WORLD LEADERS ADOPT DECLARATION TO SHAPE UNITED NATIONS FOR NEXT CENTURY, AS SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE MEETING CONCLUDES
Press Release
GA/8969
WORLD LEADERS ADOPT DECLARATION TO SHAPE UNITED NATIONS FOR NEXT CENTURY, AS SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE MEETING CONCLUDES
19951024 Opportunity to Face 'Moral Challenge of Our Time', Document States; Secretary-General Says Anniversary Gave World 'An Agenda for Tomorrow'.The largest ever gathering of world leaders pledged to give to the twenty-first century a United Nations equipped, financed and structured to serve effectively the peoples in whose name it was established, as the three- day special commemorative meeting of the General Assembly for the fiftieth anniversary of the Organization concluded late this evening.
By means of a resolution, Member States and observers adopted the "Declaration on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations", exactly 50 years after the Charter of the Organization entered into force. The resolution was introduced by the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the fiftieth anniversary, Richard Butler (Australia).
The document declares that the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations must be seized as an opportunity to redirect the Organization to greater service to humankind, "especially to those who are suffering and are deeply deprived. This is the practical and moral challenge of our time". It focuses on peace, development, equality, justice and the work of the United Nations.
World leaders pledge themselves to promote the peaceful settlement of disputes, reaffirm the right of self-determination of all peoples, call for extraordinary measures by all countries to confront extreme poverty, reiterate the equal rights of men and women and reaffirm that all human rights are universal and indivisible.
They declare that relations between States must be based on respect for the rule of law and call for a revitalization of the General Assembly, an expansion of the Security Council and the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council. They stress that Member States must meet, in full and on time, their obligation to bear the expenses of the Organization.
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In his concluding remarks tonight, Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- Ghali said the largest gathering of world leaders in history had expressed confidence in the future of the United Nations with eloquence. "We have listened to the wisdom of these leaders." Together they had given the world an "agenda for tomorrow" covering every aspect of human society. The dialogue of nations sought by the founding fathers of the United Nations had taken place in friendship and fraternity and the "spirit of San Francisco" should guide the international community during the next 50 years.
The President of the General Assembly, Diogo Freitas do Amaral (Portugal) said the ideals of the United Nations had been constantly referred to during the last three days and there was now a need to agree on the means to achieve those ideals. The need for bold reform was recognized and the political commitment demonstrated over the last three days must continue. The work on the strengthening of the United Nations had begun. The urgent financial crisis must be faced.
The special meeting was addressed by 91 heads of State, eight vice- presidents, one crown prince, 37 prime ministers, 10 deputy prime ministers, 21 foreign ministers, nine chairmen of delegations and 23 observers -- a total of 200 speakers.
The dominant theme woven through the speeches of the majority of participants was reform of the United Nations, with many calling for an expansion of the membership of the Security Council. The need for greater transparency, democratization and accountability in that and other United Nations organs was stressed. Deploring the financial crisis, many called attention to the need for Member States to pay their dues in full and on time. In addition, participants suggested that the current financing regime be restructured and that new and innovative sources of funding be sought.
Strongly reaffirming the principles enshrined in the Charter, many world leaders highlighted the fact that the United Nations is an Organization of sovereign States and that respect for the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and non-intervention in countries' internal affairs must continue to guide its actions. Equality among all States -- large and small, rich and poor -- must form the basis for international relations, especially in the area of trade, they emphasized. Addressing the issue of the future of peace-keeping, participants called for a greater United Nations role in preventive diplomacy to avert the outbreak or spread of conflict. In that context, many welcomed increased cooperation with regional organizations.
Addressing the special meeting this afternoon and evening were President Sali Berisha of Albania; President Fidel V. Ramos of the Philippines; President Robert Gabriel Mugabe of Zimbabwe; President Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas of Lithuania; President Martti Ahtisaari of Finland; President Levon Ter-Petrossian of Armenia; President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti; President Bakili Muluzi of Malawi; President Ernesto Samper Pizano of Colombia; President Milan Kucan of Slovenia; and President Islam A. Karimov of Uzbekistan.
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Also, President Juan Carlos Wasmosy of Paraguay; Sheik Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of Kuwait; President Joaquim Alberto Chissano of Mozambique; President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of Maldives; President Carlos Roberto Reina of Honduras; President Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic; President Arpad Goncz of Hungary; President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle of Chile; President Carlos Saul Menem of Argentina; President Emomali Rakhmonov of Tajikistan; President Sylvestre Ntibantunganya of Burundi; General Idriss Deby of Chad; President Mahmane Ousmane of Niger; and President Paul Biya of Cameroon.
In addition, statements were made by Vice-President Taha M. Marouf of Iraq; Vice-President Abdourabou Mansour Hadi of Yemen; Vice-President Cesar Paredes Canto of Peru; Crown Prince Sidi Mohamed of Morocco; Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth of Mauritius; Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Lester B. Bird of Antigua and Barbuda; Prime Minister David Oddsson of Iceland; Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson of Sweden; Prime Minister Habib Thiam of Senegal; Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Maxime Carlot Korman of Vanuatu; Prime Minister Marc Forne Molne of Andorra; Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of Singapore; Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao of India; and Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen of Denmark.
Also, First Prime Minister Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh of Cambodia; Prime Minister Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka of Fiji; Prime Minister Sir James Fitz-Allen Mitchell of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Prime Minister Denzil Douglas of Saint Kitts and Nevis; Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan of Cote d'Ivoire; Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali; Secretary of State Angelo Cardinal Sodano of the Holy See; Deputy Prime Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sayid Fahad Mahmoud Al-Said of Oman; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Guido de Marco of Malta; Minister for Foreign Affairs Farouk Al-Shara of Syria; and Minister for Foreign Affairs Habib Ben Yahia of Tunisia.
Other statements were made by Minister for Foreign Affairs Shaikh Mohamed Mubarak Al-Khalifa of Bahrain; Minister for Foreign Affairs Dawa Tsering of Bhutan; Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka of Kenya; Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Mouzaoir Abdallah of Comoros; Minister for Foreign Affairs Najibullah Lafraie of Afghanistan; Daudi Ngelautwa Mwakawago, Chairman of the Delegation of the United Republic of Tanzania; and Robert E. Millette, Chairman of the Delegation of Grenada.
Also speaking this afternoon and evening were Nikenike Vurobaravu, Deputy Secretary-General of the South Pacific Forum; Edwin Carrington, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community; Salim Ahmed Salim, Secretary- General of the Organization of African Unity; Wilhelm Hoynck, Secretary- General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe;
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Carlos Moneta, Permanent Secretary of the Latin American Economic System; Cesar Gaviria, Secretary-General of the Organization of American States; Tang Chengyuan, Secretary-General of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee; Shamshad Ahmad, Secretary-General of the Economic Cooperation Organization; Enrique Roman-Morey, Secretary-General of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean; Humberto Celli Gerbasi, President of the Latin American Parliament; and Roberto Herrera Caceres, Secretary-General of the Central American Integration System.
The General Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. Thursday, 26 October, to begin its commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the International Youth Year.
Assembly Work Programme
The third and final day of the General Assembly's special commemorative meetings marking the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations convened this afternoon, exactly 50 years to the day following the entry into force of the Organization's Charter. The meeting is expected to conclude with the adoption of a declaration in which world leaders reaffirm their commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter.
The declaration was drafted, approved and recommended for adoption by the fiftieth anniversary Preparatory Committee which was established by the Assembly in 1992. The text has been transmitted to the special meeting by means of a draft resolution contained in a report of the Preparatory Committee (document A/50/48).
Highlights of the "Declaration on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations" include a preamble which recognizes the important role of the United Nations in preventing another global conflict and calls for a redirection of the Organization to greater service to humankind, especially to those who are suffering and are deeply deprived.
The Declaration contains a pledge by world leaders to "give to the twenty-first century a United Nations equipped, financed and structured to serve effectively the peoples in whose name it was established". They recognize that action to secure global peace, security and stability is futile unless the economic and social needs of people are addressed. There are commitments to promote the peaceful settlement of disputes and to support United Nations disarmament efforts, including the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
The right of self-determination of all peoples is reaffirmed, taking into account the particular situation of peoples under colonial domination or foreign occupation, as is the right of peoples to take legitimate action to realize their right of self-determination. Nations pledge to act together to defeat the threats to States and people posed by terrorism, transnational organized crime, illicit trade in arms and the production, consumption and trafficking of illicit drugs.
The Declaration calls on the United Nations to address more effectively and in greater measure the need for a free and equitable international economic environment as an essential condition for international peace, security and stability. Extraordinary measures are urged for all countries to combat extreme poverty and affirm that people must be at the centre of actions towards sustainable development. The document reaffirms that "democracy, development and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development, are interdependent and mutually reinforcing".
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The Declaration calls for a rule-based multilateral trading system and for enhanced cooperation in the areas of development, finance and debt, including the integration of the least developed countries and countries in Africa into the world economy. It is recognized that each country is ultimately responsible for its own development and that the participation of women is central to all efforts in that regard.
The document urges the elimination of unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and the promotion of demographic policies which meet the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
World leaders reaffirm that all human rights are "universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated". They state that it is the duty of all States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, which must be considered with objectivity and non-selectivity.
The text declares that the promotion and development of international law must be pursued to ensure that relations between States are based on the principles of justice and respect for the rule of law. The determination to build and maintain justice among States in accordance with the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity is stated.
An entire section of the Declaration is devoted to the work of the United Nations. In order to respond to future challenges, it states that the United Nations must be reformed and modernized: the General Assembly should be revitalized; the Security Council expanded and its efficiency and transparency improved; and the Economic and Social Council strengthened to carry out effectively the tasks it has been assigned with respect to the well- being and standards of life of all people. In addition, the document declares, Member States must meet, in full and on time, their obligation to bear the expenses of the Organization.
Statements
SALI BERISHA, President of Albania: The fall of the iron curtain and the collapse of the communist dictatorships was an outstanding achievement for mankind. Albania is greatly concerned about infringement on human values in the former Yugoslavia. "Albania has condemned Serbian aggression, the suffering of millions of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the creation of ethnically-cleansed territories by force." It supports the involvement of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops as vital for peace and a lasting settlement that can prevent a chain reaction of conflicts in the Balkans, which ultranationalist forces would like to instigate.
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The Balkans crisis began in Kosovo. Without settling the Kosovo issue there can be no long-term peace. It is indispensable to end violations of the human rights of Albanians in Kosovo and commence talks between Belgrade and the representatives of Albanians in Kosovo. This should be included in a package of negotiations of the Contact Group on the solution of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. The United Nations should demand the implementation of General Assembly resolution 49/204 of 1994 on the situation of human rights in Kosovo. Albania is determined to establish regional cooperation with its neighbours. It would greatly appreciate the commitment of the World Bank and other financial institutions to achieve an integrated horizontal transport and telecommunications corridor to connect countries of the region such as Bulgaria, Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania and beyond.
