national interest and global responsibility is our national responsibility.”
DIMITRIS CHRISTOFIAS, President of Cyprus, said world stability and welfare had been threatened by the recent global economic and financial crisis. The world could only overcome such challenges, including disease, poverty and threats to the environment, through collective international action and not through economic nationalism. He said: “The most important lesson to be learnt from the financial crisis is that the economy cannot be seen in isolation from the needs of society.” The scope of the current turbulence was a manifestation of neo-liberalism and lawlessness in its strongest forms.
In its present negative state, globalization was driven by the pursuit of excessive gains whereby the rich were becoming richer and the poor were becoming poorer, he continued. More than halfway to attaining the Millennium Development Goals, the financial crisis was forcing States and institutions to rethink global priorities. The United Nations was the most crucial body to find solutions to the effects of the global financial crisis, he added.
The world was faced with numerous challenges, including climate change, human rights abuses, failure to protect the vulnerable, growing conflict, pandemics, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and growing conflict. He cautioned, “If we do not take measures now, we face the risk of extinction. We must take measures now. Tomorrow will be too late,” he said, stressing that December’s forthcoming Copenhagen Climate Summit must be a turning point in addressing catastrophic climate changes.
Turning to a military coup and foreign invasion in 1974, he said the United Nations had responded with key resolutions expressing the international community’s support to Cyprus. Those and other international legal instruments and resolutions gave his country help towards finding political solutions. He said that, one year ago, his country had embarked on intensive negotiations with the Turkish-Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, in a common effort to end the division of the island. There had been some progress, though he admitted the two sides did not seem to be close to a final solution to the Cyprus question.
His country’s goal was to ensure the sovereignty, independence and unity of the common homeland for Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots, and to restore human rights and basic freedoms of all peoples. Above all, Cyprus was committed to creating a United Federal Republic of Cyprus with two large autonomous regions, one Greek-Cypriot and the other Turkish-Cypriot.
Despite his country’s efforts, Turkish-Cypriots, with Turkey’s support, continued to make proposals outside the framework of United Nations resolutions on Cyprus regarding termination of military occupation, the illegal confiscation of property and the presence of settlers. Possible acceptance of those proposals would ultimately lead to violation of international human rights treaties, as well as of the basic principles on which federations were built.
“Such a solution would be neither viable nor functional,” he cautioned, and expressed hope that Turkish-Cypriots would reconsider their position during a second round of talks. He added that the solution must be by the Cypriots, for the Cypriots, signalling that a mutual solution would be presented to the people as two referendums.
Since the 1974 invasion, Turkey had become a key player in finding a solution to the Cyprus problem and successful solutions still relied on its political will and policies. Contrary to its current confederation-oriented approach, he urged Turkey to contribute towards a dual federation in line with Security Council resolutions. It should resume normal relations with the Republic of Cyprus and recognize it in accordance with the European Union’s decisions.
He also said it was a paradox that Turkey, a member of the Security Council, did not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, and that it continued to occupy its territories for 35 years, undermining its unity and integrity, thus violating United Nations resolution 541 (1983), which recognized the sovereignty and independence of the Republic. That was illegal. Cyprus never sought hostile relations with Turkey, but it had to protect its sovereignty. It was prepared to resume talks with the Turkish Government and with the Turkish-Cypriot leader.
FRADIQUE DE MENEZES, President of S ão Tome and Pr íncipe, reminded delegates that though a year had passed, the world had not fully recovered from the effects of the economic and financial crisis. The same distortions remained and the biggest challenge lay in guaranteeing the future of the planet, especially on the economic and environmental fronts, areas that were particularly important for small island nations such as his.
Noting that his country’s carbon emissions were insignificant, he said, “Time is no longer on our side, but has become our unforgiving judge.” There was no time for unfounded justifications for non-fulfilment of the Kyoto Protocol. As such, he called for urgent and concrete measures to address that crisis.
Turning to the Secretary-General’s report on the work of the United Nations, he said there was an urgent need to reform the Organization. African countries, and especially small nations on the periphery, were mired in the deepest poverty. Such problems were particularly difficult to solve and needed more diligent attention from the international community.
