SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS ITALIAN PARLIAMENT THAT TOMORROW'S CHALLENGES CALL FOR DEMOCRATIZATION OF TRANSNATIONAL ORDER
Press Release
SG/SM/5865
SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS ITALIAN PARLIAMENT THAT TOMORROW'S CHALLENGES CALL FOR DEMOCRATIZATION OF TRANSNATIONAL ORDER
19960111 Says Italy Has Been a Key Partner in United Nations Effort To Promote Democratization(Received from Director of United Nations Information Centre in Rome.)
ROME, 8 January -- Following is the text of the address delivered by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, to the Italian Parliament on 9 January:
Let me first tell you sincerely how important it is for me to be here with you. It is indeed an honour to have been invited to this exceptional meeting of your Parliament. But it also a genuine pleasure for me to address you. This is because, in the first place, Italy has played an outstanding role in the United Nations for nearly 40 years. Secondly, it is because last year, when we observed the fiftieth anniversary of the Charter, the Italian people and its representatives rallied to renew their commitment to the world Organization's lofty ideals. Lastly, it is because I consider it to be one of the duties of my office to explain to the public at large, to which you are the indispensable link, the role of the United Nations in the world of today.
This seems to me to be all the more important in that we know that today we are standing on the threshold of a new world, a world which nevertheless is largely indecipherable to us. The end of the cold war did not usher in the era of peace that we had every right to expect. And the global society in which we are henceforth called to live is as much a source of hope as it is a source of concern. During this time of transition and uncertainty, it seems to me that the chief role of the United Nations is to keep pace with the major changes taking place in the world and to identify the values on which our emerging society must be based.
I would cite the need for democracy as one of the most important of these values. For I am convinced that democratic principles are at once the most respectful of the human individual and the most apt to maintain peace and
promote development. Of course the need for democracy is not explicitly spelled out in the Charter of the United Nations. But the opening words of its Preamble, "We the peoples of the United Nations", constitute a compelling invitation to move in this direction. Moreover, the very principle of equality that underpins the United Nations encompasses the notion of democracy, for we cannot think of equality without democracy, nor of democracy without equality. But we do know that the road leading from the concept of equality to true equality is a long one. And we know that the road leading from the aspiration for democracy, which is cherished by so many peoples, to the establishment of a culture of democracy in the lives of men and women throughout the world will also be a long one. Yet it is to this very task that we must dedicate ourselves, and it is on this urgent mission that I would send you.
In rallying you to democratic principles, I am not urging States to indulge in some exercise in mimicry or asking them to adopt alien forms of political organization. For me, democracy is not an abstract pattern to be traced onto States; it is a historical process which respects peoples and customs and can be assimilated by all. In this sense, democracy is the political expression of our common heritage. And as such it has a universal dimension.
About halfway through the first century B.C., your illustrious compatriot Cicero described the Republic - I should say the res publica - in words that are strikingly modern. For him, the Republic was first and foremost "the public concern, of a people wishing to abide by the same laws because they have a commonality of interests". In the global society of today, this res publica encompasses the entire planet. And globalization of the economy must go hand in hand with a globalization of democracy. For if democracy is to have real meaning, it must henceforth find expression in every place where power is exercised. This imposes on us a threefold objective. For we must seek not only to democratize States, but also to democratize international society and, eventually, to democratize transnational society.
Democratizing States is one of the principal goals pursued by the United Nations today. This diplomacy finds expression first of all, in a highly tangible form, in the mandates given to our Blue Helmets. Indeed, most peace- keeping operations today are aimed at restoring democracy and protecting human rights. Since the end of the cold war, we have seen this happen in Angola, in Mozambique, in El Salvador and in Cambodia.
In addition, the United Nations now provides real electoral assistance to States that request it. And an increasing number of States are interested in receiving such assistance so that they can institute democracy. Since 1992, the United Nations has conducted more than 60 electoral assistance operations.
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But the United Nations still has far to go as it seeks to promote democracy within States. Specifically, it must provide States with technical assistance that will enable them to adapt their institutions, educate their citizens and create armies that respect the rule of law and police forces that uphold civil liberties. Many concrete programmes to provide assistance and support for democracy are currently being implemented in various parts of the world, from Haiti to the Gaza Strip. Allow me to say here that Italy has been a key partner in this effort by the United Nations to promote democratization. And I would note in particular the role played by Italy in the creation of the United Nations Trust Fund for the implementation of the Mozambique peace agreement. It is thanks to Italy that the first multiparty elections in the history of Mozambique have been held. And I should like once again to express to Italy my deepest gratitude.