FIDEL RAMOS, President of the Philippines: It is remarkable that the United Nations has survived for half a century. The world continues to be scarred by conflicts and the Organization cannot always guaranteed that its mediation or intervention will bring peace. But when hostilities do break out, the international community has needed the machinery of the United Nations to make nations and peoples reason together.
In the space of five decades, the United Nations has brought about the decolonization of almost the entire world, and has brought human rights to the forefront of the world's concerns. It has struggled to guarantee the welfare of children, women and minorities. It had sought to protect the environment and to re-engineer development all over the world. The Asian example demonstrates that poor countries can develop and raise their living standards, and thereby contribute to international peace and security.
Wealthy countries are increasingly closing their markets to the exports of poor countries and raising false issues concerning environmental and labour standards. The recent entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was evidence that all could profit when they worked together in a spirit of cooperation. The capacity of the United Nations in the area of peace-keeping, peacemaking and peace-building needed to be strengthened. Philippines was ready to support a United Nations rapid deployment force.
The United Nations should convene an international conference on migration and development to address the plight of migrant workers and their families. Their problems would only deepen as the pace of globalization continues and accelerates; there would be ever-larger movements of people in response to labour shortages in fast-growing economies. Philippines strongly supported reform of the United Nations Security Council better to reflect the changes that have taken place in the world since 1945. Security Council membership ought to represent more equitably all geographic regions of the
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world, including the developing countries that make up the majority of United Nations membership.
ROBERT MUGABE, President of Zimbabwe: Where is our universally accepted concept of the global village? Do we need drug traffickers; merchants of terrorism and pandemic diseases to convince ourselves that the concept is real enough? "If we today neglect the tragedy of the millions of the starving poor and refugees, we shall tomorrow surely reap the whirlwind of another 'Black Death'".
It is exceedingly urgent to restructure and transform the United Nations to reflect the realities of today's world. The Security Council, as presently constituted, empowers the victorious allies of a war of half-a-century ago to wield sweeping powers, enabling them to take or block decisions affecting the destiny of the majority of Member States. The despotism of the Council, especially the power of veto, defies logic and runs conflict to democratic principles. The Security Council membership must reflect a fair geographical representation of all the regions in the world.
Zimbabwe's hopes that the establishment of the World Trade Organization would herald a new framework for an equitable and fair international trading system are already proving forlorn. Current trade relations are still bedevilled by "the old reflexes of protectionism and unilateralism". The Bretton Woods institutions continue to act as dictatorial task masters of the world's rich and powerful nations, their "harsh and punitive measures thus wreaking havoc on our poor societies still struggling to wriggle out of the colonial legacy of misery and developmental neglect".
ALGIRDAS MYKOLAS BRAZAUSKAS, President of Lithuania: Lithuania supports the leading role of the United Nations in peace-keeping operations and the recommendations of An Agenda for Development. Present day realities confirm that cold-war ideological confrontation has been replaced by long-term localized conflicts. Preventive diplomacy becomes more important in stopping the outbreak of armed conflicts and the humanitarian crises that often accompany them.
The new era demands more effective and complementary interaction with regional structures, such as the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Western European Union. Lithuania actively participates in the initiatives for peace-keeping and preventive diplomacy. It also understands the need to strengthen the United Nations and expand the Security Council. "Lithuania supports the inclusion of Germany and Japan among the permanent members of the Council, and seeks to ensure the adequate representation of the interests of small States in this body."
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The Organization must meet such challenges as AIDS, international terrorism, transnational crime and drug trafficking. International peace and security issues should not be pursued at the expense of economic and social programmes.
MARTTI AHTISAARI, President of Finland: The founding fathers of the United Nations had a vision of a global system of collective security. The cold war ruined that vision. The Organization now has an historic opportunity to restore itself to its original conception. The United Nations has been crippled by the massive non-payment of assessed contributions, in breach of the Charter. Today, the world needs the United Nations more than ever. The Security Council was needed to ensure effective action for peace and to enhance the rights of every human being through sustainable development. Finland supports an expanded Security Council, including new permanent members from all regions.
In the Secretary-General's Agenda for Peace, he suggested that the United Nations develop a standing rapid-reaction force. The international community need such a force to react rapidly to emergencies. The most practical way to proceed towards that end might be to further develop existing stand-by forces agreements.
LEVON TER-PETROSSIAN, President of Armenia: The United Nations continues to play a constructive role in regional conflicts. In respect of the conflict in Nagorny Karabakh, Armenia reaffirms its willingness to abide by the cease-fire, and to transform it as soon as possible into an enduring peace.
Recently the United Nations has convened a series of international conferences, which have helped consolidate consensus. Each of them demonstrated that the international community, despite its differing approaches, has the political will to work collaboratively to achieve a common objective: improve the quality of life for all.
Armenia hopes that the United Nations will be strengthened, and be better respected. Under the Secretary-General's direction, important progress has been made in improving the management of the Organization. The international community has recognized that it cannot have peace without development, nor development without peace. A fundamental element of the Secretary-General's contribution has been preventative diplomacy. Today, thanks to the accomplishments of the past 50 years and taking into consideration the realities of an increasingly interdependent world, the United Nations has the opportunity to go further, to put into place a new form of peace -- a peace of cooperation and mutual advantage.
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JEAN-BERTRAND ARISTIDE, President of Haiti: Today 7 million in Haiti are singing in unison, "May there be continued peace, happiness and success for our great family of United Nations". The return of the Government to Haiti after three years of exile, and the peace which came at the end of the long democratic process, was a political miracle.
With peace, Haiti's domestic production has increased, whereas before it was declining. Earnings are increasing, and the budgetary deficit has been reduced. In three years, instead of 85 per cent of Haiti's population being illiterate, 85 per cent will be literate. The creation of a national police and judicial reform are breathing new life into Haiti's democracy.
"The blooming of these first democratic flowers are now giving off a great aroma of peace and hope. Haiti hopes that this delicious perfume will spread through the world", and that peace will reign as well in Bosnia, Georgia, Rwanda and Burundi. In that way the United Nations will be "crowned with a halo of glory, pride and peace". United, this is possible. Alone we are weak, together we are strong.
BAKILI MULUZI, President of Malawi: The United Nations should learn from its 50 years of experience and become wiser. It would have been nice if the United Nations had performed miracles these past 50 years. It would have been nice if the United Nations had always succeeded in preventing human beings from slaughtering each other on a regular basis. But human beings have continued to kill one another for political, tribal, and religious reasons. The world has failed to become one big happy family. This means the United Nations still has a crucial role to play in bringing about peace, stability and freedom. It also has a role to play in promoting economic and social development. "The simple fact is that we can never have peace until we have social justice and we cannot have social justice until we address the economic issues faced by most of our member countries today."
It is unfortunate that after the end of the cold war, one great country, China, remains divided for ideological reasons. Malawi wishes to register its support for efforts to reconcile the two sides with a view to eventual reunification.
ERNESTO SAMPER PIZANO, President of Colombia: Genuine multilateralism has allowed humanity to free itself from some of its worst problems, such as colonialism, apartheid and the nuclear arms race. Last week, in Cartagena, Colombia, the Non-Aligned Movement's Conference of heads of State or government reiterated the full validity of the Movement and its will to work for the benefit of the South. Although the cold war has ended, poverty has not; nor have the environmental problems that are turning the earth into a desert. Old ideological barriers have given way to ethnic, technological and trade barriers. The Non-Aligned Movement will continue to struggle against those barriers.
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The world's problems today increasingly are of a transnational nature. Instead of leading to a new era of intervention, that fact should lead to a new will for cooperation. Problems were bringing the world together at a much faster rate than were solutions. International solidarity is the only answer to those problems.
Drug trafficking is just such a problem. Colombia is the country most victimized by traffickers. This year saw the end of the Cali cartel. Colombia knocked out 80 per cent of the world's cocaine market, a fact reflected in the tenfold fall in the price of coca paste and a significant increase in consumption prices. Whether that achievement would last depended on the assumption of responsibility by the whole world. Drug trafficking -- a business that moved more than $500 billion per year -- could not be combatted by one or a group of countries. All States had responsibility for that challenge. The success of the drug war depended on the ability to carry it out at the multilateral level. The crime of money laundering, a typically international challenge, involved actors that must be punished in all countries. Financial systems which allowed the pollution of their accounts with the profits of drug trafficking should be punished.
Columbia has asked for the convening of a world conference against drugs that brings together the unequivocal will of the producing, consuming and distributing countries in a firm purpose to attack this scourge in an integral way. The memory of the thousands of victims of this long and cruel war against drugs would be redeemed should the world sincerely undertake international cooperation.
MILAN KUCAN, President of Slovenia: Far from the goals set out in the Charter of the United Nations being realized, in the area of the maintenance of international peace and security, the Organization is burdened by an alarming lack of success. Lack of recognition of the true nature of war, as in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and lack of willingness to take action, were serious errors. For the Organization to be genuinely effective in the maintenance of international peace and security, it must continually demonstrate its relevance, credibility and legitimacy.
The Organization faces the worst political and financial crisis of its history. That seems a contradiction, given that mankind now expects more from the Organization than ever before. It can be said that there is nothing wrong with the United Nations -- there is something wrong with its Members. But the United Nations is more than the sum of its membership; the Organization must be the highest moral authority in judgement of violations of the basic rules of international life. That moral credibility of the Organization is the basis of implementing preventive diplomacy.
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The Member States of the United Nations which have the greatest responsibility for the Organization should listen to the expressions of concern uttered at the special commemorative session. Preventive diplomacy and a policy of engagement by the United Nations must become a reality if emerging conflicts are to be prevented from becoming acute crises.
ISLAM KARIMOV, President of Uzbekistan: The Tashkent seminar on peace and cooperation in central Asia, supported by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, reaffirmed that global security can be achieved through regional cooperation. The central Asian region possesses huge natural, mineral, raw material and strategic resources, and it is being turned into the arena for geopolitical and economic rivalry and the ambition of many States.
The continuing war in Afghanistan is beginning to threaten the peace and security of central Asia as well as of the whole world. It is becoming the source of international terrorism, narco-business and armaments proliferation. Uzbekistan again calls on the Security Council for an embargo on armaments to Afghanistan, irrespective of sources. It supports expanding the membership of the Security Council by including as permanent members countries such as Germany and Japan.
Uzbekistan also favours projects supported by many international institutions for railroad construction through Afghanistan, to allow millions of Afghans to join civil projects and to create new, shorter communications and economic and trade ties in the region.