Regarding peace and security, he called for rethinking the world order. São Tome and Príncipe was small and vulnerable. Challenges should be faced through a multilateral approach, based on international law and the United Nations Charter. Reform of the Security Council was a question that could not be delayed forever. African States must have a voice in that body, and they could not be “cast aside” when decisions were made that affected the entire Organization. He strongly supported the African Union’s call for Africa to be represented on the Council.
On the Millennium Development Goals, he said that the world was far from making its desired progress to achieve those noble targets. For its part, São Tome and Príncipe had made determined efforts, especially to achieve health and education objectives. “We are almost there”, he added. Also, temperature rise in recent decades had caused glaciers and polar ice caps to melt which, in turn, had caused sea levels to rise. Climate change was a huge strategic challenge for all nations, as it raised security challenges, he said, and called for “substituting” the Kyoto Protocol.
The path ahead was long and arduous, he said, appealing for greater cooperation between developed and developing countries, donors and recipients. Consultations should not be limited to Government officials; they should include recipients of the programmes designed to increase development. The United Nations was an indispensable organization and must continue its mission to maintain peace, security and international organization.
ERNEST BAI KOROMA, President of Sierra Leone, said global crises were best tackled through dialogue among civilizations. Such dialogue promoted understanding, understanding promoted cooperation, and cooperation made vital and legitimate the institutions and mechanisms that had been created to meet common goals. He added that broad and inclusive dialogue also created the synergies required to tackle modern challenges such as climate change, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and flu pandemics, the food and fuel crises, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, drug trafficking and the present global economic meltdown.
“Among some population groups, the impact of the [economic] crisis may be on the size of their bonuses; on others it may be on whether they acquire a second car or not,” he said, but stressed that for the vast number of people, particularly in Africa, the impact of the crisis created life-threatening situations. He said that the global financial crisis had put Sierra Leone’s recent economic growth in jeopardy and pushed greater numbers of people towards extreme poverty.
Aside from such challenges, and despite years of conflict, political stability had improved rapidly in his country, and economic growth remained strong at 6 to 9 per cent. He said the Government had already achieved results on key priorities, including health and education reform, as well as infrastructure construction. He also highlighted the recent completion of a hydro-electric project, which was supplying clean, affordable power to Freetown. On the downside, however, his country was still struggling to deal with the effects of trade imbalances in international commerce.
With regard to the challenges ahead, he said that climate change posed a particular threat to African nations. “Today, the poorest nations, who contribute the least to the phenomenon, are the most vulnerable,” he said. Another danger was the increasing proliferation of small arms and light weapons, he said, and called for the strengthening of conflict resolution mechanisms.
He went on to praise the United Nations peacebuilding efforts in his own country and announced that Sierra Leone, as “a payback and in the spirit of reciprocity”, had fully joined the ranks of countries contributing troops to United Nations peacekeeping operations. In conclusion, he called for reform of the Security Council “without further delay”. To that end, he reiterated Africa’s traditional demand for representation in both permanent and non-permanent categories in that body. “Let us promote multilateralism and strengthen our collaborative efforts to contain the rising threats to our planet,” he said.
RICARDO MARTINELLI BERROCAL, President of Panama, began by focusing on climate change and, while he congratulated all nations for their solidarity in confronting global warming, he nevertheless called for decisive action and a new approach to tackle a crisis that had been triggered by unchecked exploitation of natural resources. “We must apply new formulas, change our behaviours and value our relationship with nature,” he said, adding, “our options are clear […] if we do not act with prudence, the consequences will be irreversible.”
Continuing, he highlighted the role Panama played on the international scene, saying his country had a duty to “demonstrate how our economic model and government can be exemplary to all”. Speaking as a former entrepreneur, he said he had entered the political arena to change things and he planned to put his private sector experience to work as he implemented the broad mandate given to him by the people of Panama.