By helping to bring democracy to States, we fully realize that we are working to promote peace and development. Indeed, every day brings us evidence of the fact that authoritarian regimes are potential warmongers and, conversely, of the extent to which the culture of democracy is fundamentally a culture of peace. And we can see clearly how democracy is a way of helping the weakest States become stable and stronger. We also know that fighting for democracy is a way of instructing and regulating our global society. For the worst ills afflicting the planet today, be they drugs, AIDS, pollution, corruption or organized crime, often originate in the weakest elements of international society. This demonstrates, once again, that development and democracy are closely linked and that by helping the developing countries, the richest countries can help both themselves and international society as a whole.
It is this universality of the need for democracy that demands that we now also democratize international society, in other words, relations among States. In An Agenda for Peace, which I submitted to the Security Council, I sought to emphasize that democracy among nations means that all States, large and small, must be involved in global decision-making. Only thus will nations come to respect one other and will it be possible to establish among them the conditions for a lasting peace.
Not so many years ago, the idea of democratizing the United Nations system was not even on the agenda. Nowadays, it is being debated everywhere. States are now universally in favour of expanding the Security Council in order to make it more representative. Believe me, I am aware of and very attentive to your country's wishes in this regard. Most of the heads of State who met in New York to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations called for changes in the Security Council. I think this trend is very revealing of the democratic aspirations taking hold of even the Organization's most political organs.
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It is this same aspiration that largely explains the current process of decentralization undertaken by the Organization. In the economic sphere, the United Nations has delegated a significant portion of its activities to its regional commissions. Likewise, in matters of peace and international security, the Organization is cooperating increasingly closely with regional bodies. Throughout the peace process in El Salvador, it has cooperated with Colombia, Mexico, Spain and Venezuela within an informal Group of Friends of the Secretary-General. In Georgia, the United Nations is acting in conjunction with the Commonwealth of Independent States. In Azerbaijan, it is supporting the efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In Somalia, it received assistance from the Organization of African Unity, the League of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. In Haiti, it cooperated with the Organization of American States and a multinational force.
Current developments in the former Yugoslavia must be viewed from the same perspective. I called repeatedly for the creation of a multinational force to oversee a peace process in the region. It is a matter of satisfaction to me, therefore, that the political will of the States most directly concerned is now moving in the same direction. I think that this massive decentralization of international action offers certain basic advantages: it eases the burden on the United Nations and it delegates responsibility to the States of the region concerned, thereby contributing also to the democratization of international relations.
However, as I emphasized at the beginning of my speech, part of the rationale for this trend towards democratization could be lost if States find that they have no power at the global level and if the new areas where power is wielded are not governed by democratic principles. So we must also democratize transnational society.
It is to this latest phase of the democratization process that the United Nations now wishes to devote itself, by involving private actors in the task of ushering in a global democratic society.
Multinational corporations and financial institutions are now a fundamental locus of power at the planetary level. It is therefore essential to bring them into the democratization process, so that they will appear not as predators ready to take advantage of breaches in the international social order but as agents of development and social integration. It is especially important that corporations be involved in the building of a new transnational social order because the weakening of national oversight mechanisms, the increasing openness of national borders and the fragmenting of national economic interests make it necessary to invent new rules and new practices in the area of competition.
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I believe that the major private economic decision-makers will have to be involved in devising these rules. The democratization of decision-making and regulatory processes will enable transnational corporations to participate in the building of a new social order and to feel that they too are, in a way, citizens of the world.
Lastly, I should like to emphasize the importance that I attach to the role that non-governmental organizations can play in the democratization of global society. If we are to establish an open, living democracy, we must take into account not only the wishes of political actors and the behaviour of economic agents but also the aspirations of social and cultural actors. Non- governmental organizations play a fundamental role in representing today's world, and their participation in international organizations is, in a way, a guarantee of the latter's political legitimacy. I have said repeatedly, including last summer to members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union assembled in New York, that I would like to see non-governmental organizations accorded an increasing role within the United Nations itself. In our pursuit of global democratization, we need to involve public opinion and to mobilize non- governmental organizations.
In describing the action being taken by the United Nations in the area of democratization and in outlining what a new social and democratic order could look like in today's global society, I am well aware that I have engaged in a largely forward-looking analysis. However, I wanted, for just a few moments, to rise above the minutiae of daily life and outline the major challenges facing the international community of tomorrow. I know that I can count on you and on the Italian people as a whole in this undertaking. Your sense of dialogue and debate, your open-mindedness and your concern for others are an expression of your deep-rooted culture of democracy. That is why I consider Italy to be an exemplary member of the international community and why I have come here today both to thank you and to tell you how much the international community is counting on you for the future. Thank you for welcoming me here today and for listening to what I have to say.
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