The ecological disaster connected with the drying of the Aral Sea is acquiring a global, indeed biospheric, character that cannot be solved without the involvement of the United Nations.
JUAN CARLOS WASMOSY, President of Paraguay: Belief in the ideals of the United Nations should not diminish despite any failures in its performance. Paraguay pledges to support the principles of the Charter and will continue to honour its commitments to the Organization. In 50 years, the United Nations has travelled a long road. It has accumulated important experience and has raised standards of living all over the world. All States -- large and small -- are duty-bound to support the Organization.
Paraguay has participated with dedication in many United Nations forums. The Organization, still a source of light in the world, has enshrined the principles of human rights and freedoms and the sovereign equality of States. Paraguay obtained its democracy only after a long period of darkness. The country accepted international law and bowed to international justice.
Paraguay has not hesitated to submit conflicts to which it was party to international justice. It was determined to put an end to war and to endorse the peaceful resolution of disputes. Paraguay will henceforth accept the
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binding judgement of the International Court of Justice along with other countries that have so agreed. That decision was made in consultation with the major political parties in Paraguay.
SHEIKH JABER AL-AHMAD AL-JABER AL-SABAH, Amir of Kuwait: The peoples of the world, despite their different persuasions, are in virtual agreement that the world body of the United Nations does indeed represent a sanctuary to which they may resort for resolving their disputes. "This is especially true when small nations fall prey to the threat by larger dictatorial regimes bent on eating them."
Kuwait wishes to acknowledge the vital backing of the United Nations in the face of aggression. "I hope that the United Nations support will continue until the relevant Security Council resolutions are implemented in full." The human tragedy of Kuwaiti and third-country prisoners who remain in Iraqi jails must be highlighted.
Global confidence in the United Nations has been on the rise. "We trust that the Organization will become even more effective in confronting mankind's global problems in the forthcoming century." The aspirations pinned on the United Nations will remain high. At the same time, we must be realistic and recognize it is not, and cannot be, a miracle worker. A fair and balanced review of its political performance, and its delivery in areas of development, culture, social affairs and health is necessary. We must also recognize our due share of responsibility for fashioning a community in which tolerance, understanding and respect for law and international treaties reigns supreme.
JOAQUIM ALBERTO CHISSANO, President of Mozambique: The United Nations must recognize that development is a basic human right, and therefore must adopt common policies focusing on people-centred development programmes. The recent summits and conferences have revealed the international community's collective desire and determination to attain the most viable solutions to the problems facing humanity. It is most important that the decisions of these meetings are implemented.
The conditions placed on development aid and financing, particularly by the Bretton Woods institutions, should take into account the specific conditions and needs of the developing countries and the social and human dimension of development.
The United Nations should bear in mind that peace-keeping forces operate on the basis of the consent of the parties concerned. Therefore, they must always act with impartiality and in accordance with their mandate. They must respect and abide by the principles of interdependence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference, taking into account the specific situation of each country. National institutions must be respected and protected.
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MAUMOON ABDUL GAYOOM, President of Maldives: Fifty years ago, the United Nations was created to serve all peoples on an equal footing on the principle of sovereign equality of all its Members. Has the United Nations been successful in the even-handed application of this principle? Has it ensured the security of small States? Just a few weeks ago, a band of foreign mercenaries invaded the Comoros and toppled its legitimate Government. The United Nations did nothing. In November 1988, heavily armed foreign terrorists attacked the Maldives. The country received no assistance from the United Nations to repel the attack.
The coming into force of the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries would contribute immensely to strengthening of international security. Though the Convention was adopted in 1989 by the General Assembly, so far only nine States have ratified it. I urge all Member States to ratify the Convention.
The latest scientific findings indicate that the oceans may rise by as much as one metre during the next century. My people want to know what the United Nations will do to save the Maldives and other small island nations from being engulfed by the sea.
CARLOS ROBERTO REINA, President of Honduras: The world's poor have the right to expect from the United Nations unusual enlightenment in the path of justice and well-being. At this moment, the way consists of readjusting the economies of the States, particularly the poorest ones, to models based on material values of the industrialized societies. The example is inadequate. No country in the world can speak of progress while the great majority of nations suffer from hunger and seek justice even though the macroeconomic indicators reflect a different reality. The world should therefore seek new propositions. This time, factors other than gross national product should be considered.
The United Nations must help find the humanism of the present time. That should start with the defeat of poverty, the abatement of illegitimate power, the breakdown of corruption and impunity and the establishment of a world order sustained by all. There is no better definition of democracy. Countries in Central America are working on an integrated agenda of development in which the political, economical, social and cultural, as well as the environmental issues, receive the same attention. The alliance in the region is also to pursue sustained development.
VACLAV HAVEL, President of the Czech Republic: The various cultures, peoples and religions represented here have certain common principles. We share certain common experiences among ourselves. Today, we have to move from that which separates us to that which unites us. Such a move would strengthen the spiritual basis of the United Nations.
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I have a vision for the United Nations. The United Nations should become an instrument for the betterment of life of our people. I believe that everyone should be allowed to be himself without being menaced by others. The United Nations should resemble a parliament of the world; the Security Council should assume additional tasks; its permanent members should include the most populous, as well as the most influential States and also groups of States. In my vision the United Nations would have the services of a permanent peace- keeping force. It would deal with matters no one else or no other organization can deal with.
My vision of the United Nations is of one which deals only with issues directly pertaining to it and leaves functions for which it is not equipped to other agencies and organizations. I envision a more streamlined United Nations, with a simpler structure. I envision a future when all individuals will contribute a minuscule portion of their income to the United Nations, when finances of the United Nations will not be a concern only of diplomats and nations. My vision of the United Nations is not of a monstrous entity, or a super-State, but of a united people come together by uniting all human energy.
ARPAD GONCZ, President of Hungary: The strengths and weaknesses, or the accomplishments and failures, of the United Nations are a common responsibility. The vision of the founding fathers "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" must still be vigorously pursued by all. The United Nations was a beacon of hope for many. In 1956, during their revolution and national freedom fight, Hungarians took courage from the voice of solidarity from the General Assembly Hall. They are deeply grateful.
Hungary learned, maybe well before others, that by upholding universal values and implementing the ideals of the Charter in a practical way, countries did not lose their identity. They enriched the precious political heritage of mankind.
Today, a time of opportunity, the United Nations is at a crossroads. Only a reformed Organization can be a catalyst in the international community's endeavour to make the world safe and secure, where freedom, democracy and respect for human rights flourish. The world must double its efforts to revitalize the United Nations. There can be no delay in the restructuring and streamlining of its costly bureaucracy. The work of the General Assembly needs to be rationalized. The enlargement of the Security Council and the enhancement of its effectiveness is more than necessary. Financial reform is a must.
It is time to revitalize the multilateral mentality to meet, effectively and firmly, the challenges of new global and inter-connected threats: resurgent nationalism and ethnic strife; international terrorism; illicit drug trafficking; smuggling of nuclear materials; deliberate degradation of the
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global environment; and poverty. International protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms including minority rights, sustained economic growth, sustainable development and promotion of prosperity should also be high on the next century's agenda.
The task is to develop a genuine world-wide constituency for the United Nations and this can be done only by involving the young, whose confidence must be won by a renewed philosophy of multilateral cooperation.
EDUARDO FREI RUIZ-TAGLE, President of Chile: The United Nations should strengthen its capacities in preventive diplomacy, implement a complete ban on nuclear testing and foster cooperation as a means of bolstering global peace. It can enhance advancements in international law by ensuring regulatory refinements in technology, transportation, information, humanitarian aid, human rights and peace-keeping operations. In the area of development and the elimination of poverty, the fact that a fifth of the world's population is impoverished demands an urgent response at the national and global levels. The conditions confronted by women, children, vulnerable sectors of the population and migrant workers, by environmental deterioration, drug trafficking and consumption should form part of the new agenda of the Organization.
The United Nations should begin moving beyond setting international accords towards working to consolidate ties between peoples and groups of different nations. The exchange of civic society's cultural values can be an important source of support in eliminating apprehensions, racism and prejudice against all types of human conditions. The future of the United Nations must be marked by emphasis on human development, on preserving the environment and consolidating peace. This requires adjusting the Organization's reform process towards these objectives.
CARLOS S. MENEM, President of Argentina: The world must strengthen its efforts and multiply the United Nations resources to help it respond to violence, hunger and intolerance. The tasks of the Organization included not only the effective search for solutions to conflicts but also the promotion of specific initiatives of solidarity. In this context, Argentina has created the "White Helmets Commission" to mobilize resources, by means of a volunteer system, to support the United Nations in emergency humanitarian aid and the promotion of a gradual transition from relief to rehabilitation, reconstruction and development. Argentina has made that contribution in the field of development because the scope of the United Nations cannot be restricted to the security issues that take up the Security Council's daily agenda.
International circumstances have changed dramatically since the United Nations inception. The new atmosphere is conducive for attaining an Organization capable of ensuring peace and actively promoting economic and
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social progress. The new scenario will enable the world to make strides in the multilateral consideration of the new threats to peace and security, such as terrorism, drug trafficking and illicit arms transfers. Due to their complexity, these threats need coordinated and global action, possible only through the United Nations.
EMOMALI RAKHMONOV, President of Tajikistan: United Nations peacemaking efforts should be combined with those of the regional organizations in order to deter, localize and settle armed conflicts, and to fight against terrorism and radical manifestations of fundamentalism. The support of the United Nations and its Member States have helped the people of Tajikistan to preserve the independence of their State. The early achievement of positive results in the inter-Tajik dialogue is essential. The Government and the opposition are currently working on a common agreement on main principles for achieving peace and national reconciliation.
Tensions in Afghanistan affect the border region with Tajikistan. "It looks like the explosive nature of the conflict in Afghanistan that has not yet been settled dropped out of the world community's sight." Brewing tensions in Afghanistan threaten not only Tajikistan's security but that of the whole region as well. While the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) has been carrying the burden of settling disputes on post-Soviet territory, the United Nations and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should also play their part. A comprehensive plan for supporting reforms in CIS countries is essential to integrating those States into the world economy.
Remaining discriminatory restrictions in the world economy and trade, as well as the practice of conditional financial assistance to countries in transition, do not serve the purposes of universal security. The time has come for developing a partnership strategy for the twenty-first century. Priority should be accorded to reorganizing management structures in accordance with new tasks and the efficient use of resources for vital programmes.
SYLVESTRE NTIBANTUNGANYA, President of Burundi: The existence of millions of refugees in the Great Lakes region of Africa is a reminder to the world to take action to avoid a major apocalypse from erupting there. There must be efforts and determination to correct the heritage of the past without being confused by it. The future of the area should not be compromised by selfishness and narrow-mindedness. The leaders of the region must provide their citizens the peace they yearned for.