Although his tenure began this past May in the shadow of the current economic and financial crisis, he noted that Panama was growing. He pointed to significant improvements within the country thus far, including increases in the salaries of law enforcement officials, distribution of $100 per month to senior citizens without retirement funds, low-cost housing, and construction of a metro, which would be the largest employment programme in the history of Panama.
Turning to the banking and financial sector, he highlighted the importance of Panama, with its groundbreaking shipping Canal that joined the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific ocean, was a “gatekeeper of the global economy.” He added that the ColÓn Free Trade Zone was the largest in the hemisphere, which made the country the most important maritime commercial route in the world. Thus, Panama was “the most efficient logistics hub in America”.
Important to that logistics hub were plans for a third set of locks that aimed to expand the capacity of the Canal and further open the doorway for international commerce. “ Panama is an ideal place to invest, to establish enterprises and to live. We will transform Panama into the Hong Kong or the Dubai of America.” He highlighted the benefits of the Panama-Pacifico Special Economic Area, which made labour and immigration welcoming and flexible.
He exclaimed, “All are welcome to Panama. We are open for business!” He also said that tourism was the country’s new passion, and that its national parks, coral reefs, islands and biodiversity made it an ideal travel spot.
Turning to issues within the Americas, he said he was closely following the reconciliation efforts in Honduras. He noted that Honduras’ return to the rule of law was necessary to its well-being and that of Central America.
He noted that because Panama was a geographical crossroads, it was used by organized crime for drug and arms traffic, but that “we are declaring our own war”, and said that they had committed to becoming active partners with Mexico and Colombia in the battle on narco-terrorism. He ended on a positive note: “If I had to describe Panama in just a few words, I would say we are a country and a people full of surprises. Panama will amaze you.”
HANS-RUDOLF MERZ, President of Switzerland, said the recent economic crisis and collapse of the global financial system had illustrated the interconnectedness between and among nations. It also served to remind Member States that other global challenges, among them, climate change, the food crisis and pandemics, were not confined to national borders. Confronting those challenges required a concerted and coordinated international cooperative response. “The United Nations is the place where this cooperation happens. Today, the world needs the United Nations more than ever,” he said.
To ensure the success of the Organization and its initiatives, he called for the strengthening of ties between the United Nations and other mechanisms such as the G-20, which “had taken over an important role in the discussion of important global issues”. He cautioned that that development must not undercut the efforts of other, more inclusive institutions. Further, he stated that economic activities needed to adhere to the fundamental values of economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Utilizing institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Organization was equipped with the tools to address the financial crisis. He said that, although reforms were crucial to address recent failures and abuses, a liberal economic order and open market system had lifted many people around the world out of poverty, and he supported the United Nations’ call for the swift conclusion of the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations.
Because developing countries were hardest hit by the financial crisis, there was concern that broad achievement of the Millennium Development Goals would be delayed. Despite budget constraints, Switzerland pledged to maintain its level of development aid, as developing and developed countries were partners in achieving the Goals. Turning to climate change, he expressed Switzerland’s support for a successful conference in Copenhagen in December and committed his country to achieving its CO2 reduction targets for 2012, and preparing to cut their emissions by 20 per cent by the year 2020.
He went on to say that, the cost of adaptation to climate change would amount to tens of billions of dollars a year, half of which would be at the expense of developing countries. With that in mind, he proposed a global carbon tax based on the “polluter-pays” principle in order to tackle those expenses.
On United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities, in taking over the chairmanship of the Burundi configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission, and continuing its initiative on Armed Violence and Development, Switzerland supported the strengthening and expansion of the Organization’s prevention and mediation capacities. On the sixtieth anniversary of the Geneva Convention, and in light of the difficulty in ensuring respect of its rules due to the new forms of warfare, Switzerland would be organizing a ministerial side-event in New York during the General Assembly, as well as an international expert conference in Geneva in November, which would be open to all State parties to the Geneva Convention.
JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, President of Spain, focusing on the global financial meltdown, said that, despite possible signs of recovery, all were still concerned about the future. Rules had not been put in place to prevent a recurrence of the crisis, and it would be up to the G-20 to establish a basis on which to deal with such issues. While this was not the first global economic upheaval, it was, indeed, the first crisis of global governance.
All nations were obliged to learn lessons -- certainly about economic and financial issues -- but also other challenges that needed a global response, including the need for coordinated, political, multilateral action. Social and economic development would not be possible without the creation of adequate security conditions. With that, he called on States to avoid failure in combating hunger, poverty and climate change, and in the fight to prosecute organized crime, piracy and terrorism. A great opportunity was within reach, he added.
For its part, Spain was committed to multilateralism and building a system of global governance. Indeed, multilateralism was not just a procedure for resolving conflicts. To be effective, it required two promises to be fulfilled. Multilateralism was inseparable from faithfulness to human rights, democracy and equality for all. The firm defence of democracy had a name: Honduras. “We’re not going to accept an anti-democratic coup,” he said.
In addition, multilateralism required a climate of dialogue, respect and recognition among countries, regions and civilizations. Recalling his proposal to create an Alliance of Civilizations, he said Spain was pleased to see that the number of members participating in the Group of Friends had increased. The Alliance’s third forum would be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next year. He had noted the General Assembly President’s proposal to address dialogue for peace, security and international development, and said the time had come for the Assembly to approve a resolution that would give a Charter to the Alliance.
In the area of security, he said the new multilateralism allowed for the prohibition of antipersonnel land mines and cluster bombs, and now there was a chance to abolish nuclear weapons. Countries today were discussing the greatest arsenal reductions ever seen. Spain renounced nuclear weapons and called for strengthening the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a goal that coincided with Spain’s Presidency next year of both the European Union and the NPT Review Conference.
On peacekeeping, he shared concern at the situation in Afghanistan, and was confident that the international community would find solutions, not all of which would be military. In addition, the search for peaceful solutions in the Middle East had to continue, and the global community should consider recognizing a State of Israel and a State of Palestine.
Turning to the issues of poverty and hunger, he called the fact that so many people around the world faced hunger daily an unjust situation in the twenty-first century. Indeed, there was a radical imbalance in peoples’ living conditions. Questions about international peace and security must go hand in hand with a renewed fight against poverty, and States must not yield to the temptation to avoid fulfilling commitments to the most vulnerable. With the 2015 deadline in sight, the Millennium Development Goals could still be achieved. Discussing Africa, he said the twenty-first century should belong to a continent that had too long been dispossessed. For its part, Spain was a large donor to Africa had made commitments in the area of food security.
YUKIO HATOYAMA, Prime Minister of Japan, recalling his country’s 30 August general election, which had brought about a change of power, said his Administration embodied the dynamism of democracy, and it would exert all efforts to address domestic and foreign policy challenges. Indeed, the world faced various challenges, and Japan, following the spirit of yu-ai, or fraternity, would make utmost efforts to be a bridge between the Orient and the Occident, developed and developing countries and between diverse civilizations.
Discussing five areas that Japan planned to address, he spoke first of measures to respond to the global economic crisis and explained that Japan must first revive its own economy. Abolishing provisional rates on auto-related taxes would provide 2.5 trillion yen in tax relief annually and enhance the cost competitiveness of Japanese industries.
He also said international coordination would be needed to forge systems to reign in poverty and economic disparity, which would be difficult to coordinate by simply leaving them to market mechanisms. Japan would play a bridging role in international forums, including the G-20, in formulating common rules to that end.
Regarding the second challenge -- climate change -- he said the path to creating a post-2012 framework would be anything but smooth. His Government had set an ambitious target for reducing greenhouse emissions 25 per cent, by 2020, over 1990 levels. It was prepared to provide more financial and technical assistance to developing countries than in the past, premised on the formulation of a fair international framework by all major economies and agreement on their targets.
On the issue of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, he welcomed progress in negotiations between the United States and the Russian Federation on nuclear-weapon reductions, adding that it was urgent for all nuclear weapon-holding States to take concrete measures on nuclear disarmament. Japan continued to maintain the “three non-nuclear principles” despite its potential to acquire nuclear weapons.