Burundi's troubles have been a cause of concern to countries in and beyond the region. The concern of its neighbours and the international community should be to help avoid the recurrence of a situation similar to what happened last year in Rwanda.
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The world can help Burundi by ending the flow of arms. It should monitor and block the movement of militias and groups that are killing and pillaging many peoples. It should locate and stop the media from spreading the gospel of hate. The international community should help Burundi in its programme of reconstruction, especially by helping to repatriate refugees. Special attention should be paid to the work of the international commission of inquiry, which should do its work quickly to find out about how the former president died in a plane crash last year, leading to upheavals. International relations must be changed and democratized.
IDRISS DEBY, President of Chad: The celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations marks a turning point for the Organization. Chad today solemnly reaffirms its commitment to the ideals of the United Nations. The world in the last few years has seen many conflicts. The persistence of many of them has led to criticism of the Organization.
Nevertheless, the United Nations has major achievements to its credit. It has faced challenges in the area of environment and population control. Chad believes that the United Nations is irreplaceable. However, concerns remain as conflicts ravage several parts of the world and terrorism and drugs threaten societies.
Chad has put an end to a long night of dictatorship and is advancing towards a democratic society. Demagoguery emerged as a problem in the State, because of the lack of a strong democratic basis and tradition, and Chad appeals to all countries for help in advancing towards democracy. Chad renews its gratitude to the United Nations for its decisive support, and for the Organization's assistance in the matter of the Aaozou Strip. Assistance in carrying out mine-clearance is also required in the country.
MAHAMANE OUSMANE, President of Niger: The United Nations has worked to achieve a better world built on justice, progress and universality. It exists to safeguard international peace and security and prevent all kinds of conflicts which could degenerate into war. It has promoted and protected human rights, strengthened international cooperation and encouraged social and economic development. Despite what had been said by its detractors and the multiple obstacles it faced, the United Nations has been at the root of qualitative changes in the world. It was at the heart of the independence of millions of people and prevented many devastating conflicts, or a repetition of the war which was the source of its creation. It is still the most appropriate place to deal with the ills which still plagued mankind, such as hunger, disease, poverty and the degradation of the environment.
Niger salutes the Secretary-General and the men and women who continue to strive to achieve the United Nations goals. The Organization must be truly a place where all people can meet to harmonize their efforts. Niger rejoices
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at significant progress, including the recent breakthroughs to peace in the Middle East, Bosnia and other regions. Efforts must continue in Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Nigeria and other places where peace was preached, such as Jammu and Kashmir and Nagorny Karabakh.
The United Nations must look to improve the lot of those whose fundamental rights have been violated, and must also continue to achieve genuine and complete disarmament. It must become more open and democratic and ensure more equitable representation in the Security Council. Africa, a continent of vitality and rich resources, deserves the international community's full attention. Implementation of the urgent priorities enunciated by the Secretary-General in his Agenda for Peace and the Agenda for Development is the best way to endow the United Nations with more promise and vigour.
PAUL BIYA, President of Cameroon: Cameroon will not forget how it was helped on its road to nationhood by the United Nations. For Africans, it is an organization devoted to collective service in search of peace, the protection of human dignity and solidarity among peoples. It has helped contain conflicts, promoted disarmament and encouraged negotiations. When armed conflicts erupt, the United Nations has used its good offices to intervene to stop them in its efforts to promote international security.
The Organization has helped promote human rights and put an end to colonialism and apartheid. The work of its specialized agencies, for instance, in the field of development is also commendable. Third world problems such as economic crises, the debt burden and the unequal terms of exchange can be solved only through cooperation between the industrialized and developing countries. Both sides will gain from such an endeavour, which can show the people of the developing nations that steps are being taken to bring about a fairer world. The United Nations should help in such a mission.
TAHA M. MAROUF, Vice-President of Iraq: Since the end of the cold war there have been attempts to dismantle States in the name of freedom of choice. In the economic arena, the battle of contending forces is being fought with increasing intensity so as to secure the concentration of wealth in the hands of the dominant Powers. In the social field, there have been attempts to steer concerted international action towards ensuring the predominance of the values and principles of a certain cultural tradition at the expense of the cultural values of other nations. Disarmament continues to be dealt with in consonance with the priorities of the Powers that possess nuclear weapons or have passed the threshold of nuclear armament.
Within the United Nations, unipolarism has spawned selective behaviour and double standards, which put the Organization at the service of narrow self-interest. Sanctions have been applied on the basis of an extreme interpretation, inflicting the most grievous injuries on the civilian
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populations in the targeted countries by depriving them of their basic human rights. The sanctions against Iraq have caused the deaths of thousands of women, children and the elderly, due to a lack of food and medicine.
Having identified what is wrong, it is time to quickly remedy the situation by democratizing the work of the United Nations, reinforcing its mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes and promoting judicial remedies for such settlement. The Security Council must be reformed. "We should lay down such rules and principles as would preclude the use of the measures set forth in Chapter VII for serving purposes that have nothing to do with the objectives of the Charter." The role of the United Nations in the economic sphere should be enhanced with a view to creating a just international economic order.
ABDOURABU MANSOUR HADI, Vice-President of Yemen: The United Nations has achieved tangible results on a global scale with respect to peace-keeping, security and economic and social development. Its greatest achievement is perhaps that mankind has avoided the horrors of a third world war.
Yemen became a Member State of the Organization on 30 September 1947. At that time, Yemen was under the oppression of the Imamate and the yoke of colonialism. "The United Nations stood beside our people in its struggle to achieve independence and freedom from the burden of colonialism in the southern part of the country." Similarly, the people of Yemen did not forget the enormous efforts made by the United Nations to reduce their suffering in the aftermath of the separatist attempt. The Organization is still contributing to the development process in the country.
Yemen stresses the importance of reforming the United Nations so that it is ready in the twenty-first century to deal with the duties entrusted to it. It is time for the world community to realize that concern with human development must represent a qualitative shift in the interest of the international community. The north must no longer have the monopoly of prosperity, and the south must not be left to face poverty.
CESAR PAREDES CANTO, Vice-President of Peru: The United Nations is the best collective instrument for preserving peace. It will require prompt reforms to make it more universal, strengthen its working methods and review its priorities. The Security Council's membership should be expanded to reflect the present world order. The rapid growth in the number of independent States and the emergence of new powers in the political and economic spheres should be considered in the composition of the Council. Peru supports expansion of the Council to ensure equitable participation by developing countries, and the aspirations of Japan and Germany to become permanent members.
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The capacity of the United Nations to respond to multiple challenges will be put to the test well into the next century. To face those challenges, it must be strengthened and given renewed support. Today there are the new threats to peace and security -- deepening poverty, lack of food, deficiencies in education, technological backwardness, violence in the cities and a deteriorating environment. The United Nations has an active role to play in promoting international cooperation and trying to solve these problems.
His Royal Highness Crown Prince SIDI MOHAMED of Morocco: At the time of the creation of the United Nations in 1945 the world hoped that the Organization's work would proceed on the basis of sound international cooperation. But very quickly the cold war set in, dividing the world into two contending blocs. As a result, in the 1960s a certain number of countries of the South aligned themselves with one or another of those blocs. In this way they sought international cooperation outside the confines of the Organization originally intended to be the natural forum for international agreement and harmony.
The result was a partial paralysis of United Nations activity, a marginalization of its efforts in certain areas. As the international community today celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Organization's foundation, as it reviews the Organization's strengths and weaknesses, it must renew its faith in the enduring worth of the Organization and its attachment to the principles enshrined in the Charter, principles which must guide its international activities.
The Organization's success depends on the availability of the necessary means, particularly the material means. If mankind is to enjoy the benefits flowing from this Organization -- particularly benefits arising from the work of the specialized agencies in health, development, education and culture -- then there is no time to waste. The Organization must be rescued and given the ability to address the issues facing mankind, before some new giant appears on the international scene, harbouring unipolar aspirations and intent on dragging the world back to the cold war era. Morocco, whose King is also President of the Organization of the Islamic Conference -- grouping 54 States and speaking in the name of 1,200 million people -- today reaffirms its attachment to the principles of the United Nations.
Sir ANEROOD JUGNAUTH, Prime Minister of Mauritius: The commemoration of the United Nations fiftieth anniversary is a unique opportunity for thinking together about how it can play a more effective and efficient role in the future. The Organization is at a crossroads. It has already been challenged by an unprecedented number of conflicts and humanitarian emergencies throughout the world. It is not a time for despair, however, but for a rekindling of the original aspirations of the United Nations. A reinvigorated and effective Organization must be relevant to the aspirations of those for whom it was meant. Whatever options are chosen, they must respect the
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individual and collective needs of all people.
The Security Council should be more democratic and representative through an expansion of its permanent and non-permanent membership. The Council's composition should reflect the aspirations of the Charter, as well as political, geographical, economic and demographic realities. India, the largest parliamentary democracy, should be entitled to a permanent seat on the Council. As a group, small island States also reflect a distinctive reality and should find permanent representation on the Council. Because of their diversity and multiplicity of population, languages and cultures, small island developing States deserve to be heard in the main body of the United Nations.
In an era of expanding access to global telecommunications technology and a fast emerging interdependent world, the international community must realize and converge its efforts to bridge the economic and technological gap between industrialized and developing countries. Many newly independent countries require concerted efforts and the special attention of the world community for their economies to improve. The United Nations has a global mission to address needs, to further the common objectives of the world community and to promote the economic and social advancement of people in big and small countries, thereby creating conditions for the peaceful development of all.
LESTER BRYANT BIRD, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda: The United Nations moral authority is sorely wounded, bleeding from its wounds in Bosnia, Rwanda and Somalia. The world community, which should have been able to end conflict, stop killing and save lives, was incapable of enforcing the peace, hobbled essentially by its Member States.
General Assembly economic programmes for developing countries such as Antigua and Barbuda have had little substance and the gap between rich and poor nations has widened to a chasm. Antigua and Barbuda supports the proposal for an economic security council, imbued with the same standing as the Security Council, but with a wider, more representative membership. The proposed council would "give political leadership and promote consensus on international economic issues".
The blame for the United Nations debilitation does not lie with its staff, but with its Member States, particularly those which arrogate to themselves control of United Nations activities. Fifty years ago the founding fathers constructed an international corporation of States with Member States as shareholders and the few permanent members of the Security Council as its Board of Directors. The Organization is only as effective as its shareholders want it to be and as its Board is mandated to direct it. The shareholders have not made it effective and the Directors have too often acted to advance their individual interests. It would be mistaken to focus on reform, and neglect the role of the States in reducing the effectiveness of the
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Organization. "Let us ensure that the decisions and operation of the Organization effectively express the desires of the international community as a whole and not just the will of a privileged few."