To ensure success at 2010’s NPT Review Conference, he urged taking action now towards the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and early start of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty. In that context, he said nuclear tests and missile launches by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea posed a threat to peace and stability for the East Asian region and the world. He urged that country to fully comply with relevant Security Council resolutions, saying that Japan would continue its efforts to denuclearize the Korean peninsula through the six-party talks. Indeed, Japan sought to normalize relations with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea through the comprehensive resolution of outstanding issues.
On peacebuilding, development and poverty, Japan would work with international and non-governmental organizations to strengthen its assistance to developing countries in terms of quality and quantity. It planned to redouble efforts towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and in the promotion of human security. In Afghanistan, he said Japan had provided assistance in such fields as strengthening the security sector and developing social infrastructure. To address the reintegration of insurgents, Japan would make vital contributions, possibly in the area of vocational training. As regional stability was also important, Japan had provided support for Pakistan and other countries in the area.
Finally, he said he looked forward to an East-Asian community taking shape as an extension of cooperation built step by step among partners. He expressed hope to move forward on such issues as free-trade agreements, finance, currency, energy, the environment and disaster relief. Turning to the United Nations, he expressed his firm belief that Japan could play an even greater role in the Organization, and, above all, in the Security Council. Japan would continue to engage in the intergovernmental negotiations on Council reform, pursuing expansion of permanent and non-permanent membership, as well as Japan’s permanent membership on the Council.
TAYYIP Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Turkey, said that in order to overcome the world’s multiple problems, a trust-oriented, diverse, fair and inclusive global order was necessary. “The global problems of our age necessitate global scale solutions.” He called for new leadership so countries could stop perceiving the world as a threat, to seeing it as a place of trust and solidarity. Everybody, regardless of their creed and colour, was responsible for constructing a world of peace, trust, justice, tranquillity and prosperity.
He said that terrorism, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, hunger, poverty, growing pandemics, food and energy concerns, and rising xenophobia continued to pose grave challenges. In addition, global warming and the financial crisis required robust solutions. To ensure a more participatory global order, all countries must work together to make the United Nations more efficient, democratic and transparent. That would, in turn, allow the Organizations to make a greater contribution towards global peace and stability.
The United Nations had to become more effective in tackling the world’s pressing challenges, including human rights and gender equality. In that regard, he said, Turkey endorsed reforming the Organization, which would be incomplete unless the Security Council was restructured and enlarged to include more non-permanent members. The United Nations peacekeeping system had to be improved, bearing in mind, among other things, capacity-building and regional coordination, he added.
Turkey continued to be a force for peace and stability in its restive region. He said that over the past seven years, Turkey had made efforts to resolve its differences with neighbouring countries and to improve bilateral relations. It had also aimed to move from a relationship of “passive-good neighbourliness to one of active friendship and cooperation”. Talks with Greece were an example of such actions.
Having initiated the “neighbouring countries process”, his country was still committed to political dialogue and creating national unity in Iraq. In that regard, Turkey was committed to maintaining the Strategic Dialogue Mechanism with Iraq in the fight against terrorism and to ensure bilateral relations. Turning to Palestine, he said Turkey was very sensitive to this issue and had always stood by the Palestinian people. Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict towards two peaceful coexisting States was invaluable to global peace. Treating everyone fairly and equally would allow for regional and global stability.
Turning to the fight against terrorism and ensuring stability and prosperity in Pakistan and Afghanistan, he expressed his country’s support in this regard. Turkey had convened a ministerial meeting on a democratic Pakistan in August. On Cyprus, he supported a comprehensive solution to the question of the island, citing the United Nations as the foundation upon which a solution could be built and the world body’s Secretary-General as a bridge between the two sides’ differences.
A mutual solution would have to be reached by early 2010, he said, emphasizing that if Greek-Cypriot intransigence obstructed such a conclusion, “the normalization of the status of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will become a necessity which can no longer be delayed.” A fair and lasting solution in Cyprus would help transform the Mediterranean zone into a peaceful, cooperative and stable place. He added that the Turkish-Cypriot side was still subjected to unfair levels of isolation. Lifting that unfair practice would speed up the peace process.
Regarding cultural diversity, he cautioned against seeing different cultures as “other”, stressing that they had to be seen as individual elements of humankind. The Alliance of Civilizations, a United Nations initiative that was co-sponsored by his country, would shape a global civilization based on universal values in democracy, human rights, youth and media.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Prime Minister of Israel, said the United Nations had been founded 60 years ago, following the Holocaust, and had been thereafter charged with preventing such horrors from ever happening again. Yet nothing impeded that central mission more than “the systematic assault on the truth”, he said, decrying “the latest anti-Semitic rants” by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during his address to the Assembly yesterday evening.
Mr. Netanyahu then held up a sheaf of Nazi meeting notes as physical proof of that regime’s horrendous work. The preserved minutes had been taken at a meeting in the Villa in Wannsee, where on 20 January 1942, senior Nazi officials had laid out the plans for exterminating the Jewish people. The documents had been recently given to him by the German Government. “Is this a lie?” he asked.
He then presented to the Assembly the original construction plans of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, plans that contained the authorizing signature of Heinrich Himmler. Recounting United States President Barack Obama’s recent visit to another concentration camp, Buchenwald, he asked delegations if President Obama had been paying tribute to a lie. He then recounted his own family history of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who had perished, as well as the tattooed numbers on camp survivors. All, he stated, added to the proof of the truth about the Holocaust.
He commended those who had refused to attend the General Assembly to hear the Iranian President’s speech, as well as those who had left in protest. But he stated emphatically to those who stayed that in doing so, they had given legitimacy to a denial that was shameful and to a country that aimed to wipe out Israel. Although the threats were currently levelled at the Jews, he reminded Member States that what had historically started as a tax on the Jews, had inevitably ended up affecting others.
He went on to say that in the past 30 years, fanaticism had impacted all people, and had been the cause of death of not just Jews, but Hindus, Muslims and Christians. Any society that aimed to have only their version of true believers always subjugated those who didn’t conform. That struggle, he continued, wasn’t about one group of believers against another, rather it pit civilization against barbarism, the twentieth century against the ninth century, and those who sanctified life against those who propagated death.
Affirming Israel’s commitment to participate in a global response to the myriad problems facing all nations, such as climate change issues, disease and the need for fossil fuel alternatives, to name a few, he said, however, that the main threat to all nations was the marriage between fundamentalism and weapons of mass destruction. Indeed, the greatest challenge facing the world was that of preventing Iran from procuring nuclear weapons. “Are the Members of the United Nations up to that challenge?” he asked.
He then turned to the recently issued report on the crisis in Gaza earlier in the year. He viewed the document as falsely equating terrorists with those being targeted. Recounting that Hamas had for eight years fired rockets on Israeli citizens, he said that there had not been one United Nations resolution condemning those criminal attacks. And although Israel had unilaterally withdrawn from the Gaza Strip by removing 8,000 Israelis and 21 communities -- a move that many in Israel believed would bring peace -- Israel had been subjected to Iranian-backed terrorism to which the United Nations remained silent. After eight years, Israel had been forced to respond.
He affirmed Israel’s desire for a permanent, genuine and defensible peace, and he reminded the Assembly that anytime an Arab leader reached out to make peace, Israel met with them, such as it had with Egyptian and Jordanian officials. “If the Palestinians truly want peace, I and my Government and the Israeli people, will make peace,” he said, recalling that when a two-State solution had been voted in 1947, Jews accepted the resolution but Arabs rejected it.
What Israel had wanted for 62 years was for the Palestinians to say “yes” to a Jewish State, just as Israel was asked to recognize a nation-state for the Palestinian people. “It is as simple, clear and elementary as that.” He stressed that peace, prosperity and dignity required security. Israel must have its security and that the Palestinians “should have all the power to govern themselves except the handful of powers […] that threatened Israel”.