DAVID ODDSSON, Prime Minister of Iceland: The Organization's achievements have sustained, and can enhance, its status. Its almost universal membership and combined resources provide it with a unique potential for global action. Smaller States, including Iceland, equate multilateral cooperation with the maintenance of security in the widest sense. No single country, however powerful, can disregard global interdependence or turn a blind eye to global problems. Reforms need to be agreed on and implemented without delay. That includes an expansion of the number of permanent and non- permanent members in the Security Council.
The Organization remains the only available and conceivable venue for concerted action on a global scale. It is the only organization capable of coordinating a reaction to the disintegration of States and to humanitarian disasters world-wide, as well as for attaining consensus on environmental protection and the management of natural resources. It is also in a unique position, in cooperation with regional organizations, to initiate and conduct peace-keeping operations, monitor elections and human rights agreements, as well as carry out humanitarian interventions.
Unfortunately, many Member States do not honour their commitments to human rights and democracy, which they voluntarily undertook when they signed the Charter. Violation of human rights cannot be excused by reference to economic, social, religious or cultural circumstances. Furthermore, it is deplorable that the functioning and strengthening of the United Nations is being impeded by a financial crisis arising from the late payment or non- payment of assessed contributions to the Organization. The payment of arrears should not be made dependent on reforms. Reforms become impossible if the Organization is financially crippled.
INGVAR CARLSSON, Prime Minister of Sweden: The United Nations has to be reformed, but the word reform means different things to different people. Sweden wanted to see reform in governance and finance, but did not want reform to become a fig-leaf for cuts and cop-outs. Yesterday, a group of political figures who were invited earlier this year by Sweden to consider international problems, adopted a statement in support of global cooperation to promote common security and improve the management of economic interdependency. The statement is an earnest commitment to work for a United Nations that can meet global challenges. The 16 signatories agreed to keep in touch and to offer continued strong political support for a more vital United Nations.
The Commission on Global Governance, which I chair with Sir Shridath Ramphal, has proposed a world conference on governance in 1998. Such a conference would be an opportunity to discuss and decide on a number of the
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most important issues, on measures to safeguard security, on steps to handle economic interdependency, on ways to strengthen the United Nations and on ways to promote respect for international law.
Nowhere is the crisis in multilateralism more apparent than in the unwillingness of some Member States to contribute. They want more and more from the Organization, yet are not willing to pay their fees. That is simply unacceptable. In the world today, more and more services need to be provided globally in everyone's common interest. Systems of financing must be developed which assure adequate, predictable and sustainable levels of funding.
The mandatory contributions of Member States should continue to be the backbone of the financing of core activities, but the dependency on one large contributor must be reduced. Alternative methods of financing should be explored, including the possibility of creating an international tax on foreign currency transactions, the introduction of charges for the use of common global resources, such as the sea lanes or ocean fishing areas, or perhaps an extra tax on airline tickets.
HABIB THIAM, Prime Minister of Senegal: This gathering bears witness to the international community's faith in the United Nations mission of restoring peace, strengthening cooperation and enhancing progress world-wide. The emergence of more than 100 new States is a product of man's interminable struggle for freedom. International peace and security, economic and social development, humanitarian aid and promotion of the rule of law have been the permanent objectives of the Organization for the past 50 years.
Many criticisms of the Organization are unfounded. Both the strengths and the weaknesses of the United Nations are reflections of the strengths and weaknesses of its Member States. The Organization can only work in conformity with the collective political will of its various States. The failures of the Organization in the Middle East, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda and Burundi and in other areas, are merely reflections of the contradictory attitudes and interests of various States and pressure groups.
Peace is not just the absence of war. Peace also means eliminating acts of injustice and the inertia that characterizes international economic relations. Drastic measures should be taken to restore a sound international economic order. The rich nations should urgently reconstitute the IDA funds of the World Bank, which offer soft loans to the most impoverished nations. Such an action should go hand in hand with appreciably reducing or even cancelling the debts owed by developing countries, and with finding a solution to the deteriorating terms of trade between the North and the South.
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MAXIME CARLOT KORMAN, Prime Minister of Vanuatu: It is the duty of Member States to help the Organization face the new challenges of the twenty- first century. The Organization has achieved much in the fields of sustainable development and the role of women. Those initiatives must be followed up in other United Nations bodies. In addition reform in the Organization should ensure an expansion of the Security Council to incorporate more developing nations. The nations of the Pacific feel that it is necessary to revive the work of other international bodies to ensure that their needs are treated as priority.
Many believe the Pacific will be the centre of the world in the twenty- first century, but the economic growth of Pacific States is not at the same pace as that of the rest of that region. The problems of the islands which share the Pacific are similar and sustainable development is indispensable for those islands. They also need to be assured of regional peace and security. The Asia-Pacific region is experiencing environmental problems, as a result of the transportation of nuclear waste and the spread of radioactivity due to nuclear testing. France must be congratulated for its policy of denuclearization. The Pacific peoples also welcome the treaty creating a nuclear-free zone in the Pacific. The protection of the environment must remain a priority in the respective regions of the world. In so doing, "let us build together a more pacific world".
MARC FORNE MOLNE, Prime Minister of the Principality of Andorra: The people of Andorra want a stronger and more efficient United Nations, as well as a more just and prosperous world to satisfy the aspirations of the human family for peace and development. When the Organization was established, the universal values of tolerance and peace prevailed over the previous way of understanding and the international community turned its attention to collective solidarity and the challenges of development. However, the world continued to be imperfect and full of conflicts and misery. "Even as we speak in this temple of peaceful coexistence, in many places conflicts are continuing, children are continuing to die, yet more widows weep over their husbands, yet more parents lose their children."
In spite of that, the international community must continue to speak of good intentions. It must insist on the respect for human rights, the fundamental importance of the individual person, and the conservation of natural and historical heritages. Having succeeded in identifying its objectives, in the second phase of its development the Organization must build the structures that will enable it to stop attempts to subvert its achievements. Certain aspects of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council must be reformed, as well as the Organization's financial capacity and its administration.
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The Organization must zealously preserve the founding principles of equality between States. Small States like Andorra must continue to steer the great States towards dialogue and see to it that words and open hands are used as the tools of peace. Small communities can teach the lessons of peaceful coexistence, cordial understanding, respect and tolerance. Andorra, which is itself the historical result of an arbitration in the thirteenth century, has allowed its people to confirm their identity throughout the most turbulent centuries of old Europe. The people of Andorra will spare no effort to share their seven centuries of peace and tolerance with other States.
GOH CHOK TONG, Prime Minister of Singapore: The United Nations has often been criticized and even maligned. Despite its shortcomings, the Organization has contributed to a better world. Globalization will be a driving force for the next 50 years. Advances in technology and multinational business will push nations to work together, rather than against each other. Regional groupings and multilateral bodies are becoming increasingly important.
Globalization will change the way that nations look at the principles of sovereign authority. Cities and areas within larger States that can link up with others outside their national boundaries will flourish as integral parts of larger regions. Those that stay local will tend to lag behind. In this kind of economic development, the United Nations can help sovereign States integrate into larger economic entities and the world community as a whole.
To meet the challenges of the future, the United Nations must streamline and rationalize itself. Financial reform will be critical. The Organization cannot flounder from financial crisis to financial crisis. Any financial reform undertaken by the Organization will be politically acceptable only if the Member States pay their assessed contributions in full, on time and without conditions. Assessed contributions are binding legal obligations. Reform of the Security Council is another critical area. There is no consensus yet on what kind of new members there should be, or how many. The most practical means of achieving consensus on the reform of the Council is to identify objective general criteria that all permanent members, present or aspiring, must fulfil.
P.V. NARASIMHA RAO, Prime Minister of India: Critics tend to concentrate on the failures of the United Nations, but its successes have been many. On objective appraisal, the Organization remains humankind's beacon of hope. The combined United Nations family has made commendable efforts for the overall well-being of mankind. Looking to the root causes of the world's crises, one notes that nuclear weapons still loom large, poverty and underdevelopment are pervasive, international terrorism haunts the innocent, and harmony is being disrupted by fundamentalist trends based on exclusivism, intolerance and hatred.
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There can be no security for anyone in a world bristling with nuclear weapons. Deterrence is a false belief. When some possess those weapons for an indefinite time, it becomes a tempting objective for others too, leading to proliferation. The idea of a permanent limited number of nuclear States is thus unrealistic and self-defeating. The United Nations should take credible steps towards the complete elimination of all nuclear weapons within a stipulated time frame.
The greatest danger in the world today is terrorism. When sponsored by States, terrorism becomes another means of waging war. The international community must therefore resolve to combat that menace since it threatens the very basis of peaceful societies. Today's realities are trans-ideological.
The United Nations today includes a larger number of independent, sovereign States than when it began. The Organization cannot afford to be seen as either exclusivist or incomplete. An adequate presence of developing countries is needed in the Security Council on the basis of objective criteria. Nations of the world must be made to feel that their stakes in global peace and prosperity are factored into United Nations decision-making.
POUL NYRUP RASMUSSEN, Prime Minister of Denmark: Although the dreams of the founding fathers of the United Nations have not been fully realized, Member States remain committed to a strong partnership, striving for freedom, peace and development. Lasting answers have not been found in isolationism or nationalism. This anniversary must be devoted to those who have risked their lives for the Organization's ideals. A "soft security policy" must follow the cold war era. A serious and active follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development must be a very important part of the United Nations agenda in the twenty-first century. Soft security policy measures like poverty alleviation, sustainable economic and social development, protection of the environment and promotion of human and equal rights are as important as peace-keeping operations.
The United Nations needs to be swifter and more credible in responding to crises. In support of that, Denmark has offered to augment the existing United Nations stand-by forces arrangement with a multilateral brigade in a state of high readiness. Denmark plans to earmark its contribution to the current stand-by forces for such an arrangement. Other nations are urged to do likewise.
Furthermore, it is an illusion that an organization deprived of financial resources should be more susceptible to reform. Securing peace and development costs money, but the expenses of inaction are far greater.
It is regrettable that the development assistance of the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has dropped to the lowest level in 20 years. The target of 0.7 per cent of gross national
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product must be met as soon as possible. The United Nations is now a much larger Organization than it was 50 years ago. It must face even more challenges in the next century. Member States are dependent on each other and have a shared responsibility. The world needs the United Nations more than ever.
His Royal Highness Prince SAMDECH KROM PREAH NORODOM RANARIDDH, First Prime Minister of Cambodia: First and foremost, this fiftieth anniversary is the occasion for reaffirming our support for the ideals and the constant efforts of the United Nations in the name of peace and development. Cambodia will support all efforts aimed at democratizing the Organization. It also seeks the admission of new permanent members to the Security Council, such as Germany, Japan, and certain major States of the South.
And secondly, this year also marks the fortieth anniversary of Cambodia's admission as a Member State. The Cambodian conflict is now over, after 23 years of upheavals and suffering. The victory of our people over itself and over external forces, and the success of the United Nations, were the result of close communion. The success of the peace process in Cambodia can be considered a model for United Nations peace-keeping operations. Today Cambodia is happy to be able to contribute in its turn to the lessening of tensions, and even of conflicts, in the Asian-Pacific region.
King Norodom Sihanouk Varman of Cambodia has sent a message to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, which says, in part, "We Cambodians are particularly indebted to the United Nations for helping our country and people to regain their freedom and independence. Cambodians will never forget the assistance provided to our country by the United Nations. I very much regret that poor health prevents me from joining you and other Heads of State at the celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, but I shall be with you all in spirit."
SITIVENI L. RABUKA, Prime Minister of Fiji: Over the years, the United Nations has shown resilience in accepting new members, in appreciating changes within States, and in resolving unexpected complexities in relations between States. In the South Pacific region, many small States had limited resources and constraints on their earning capacities. Those States are worried about the consequences of global warming, nuclear tests and excessive economic exploitation. Fiji was happy to hear yesterday of France's intention to sign the protocol to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga) next year. France should stop nuclear testing immediately.
The completion of a draft declaration by the United Nations working group on the rights of indigenous peoples was appropriate, though belated. Not all the wrongs that history has wrought upon indigenous persons can be put right, but there are significant areas where redress is possible. The United Nations should ensure that those remedies are expeditious. To this day, in
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some places, the powerful denied indigenous persons political self- determination, which is essential to their economic and social uplifting. The United Nations should guarantee that external values and forces did not continue to coerce from the indigenous political concessions, economic reforms and social changes that they do not themselves desire.
Sir JAMES FITZ-ALLEN MITCHELL, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines: The United Nations is a noble institution created from a vision, for the benefit of mankind. However, it is not perfect. Like all living things, it needs the nurture of fresh nutrients and fresh ideas. "If it does not adjust to the supreme law of the universe, that is, the universality of useful change, the definition of anachronism awaits this once inspired body." Germany and Japan have earned the right to belong to the "charmed inner circle" of the Security Council. Other evolving regions which have demonstrated their economic potential should also have the right to a permanent seat on the Council, as well as Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. Countries should also be able to secure a seat on the Council on an individual basis.
The fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations is worthy of celebration now that the evils of communism have been put to rest. Nevertheless, the Organization still has much unfinished business, including the determination of the status of the holy city of Jerusalem. Christianity, Judaism and the Muslim faith all have equal claim to sovereignty of Jerusalem, which should become an international city under the umbrella of the United Nations. That will be a way to ensure peace among all religious faiths.
DENZIL DOUGLAS, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis: The configuration of world affairs has changed significantly since the signing of the United Nations Charter. However, many old problems still feature prominently on the international agenda. Nations should pool their energies and resources to harness a future worthy of being passed on to their children. The international community should take concerted action to minimize political and economic instability, eradicate social violence, protect and preserve the environment, provide support against natural disaster and stop ethnic conflicts.
The United Nations needed to holistically address the economic inequalities of the world system, which allowed certain ideas and policies to prevail, while ignoring the indigenous and regional. It is a matter of regret that nations today continue to arm themselves with weapons of mass destruction. As their war machinery thrives, thousands of helpless people die of starvation each year.
In 50 years, the structures of the United Nations have hardly changed, yet its circumstances have changed beyond what its founders would recognize. In the new era, the international community should endeavour to make the
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Security Council more representative and responsive. It is time for the developing world to become permanent members of the Council. All countries should unite to combat new threats to international peace and security, such as drug trafficking.
DANIEL KABLAN DUNCAN, Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire: The question facing us today, 50 years after the creation of the United Nations, is how the Organization should be reformed. As the mirror image of the world, it must continue to adapt to the various transformations that mark our age. It is enough to ask ourselves what the world might be today if the United Nations had never existed. Let us therefore agree to consolidate the values of peace and justice that represent our joint Organization, in order to permit the universal conscience to carve out a path that straddles the divergent interests of States.
Faced with unprecedented economic difficulties, the countries of Africa are increasingly marginalized, while the concept of solidarity is losing definition and the wealthier nations tend more and more towards isolation. Against such a background, the idea of establishing a partnership for development between rich and poor -- as set out in the Agenda for Development -- makes sound sense and should be resolutely supported.
These anniversary celebrations are taking place against a background of financial crisis. Countries most endowed with resources are showing a reluctance to meet their obligations fully, while the great majority of poor countries work hard -- and always with great difficulty -- to come up with dues which their precarious economies make permanently problematic.
The United Nations must contribute to the birth of a civil society transcending frontiers. But with the end of the cold war, nation States and civil societies are now faced with a historical opportunity -- the chance of a reformation leading to a transformation of the condition of all humankind. For the United Nations, such a reformation must be the central challenge of the new century.
IBRAHIM BOUBACAR KEITA, Prime Minister of Mali: Mali hopes to see the United Nations respond to humankind's aspirations for the twenty-first century: to live in peace and security, with social justice and human dignity. It supports the action of the Organization in favour of popular self-determination, the eradication of colonialism, and the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination and oppression. The United Nations has opened new horizons for numerous countries and peoples, permitting them to cooperate to advance their common interests. It has inspired peoples to devote their resources and energy to development, progress and prosperity.
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For Mali, the enlargement of the Security Council, the rehabilitation of the role of the General Assembly and the rationalization of the Secretariat would give evidence, finally, of a greater democratization of the United Nations and of a greater transparency of all its organs. At this end of a century, the Organization is confronted by several subtle and complex challenges. The Member States must act quickly and with solidarity. Their collective evolution is at stake.
ANGELO CARDINAL SODANO, Secretary of State of the Holy See: In the current phase of international relations, action by the United Nations is irreplaceable for the support it gives countries in their efforts to strengthen peace, assure social progress and promote liberty. In his visit to the United Nations on 5 October the Holy Father expressed the wish that the Organization might become "a moral centre where all the nations of the world feel at home and develop a shared awareness of being".
By its presence at today's gathering, the Holy See, a sovereign subject of international law with a moral religious purpose, seeks to contribute to the Organization the spiritual strength which will allow it to defend more effectively the principles of its Charter.
His Holiness Pope John Paul II recalled during his visit that "we do not live in an irrational or meaningless world", but that "there is a 'moral logic which is built into human life' and which makes possible dialogue between people and individuals". The delegates of the Holy See to the United Nations thus strive to contribute in such a way that decisions made are always governed by the objective good of all -- especially that of those peoples most affected by poverty, injustice and war -- and thus not governed by selfish or nationalistic concerns or mere economic interests.
SAYYID FAHAD MAHMOUD AL-SAID, Deputy Prime Minister for Cabinet Affairs of Oman: Oman has witnessed an unprecedented economic resurgence with its people the only asset in its structural adjustment. Oman continues to support the Charter of the United Nations and the international treaties to which it is committed. Oman's participation in the Security Council when it was a non- permanent member, and in other relations with other States, has provided it with the opportunity to play an increasing role in international affairs.
In recent years the role of the United Nations in economic development has increased, but peace, prosperity and social security will not be realized unless the collective efforts of the international community are enhanced. Efforts must be made to enable many countries to utilize technology to improve their economy and to improve the welfare of their people.
Oman pays tribute to the successive Secretaries-General and to efforts of United Nations staff since 1945, which have contributed to making the United Nations a success.
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GUIDO DE MARCO, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malta: The support of the international community for the principles of the Charter will determine the United Nations relevance, validity and effectiveness.
The spreading of a "poverty curtain" has become more pronounced and ruthless. The world's efforts to consolidate human dignity are still eroded by the culture of death peddled by drug traffickers. Intentions to buttress the rule of law are still undermined by international crime.
Universality is the keystone of the United Nations. The notion has consistently guided Malta's actions within the Organization and it inspires Malta's role in the pursuit of global and regional peace and cooperation. It has also underpinned Malta's efforts to promote and develop the concept of the common heritage of mankind, in the context of the Law of the Sea and concerns over climate change. In reviewing the United Nations principal organs, the equal right of nations, large and small, must be kept in mind.
The role of the General Assembly should be revitalized as it is the only organ in which all are permanent Members. A symbiotic relationship between the Security Council and the Assembly is an essential part of the Council's restructuring.
FAROUK AL-SHARA, Foreign Minister of Syria: The daunting tasks facing the world since the end of the cold war could not be taken on by any one individual State. They require instead the concerted efforts of Member States contributing with concern and sincerity. The United Nations was still the best framework to mobilize collective contributions aimed at those challenges. Syria would not support an international order in which it had neither a role nor an interest. Syria, together with others, would continue to strive for a just international order that recognized equality between States, mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs.
Consensus has crystallized that the United Nations must reform. Improvement of the Organization's performance and the democratization of its decision-making could not be obtained if the strong and rich States imposed their self-interest at the expense of the majority. The decision to extend the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) last April had entrenched the monopoly of those possessing nuclear weapons and brought pressure to bear on those who did not possess them and who sincerely wished to rid mankind of nuclear weapons.
The United Nations has always played a vital role in decolonization, but in Israel today, settlers continued to occupy Arab lands. Israel did not want the United Nations to play a role in bringing peace to the Middle East. After four years of negotiations, it is clear that Israel first used the American peace initiative to rid itself of the United Nations, and then to hamstring
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the American initiative itself. Israel wanted to mislead the world into believing that it had gone a long way towards peace. But the real enemies of peace were those who had annexed Jerusalem and the Golan.
ZINE EL ABDINE BEN ALI, President of Tunisia: Since its creation in the difficult aftermath of the Second World War, the United Nations has laboured on behalf of peace and spared mankind the horrors of destruction. It thus helped pave the way for movements of national liberation in every region of the world. Supporters of brotherhood and equality in the fight against the forces of oppression likewise found support in the Organization.
Since its independence, Tunisia has accorded the principles enshrined in the Charter a place of honour in its national scale of values. It has for example taken the initiative -- in conjunction with the competent United Nations organs -- in organizing conferences on the teaching of democracy and tolerance. It has also participated actively in all the Organization's conferences.
Tunisia believes that the advent of peace depends not so much on conflict prevention and resolution as on action aimed at eradicating the root causes. The best way of achieving that goal at the international level is to establish a close link between development, training and the education of people's minds, as well as the consecration of human rights and education for democracy and the virtues of tolerance and moderation. Terrorism, organized crime, the drug trade, environmental degradation, the spread of disease and the re-emergence of certain pandemic illnesses, are all threats to social peace, both within countries and beyond their borders. Their eradication at the national and global level is an enormous and urgent task which no State can undertake alone; it is a responsibility which must be borne by the entire international community.