HUGO RAFAEL CHÁVEZ FRÍAS, President of Venezuela, said that the night before, he had attended a screening of Oliver Stone’s new movie, South of the Border, in which Bolivia’s President Evo Morales was shown chewing coca leaves and saying, “Coke is not the same as coca”. Other Presidents of Latin America had been shown in various contexts, and the movie even captured United States President Barack Obama in Trinidad, “chatting with a group of us, his hand held out, his face smiling”. He mentioned the film because it could help decipher several enigmas of the times, chief among them the ideological warfare currently under way.
Indeed, a geopolitical revolution was under way -- a moral, spiritual, comprehensive and necessary revolution, he said. After centuries during which millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean had suffered, the world had come to this moment. The revolution marked the beginning of a world renewed and it would only grow with the passing of time.
As a result of that revolution, the twenty-first century would be the century of socialism. Even Albert Einstein had concluded that the only way for the human species to live on the planet was through socialism. Capitalism was actually a road to ruin, not allowing for change. By contrast, the socialism of South America, which was Indian-American as well as Bolivarian, was a “heroic system” that had to be made anew.
Noting that former United States President John F. Kennedy had, just days before his assassination, observed that hunger was the main reason for the revolution in the South, he said President Kennedy had not been a revolutionary, but had been intelligent. Likewise, the current United States President was an intelligent man. “It doesn’t smell of sulphur here any more, it’s gone. It smells of something else: hope.”
Stressing hope’s potential, he urged fellow Member States to take up the challenge of translating the hope in their hearts into action. Revising the comment made the day before by Brazilian President Lula da Silva, he said it was not true that there was no political will, only that some of the necessary will was missing.
He went on to say that those who blocked the doors to a peaceful revolution, would only make it violent, and he reminded the Assembly that while its Members were gathered in New York, one of their fellow leaders sat with a small group of people in the Brazilian embassy in Honduras. He had spoken to Honduran President Manuel Zelayas just hours ago and now was asking for the Assembly’s resolution, as well as the resolution of the Organization of American States, to be implemented.
Outlining his further thoughts on the causes and impacts of the coup in Honduras, he suggested the Pentagon had been behind it. Those who had had forced President Zelaya into exile had been trained by the United States and had even held him on a United States base before taking him to Costa Rica. Those facts, according to Mr. Chavez, had created a contradiction that had caused many to wonder if there were two President Obamas. For his part, he hoped the one who had spoken to the Assembly yesterday would prevail.
Returning to the revolution that was under way in the South, he said it was not a movement that had sprung up among guerrillas in the mountains, but was rather a democratic revolution that sought to remain peaceful. It would not be blocked. “This is our century now. We are going to build our own path. No one can stop us. Imperialism must end.”
Critiquing President Obama’s Assembly address point by point, he said that if the United States sought nuclear non-proliferation, it should destroy its own nuclear weapons. If it sought international peace and security, it should seek peace in Colombia. Having seven bases there was not the route to peace. If the United States wanted to address climate change, then it should move beyond words and embark on actions, particularly by addressing the problem of over-consumption.
Finally, he promoted the conclusions of the Commission of Experts appointed by former General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockman to analyse the financial and economic crisis, and invited the United States -- “the Socialist side” -- to pursue a global economy that advanced opportunity for all people. For so long everyone had been hearing about a new world order. Clearly a new paradigm with new institutions and a new economy was needed. Fortunately, he said, the birth of that world had already started.
DANILO TÜRK, President of Slovenia, said the Assembly had worked these past few days to generate the necessary political will to “seal the deal” at the Copenhagen Climate Conference, and that humankind must make a resolute step towards a new and effective system to mitigate the effects of global warming. Each Member State’s responsibilities were common, but differentiated. Further, it was necessary to broaden that front to include civil society and the private sector, as a profound societal shift was needed to change “the way we produce, the way we consume, and the way we live”.
For that to happen, however, he said, the world needed a comprehensive strategy that consistently addressed such issues as the food crisis, climate change, the energy crisis and the spreading of infectious diseases. Despite the different roots of those problems, they produced a cumulative effect, he said. Those issues hobbled global development and made the Millennium Development Goals, “only a distant possibility”.
In that context, the role of the Unite
Published on: 2009-09-25
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