SHAIKH MOHAMMED MUBARAK AL-KHALIFA, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bahrain: In an era teeming with developments and changes, this anniversary provides an opportunity for the world's governments and peoples to reflect upon the performance of the Organization and to benefit from the mishaps of the past. Efforts should be exerted to reinvigorate the General Assembly. The Security Council's effectiveness should be enhanced by expanding its membership and applying all methods to promote its efficiency. The role of the Economic and Social Council must be strengthened so that it can effectively promote the welfare of all peoples; it is unacceptable that one fifth of the world population should suffer from abject poverty.
The United Nations has often been tested and it has proven its ability to overcome crises. Among its most significant achievements were the elimination of colonialism and the eradication of poverty. A few years ago,
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the Gulf region witnessed the formation of the greatest international alliance in history to deter aggression and to solidify international legitimacy at all levels.
The achievement of a just comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East in which all parties participate will be one of the most momentous achievements of the United Nations.
LYONPO DAWA TSERING, Foreign Minister of Bhutan: For a small nation like Bhutan, United Nations membership enabled it to participate in the shaping of the international agenda on numerous issues of importance ranging from population, environment, poverty, disarmament, social development and the protection of cultural heritage. The fiftieth anniversary of the Organization was a time to celebrate its role in the peaceful change of political systems, the formulation of international principles and standards, the moulding of the international agenda, and the achievement of collective security.
The present political structure of the Organization was conceived when it had a membership of only 50 countries. Since then, membership has nearly quadrupled. The interests of the vast majority of the Members is not represented in the Security Council, which is the only body of real authority within the system. The reform of the Council must begin with its expansion so that it will represent the interests of all countries equally. On the basis of any objective criteria, Japan and India merited membership.
STEPHEN KALONZO MUSYOKA, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Kenya: The United Nations has succeeded in the prevention of a third world war; it has made much progress in the codification of international law; it has provided a conducive climate for the reconstruction of Europe and has almost completed the mission of decolonization. The end of the cold war, however, has been followed by an explosion of international conflicts unleashed by ethnic and religious nationalism. The size and complexity of some of these conflicts have led to the disintegration of some Member States of the United Nations. The absence of a delegation from Somalia eloquently testifies to this fact. Equally disquieting is the current trend towards abandonment of support for both bilateral and multilateral development programmes.
Nations should enhance the capabilities of the United Nations in the peaceful resolution of conflicts; should mobilize international support for socio-economic development and should strengthen the productive capacity and competitiveness of developing countries, especially those in Africa. Since the United Nations, like any other organization, needs a sound financial base, Member States should pay their assessed contributions in full.
Kenya refuses to be drawn into Rwandan problems and condemns the unprovoked attack on Kenya's Head of State by President Bizimungu in the
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Assembly this morning. "We have stated time and again that Kenya will cooperate with the Tribunal on Rwanda to ensure that justice is applied to all." It is important that the root causes of the conflict in Rwanda be addressed, and that the shooting down of the plane carrying the Rwandan and Burundian Presidents, which resulted in their deaths, be investigated.
MOUZAOIR ABDALLAH, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Comoros: The part played by the United Nations in decolonization, in the progress of international law and respect for human rights, and in the identification of certain crucial problems, such as those relative to population and the environment, illustrates the Organization's growing credit and progress.
However, much remains to be done in the furtherance of peace, solidarity and the right of peoples to a dignified and prosperous life. For example, the United Nations must strive for a new approach to debt repayment, with the twin aims of justice and solvency. Otherwise, small countries such as the Comoros may simply be thrust aside from the vast movement of hope and responsibility in which they continue firmly to believe.
The aggression inflicted upon the Republic of the Comoros on the night of 27-28 September of this year battered the country, exacerbating an already precarious economic and social situation. The Comoros today appeals most urgently for an all-out effort, embodied in vigorous, stern and uncompromising legislation, to put an end to the criminal and destructive acts of mercenaries. The people of the Comoros extend sincere thanks to the international community and also to the French Government and people. It was the vigorous intervention of an elite unit of the French armed forces, during the night of 3-4 October, within the framework of existing defence agreements between the Comoros and France, that made possible the restoration of constitutional order. The Comorian people owe a similar debt of thanks to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali for his action undertaken on behalf of the Organization of African Unity and of nations friendly to the Comoros, including the United States.
NAJIBULLAH LAFRAIE, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan: When Afghanistan was invaded, the General Assembly condemned the aggression, but the Security Council did nothing because the former Soviet Union could use its veto power against any decision on the matter. That is why Afghanistan considers the veto as a tyranny of the minority over the majority, which should be replaced by the requirement of a two-thirds majority.
All are aware of the suffering of the Afghan people during the years of Soviet occupation. The question is why war-stricken Afghanistan is again facing foreign conspiracies, and plots stirring national and ethnic hatred among its people. Those in the neighbouring country who finance, arm and
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train the "so-called Taliban" should know that its members believe in violence and negate every single principle of democracy and human rights. Right at this moment, foreign engineered conspiracy has once again channelled the Taliban mercenaries to the gates of the capital Kabul. The aim is to impose by force and violence a puppet clique against the will of our people. The world stands a silent spectator to further devastation in an already war-torn Afghanistan.
Speeches have been made at this special commemorative meeting about ways of implementing the Charter, but they will remain mere beautiful expressions unless translated into practice. At this very moment millions of human beings go on living in poverty, hunger, deprivation and without any access to primary health care or basic education. Yet in spite of suffering in the human family, millions of dollars are spent on sophisticated weapons for the annihilation of human lives.
DAUDI N. MWAKAWAGO, Permanent Representative of the United Republic of Tanzania: The United Nations has done more than decolonization, especially through the work of its agencies. The Organization, however, needs revitalization. The Security Council should be democratized, both in terms of its membership and in terms of the scope of issues it considers. Equitable geographical representation should guide reforms. The scourge of poverty and environmental degradation is the new war facing the United Nations.
Although there is much talk of the globalization of the world economy, unless the South gets its act together, it will not enjoy the benefits of globalization. The experience of successful Latin American and Asian countries can help spearhead development elsewhere in the South at a pace commensurate with prevailing traditions and values. The United Nations has a role to play in that endeavour; it goes without saying that the huge debt burden must be addressed.
On the conflicts in Rwanda and Burundi, it is absolutely necessary to address the question of the return of refugees to their countries of origin. Failure to do so will only breed more conflicts in the future. Tanzania has more than 1 million refugees from the two neighbouring countries. "It is a huge burden to a poor least developed country." A fitting gift to the Organization's fiftieth anniversary would be for all of its Members to live by the tenets of the Charter.
ROBERT E. MILLETTE, Chairman of the Delegation of Grenada: Some people refer to the United Nations as the biggest debating society in the world, in which perception takes precedence over substance and rhetoric over reality. The truth is that the United Nations bears the marks of humanity's triumph and failure.
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The Organization must now address itself to finding solutions to drug trafficking, regional and ethnic conflicts, debt burdens, barriers to trade, international terrorism and environmental threats. The small States look to the United Nations for assistance in information technology and human resource development. Grenada believes that the Security Council should reflect the new economic and political realities, and the United Nations agencies should work in close collaboration with the Bretton Woods institutions.
Grenada concurs with the principle of universality as stated in the United Nations Charter. Therefore, it brings to the attention of the international community the exclusion of the Republic of China on Taiwan from this Organization since 1971. Grenada urges the opening of dialogue as a first step in resolving this problem.
Action on Draft Declaration
The Assembly then took up the draft declaration contained in the report of the Preparatory Committee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations.
RICHARD BUTLER (Australia), Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations, introducing the draft resolution, said in all of its work the Committee was assisted by an utterly superb Secretariat of the United Nations. "I want this to be heard in particular outside this Hall".
"We have discharged our responsibility. We have produced a declaration which reaffirms the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and our commitments to them and we have produced a declaration on the future which will have meaning for the peoples of the world." The document would serve the international community well in particular in its guidelines for future cooperation among nations. In itself, the declaration represents a major act of cooperation. "I commend to this Assembly this declaration on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations."
The Declaration was then adopted by acclamation.
Statements
NIKENIKE VUROBARAVU, Deputy Secretary-General of the South Pacific Forum Secretariat: Although new to the United Nations process, the Forum, admitted only last year as an observer, is deeply committed to the ideals and objectives enshrined in the Charter. However, while the Forum applauds the expanded and invigorated role the United Nations is playing in the post-cold war world, it must reiterate its deep disappointment and concern at the resumption this year, despite world-wide outrage, of nuclear testing in the Pacific.
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Such testing threatens recent positive developments in nuclear disarmament. It threatens the Pacific environment and the health of Pacific peoples. And it threatens the ideals of the United Nations. The Forum, therefore, welcomes the recent announcement by the United States, Britain and France in support of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty and looks forward to their early signing of the Treaty Protocol.
The United Nations Charter recognizes that to attain peace and security, the deep-seated economic and social causes of international instability must be addressed. The economic interests of its small island Members is of the highest priority for the Forum. Increasingly, this calls for attention to environmental sustainability of the development process, as pressure on such small, fragile marine and terrestrial ecosystems intensifies.
A major factor in the Forum's decision to seek observer status at the United Nations was the Organization's growing role in addressing sustainable development issues. Forum countries have participated in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Commission on Sustainable Development, the negotiations on climate change, and so on. The Forum looks forward to an increasing United Nations role in these areas.
EDWIN W. CARRINGTON, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM): The United Nations still represents mankind's greatest hope for peace, development and international cooperation. It has much to be proud of. In the field of economic and social development, the United Nations has facilitated the development of the emerging nations of the post-war era, including the nations of the Caribbean Community. Of particular significance has been the United Nations efforts in recognizing the equal sovereign status of nations, while promoting the special needs of the least developed and the small nation States.
As it prepares for the future, the United Nations is challenged to play an even more decisive role in the rapidly changing political, economic and cultural landscape. United Nations reform will have to provide for more equitable representation in decision-making. The countries of the Caribbean stand ready to play their part in cooperation with the United Nations.
Through regional and international cooperation, the members of CARICOM have sought to advance and improve the standard of life of their peoples. Recently, its largely English-speaking Caribbean membership has been expanded to include the Dutch-speaking country of Suriname. It has alsos expanded its regional cooperation with the recent establishment of the Association of Caribbean States -- membership in which is open to all States, countries and territories of the Caribbean Basin.
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SALIM AHMED SALIM, Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU): Despite difficulties and shortcomings, including the limitations imposed by its Member States, the United Nations still embodies the yearning of the world's peoples to embrace each other in a partnership of understanding and cooperation. To Africa, the United Nations has been an instrument of liberation. Apartheid has been relegated to history in large part because of the joint struggle by Member States. World opposition to colonialism and racism converged and there was a global partnership for change, a partnership crucial to achieving liberation in Africa.
As Africa faces the future, it will need to solidify the support of the United Nations. Africans must overcome their doubts and work to defeat the isolationist sentiments of some Member States, which now seem to be undermining the spirit of internationalism. As a continent of small and developing countries, Africa sees itself at one with the United Nations in the global search for equality, peace and human development. In this world, which has too often gravitated towards the unilateralism of the powerful, Africa can only find security in the collective will of the United Nations. If the Organization is to adjust effectively, the Member States must strengthen the bridges of cooperation and understanding.
WILHELM HOYNCK, Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE): The international community needs the United Nations even more than in the past. At the same time, the problem-solving potential of the Organization depends almost entirely on the support it receives from its Member States. The OSCE and other organizations in its region are willing to make their contribution to a lasting and peaceful order.
As regional organizations become able to assume the tasks assigned to them in the Charter, the United Nations will become stronger. Regional action will alleviate the burden that has proven to be too heavy for the United Nations. This will contribute to a deeper sense of participation, consensus and democratization in international affairs. However, better ways must be found to achieve mutually reinforcing cooperation and to improve the ability to allocate tasks according to comparative advantages.
The situation in the world today requires an ever more closely interlocking network of international organizations, in which the United Nations has a special place. Further thought should be given to how non- governmental organizations can be integrated more effectively into such a network. Efforts to strengthen the management and to streamline the structure of the United Nations will succeed only if they are rooted in faith in fundamental human rights and freedoms, and in the dignity of the human being.
CARLOS MONETA, Permanent Secretary of the Latin American Economic System: The balance sheet for the United Nations for these 50 years is positive so far as the maintenance of peace is concerned. However, its
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presence in economic and developmental issues needs to be greater. The importance of the Economic and Social Council has been consistently undermined. Within the Security Council, greater democratization in its processes is called for.
The Latin American Economic System does not believe that peace and development are separate. The growing globalization of the economy demonstrates that the developing countries need to join the growing world market. In this context, the Latin American and Caribbean countries have been making efforts to incorporate the experience of other parts of the world in tandem with its culture. The Agenda for Development presents an opportunity for the United Nations to play a central role in the determination of the direction of development, a responsibility which is shouldered largely by financial agencies today.
Let us pool our efforts so that the United Nations declaration adopted today is implemented by all of us together.
CESAR GAVIRIA, Secretary-General of the Organization of American States: The Americas are united by the values of democracy and freedom and consider the United Nations to be the most appropriate instrument for promoting the collective hopes of mankind. The road travelled by the United Nations has not been easy. Its main contribution has perhaps been keeping alive the ideal of a common destiny in a world divided by apparently irreconcilable hatred. "These walls have sheltered even at the darkest moments a dream of a peaceful and united world."
Overcoming poverty, hunger, crime, environmental deterioration, violations of human rights, the arms build-up and other challenges will require collective efforts, as those problems transcend borders. Those who defend isolation are sowing uncertainty, clinging to a mistaken sense of fiscal frugality. "Some would like to save a few pennies at the cost of the viability of a new international order." That is not to say that reform and cost-effectiveness are not needed. They are welcome. When the euphoria of the celebration dissipates, the constructive spirit should continue, so the fiftieth anniversary can be remembered as the beginning of a new era.
TANG CHENGYUAN, Secretary-General of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee: The working of the United Nations has shown that institutionalized cooperation is possible and workable. It has demonstrated that in the interdependent, but fragile, environment of contemporary international society, cooperation is necessary. A multitude of demographic, economic, environmental, political, technological and criminal factors overwhelm the decision-makers in States.
An overview of this universal institution reveals far more achievements than is recognized. The peoples of the United Nations have acknowledged that
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climate is a "common concern of mankind", declared the seabed and the ocean floor beyond the national jurisdiction of States to be the "common heritage of mankind" and resolved to use outer space for the "common benefit of mankind." The spectacular results attained in accelerating the process to full nationhood of the territories under trusteeship and non-self-governing status and the current near universal membership of the Organization represent yet other achievements of the United Nations.
The achievements of the United Nations have stemmed in part from observing with due respect the obligations arising from international law. The Consultative Committee will continue to support the activities of the United Nations and cooperate towards prevalence of rule of law in international relations.
SHAMSHAD AHMAD, Secretary-General of the Economic Cooperation Organization: Regional arrangements are assuming a crucial role in peace and development. The Economic Cooperation Organization is devoted to the economic well-being of its 10 member States, which share bonds of history and a collective vision for future progress. It is playing a pivotal role in the stability of a vast region in Asia's heartland.
The member countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization renew their commitment to the purposes of the Charter. They support the efforts of the United Nations and its Secretary-General in removing the causes of conflict and distress in all parts of the world. "Today, the 'iron curtain' is no longer there but the 'poverty curtain' still divides the international community between two unequal worlds, one embarrassingly rich and the other desperately poor." A just and equitable international economic order as well as new patterns of collaboration based on equality and partnership are needed.
ENRIQUE ROMAN-MOREY, Secretary-General of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean: In February 1967, 22 years after the signing of the United Nations Charter, Latin America and the Caribbean, during the core of the cold war, set an example for mankind by banning nuclear weapons by opening the Treaty of Tlatelolco for signature. The Treaty prohibits nuclear arms, established the intergovernmental organization -- OPANAL -- and created the first nuclear-free zone. It is unique and incomparable, and was the first disarmament treaty signed by the five nuclear Powers in recognition of the wishes of Latin America and the Caribbean.
This year, the Treaty achieved universality when it was ratified by a total of 33 States in the Latin American and Caribbean region. It was an example of consensus in the region and a harmonization of desires. Respect for the principles in the Charter, the Tlatelolco Treaty and the majority of international instruments serves to highlight the goal of multilateralism as an essential element of relations between States. It reaffirms that only the
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parties to treaties themselves determine the strength of those instuments. To maintain the United Nations as any other organization, only the efforts of its Members will determine its success.
HUMBERTO CELLI GERBASI, President of the Latin American Parliament: The Latin American Parliament has established its position concerning the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the irreparable damage they cause. Two countries -- France and China, both permanent members of the Security Council -- recently detonated deadly devices, disregarding mankind and its habitat.
The problem of external indebtedness continues to strangle the developing countries, which have been exporting savings in order to cope. The overall amount of the external debt of the third world amounts to some $1.6 billion. The time has come for the Organization of American States (OAS) to ask the International Court of Justice to specify the legal provisions applicable to external debt in order to address the matter. A code of conduct should be established to calculate interest on external debt at its real value, which is 40 per cent lower than the market rate.
Corruption is a problem which must be tackled. Parliamentarians are resolved to fight this world-wide cancerous scourge. "We want to begin the twenty-first century with a fair, open and just horizon for all."
JULIO ICAZA GALLARD, Director of Functional Integration at the General Secretariat of the Central American Integration System: The Central American Integration System congratulates the United Nations on this occasion which coincides with the granting of observer status to it. The Central American Integration System is an organization of six States which has many goals in common with the United Nations. The system would like to strengthen peace and democracy in Central America.
The Central American Integration System shares the United Nations belief that peace cannot be disassociated from development. Our view of development is an integrated one -- an integrated development based on human beings, the men and women of Central America. The Central American Integration System welcomes the consensus on sustainable development that has emerged at the United Nations over the years. The system supports a model of sustainable development which places human beings at the centre. It requires progress on the path to democracy and sustainable management of natural resources.
Closing Remarks
SECRETARY-GENERAL BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI: In the largest gathering of world leaders in history, confidence in the future of the United Nations had been expressed with eloquence. One hundred twenty-nine heads of State and government have come to the United Nations to mark its fiftieth anniversary.
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"We have listened to the wisdom of these leaders. Together they have given the world an Agenda for Tomorrow. An Agenda covering every aspect of human society."
Those who made possible this extraordinary event deserve deepest thanks. The work of Ambassador Richard Butler (Australia) and of the Preparatory Committee for the fiftieth anniversary laid the foundation for this successful gathering and led to the adoption of a historic Declaration. The States of the world have today reaffirmed the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, and their commitment to them. They have resolved to redirect the United Nations to ever greater service to humanity, especially those most in need.
Thousands of non-governmental organizations around the world have forged a new global partnership with the United Nations through their contribution to this effort. Out of it will come new associations and teaching projects which will vastly strengthen common action in the future.
Thanks go also to the observers from non-member States and from other organizations, heads of the specialized agencies and members of my advisory group on the fiftieth anniversary. Also, to Gillian Sorensen, who has directed UN50, the Protocol Office, the many global sponsors of this event and "to our permanent host, the City of New York". "On behalf of the United Nations, I express my appreciation to Mayor Giuliani, Commissioner Sylva, the New York Police Department and the people of New York City, for their patience, cooperation and warm welcome."
None of this could have been achieved without the dedication and tireless efforts of the United Nations staff, including the fiftieth anniversary secretariat and many, many more. "All are living, shining examples of the United Nations and its ideals -- of peoples of the world engaged in service to peoples of the world." All of this attendance, dedication and hard work, show that the United Nations has the support of the citizens of the world and their leaders. "I am convinced that together we can enable the United Nations to serve the world of the future."
During these past three days, the dialogue of nations sought by the founding fathers of the United Nations has been taking place in friendship and fraternity. "We have seen the spirit of San Francisco live again. May this spirit guide us during the next 50 years to achieve the virtuous planet as described by the Arab philosopher Al-Farabi several centuries ago. Long live the United Nations, long live the United Nations."
ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT DIOGO FREITAS DO AMARAL (Portugal): The United Nations continues to be the principal frame of reference for international relations, to set important standards for social and economic conduct and to
General Assembly Plenary - 44 - Press Release GA/8969 40th Meeting (PM & Night) 24 October 1995
be a unifying assembly of the world's nations. Now and in the future, it must continue to be the catalyst for the further progress of humanity.
In statements made during the special meeting the ideals of the United Nations were constantly referred to: peace and development, human rights and international cooperation. No one defended the practices of war, nor advocated the denial of assistance to less fortunate peoples. No one extolled the virtues of dictatorship nor championed isolationism. It is not enough to proclaim ideals; real acts must follow. But the fact that all Members agree on what are the common values of the United Nations signifies that part of the Organization's work is done. What remains now is to work together to agree on the means to achieve those ideals.
The need for bold reform was recognized. The political commitment demonstrated over the last three days must continue. The work on the strengthening of the United Nations has begun. The many proposals made during this commemorative meeting are part of that process of reform. The urgent financial crisis must be faced.
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