MEETING WITH STUDENTS AT AOYAMA GAKUIN UNIVERSITY IN JAPAN, SECRETARY-GENERAL DISCUSSES UN IN ITS SECOND HALF-CENTURY
Press Release
SG/SM/5946
MEETING WITH STUDENTS AT AOYAMA GAKUIN UNIVERSITY IN JAPAN, SECRETARY-GENERAL DISCUSSES UN IN ITS SECOND HALF-CENTURY
19960403 Following is the text of a statement by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at a meeting with students at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo on 3 April:I am delighted to be here in Japan once again. Speaking as a former professor, it gives me great satisfaction to have an encounter with students at this important centre of learning. You will be the leaders and decision- makers of tomorrow. You should be aware of the tremendous changes under way in the world Organization which you will one day inherit.
The past 50 years of the United Nations are a prologue to the great tasks that lie ahead. In the course of decades past the United Nations invented peace-keeping. With the super-Powers standing at the edge of global conflict, United Nations peace-keepers provided a beacon of hope for the family of nations. During the course of the past half-century, the United Nations served as the voice of the poorest peoples. The concept of development found its home and its most steadfast friend in the United Nations. And over the past 50 years, the United Nations was the scene of a process of democratization. As nation after nation emerged from colonialism, the General Assembly became the forum for peoples who previously had no say in their own countries' destiny.
Now, we have come to a new starting-point. The agenda ahead will be filled with different challenges. But the main objectives remain: peace, development, democracy. Our task is to understand the new world ahead. To recognize new requirements and responsibilities. And to relate them in our work to serve peace, development and democracy. Japan's involvement with the United Nations is a model in this regard. Japan is willing to take on new problems in the service of enduring ideals. Promoting peace today will require new approaches. Peace-keeping is no longer the relatively simple process it was in decades past. Conflicts are often internal, rather than among States. Cease-fires may not be in place. The parties may not all agree to a peace-keeping presence. And the task may require far more than peace- keeping. It may involve nothing less than rebuilding an entire society and State system, in all its dimensions.
The participation of Japan in the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) led to that operation's unprecedented success. As a result of UNTAC, Cambodia gained a genuine chance to recover from the horrors of conflict, to start down the road of progress, and to re-emerge as an independent and sovereign nation. Japan has participated as well in the United Nations peace-keeping and peace-building effort in Mozambique and has recently joined the traditional but immensely important United Nations peace- keeping operation on the Golan Heights between Syria and Israel. Japan's efforts are a tribute to international peace-keeping and peace-building, in both its old and new forms. Japan has demonstrated to both the regional and global communities the value and rewards of multilateral action.
Peace also will require new departures in disarmament. The year 1996 marks the fortieth anniversary of Japan's membership in the United Nations. Over these years, Japan has put forward important proposals from nuclear non- proliferation to the control and reduction of conventional weapons. And Japan has offered to host the signing ceremony for a comprehensive test-ban treaty once it is concluded.
Among the most severe new challenges is that of micro-disarmament. The poorest countries are inundated with light weapons. Most of the weapons that are killing people around the world today are small arms. At Japan's initiative, the fiftieth session of the General Assembly asked me to prepare a report, with the assistance of qualified governmental experts, on ways to address the dangers posed by small arms. And the General Assembly has decided to include an item on "small arms" in the provisional agenda of its fifty- second session. This is another example of how new problems are calling forth new ideas and new solutions.
Promoting development today also must differ from the approaches of the past. The most fundamental development need has not changed -- increasing levels of overseas development assistance (ODA). Japan continues to expand its ODA, increasing it by 16.3 per cent in dollar terms in 1994 to $13.35 billion. In the 1996 budget, the Government has proposed a further increase in the aid level. It is my hope that Japan's ratio of ODA to gross national product (GNP) will soon equal the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average. In 1995, Japan was the third largest donor to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), contributing $105.1 million, 5 per cent more than in 1994.
But development today requires more than overseas assistance in sheer financial terms. Peace, the economy, the environment, society, and democracy are interlinked dimensions of development. Peace provides a secure context. A healthy environment sustains development. Good social conditions enable a population to succeed. Democracy fosters good governance and stability. All these dimensions function together in an interlocking way to maintain progress towards development.
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This approach is coming to be recognized as the best hope for the part of the world which is suffering from the worst development conditions: Africa. Over the time that I have served as Secretary-General, I have seen Japan become progressively more involved in African development. The first conference in Asia dealing with Africa on a ministerial level took place in Japan in 1993 -- the Tokyo International Conference on African development. The United Nations Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries has had close cooperation from the Government of Japan. Japan's initiative in this regard is an important and tangible symbol, offering all countries of the developing world both hope and encouragement.
Of course, the most important perception for development today is that it must arise most fundamentally from the policies and entrepreneurship of a people themselves. In this regard, Japan has, by setting an example in its own economic development, helped spur economic prosperity not only in the East Asian region, but all over the world. Japanese companies and technical advisers are helping others to take advantage of their own innate skills and abilities in every way possible.
The United Nations today is promoting democracy and democratization at the request of Member States seeking to make the transition to more open forms of government. Around the world, from Latin America to Africa, Europe and Asia, authoritarian regimes have given way to democratic forces, increasingly responsive governments, and increasingly open societies. Many States and their peoples are embarking upon a process of democratization for the first time. Others are being restored to their democratic roots.
The world is witness to a renaissance of the idea of democracy, which is today gaining adherents across cultural, social and economic lines. At the same time, democracy as a procedure is increasingly regarded as essential to progress on a wide range of human concerns. In advocating democracy and respect for human rights, Japan is a pillar of strength, upholding the principles of the Charter. Japan is widely recognised and appreciated for its constructive role at the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights. Japan will continue to provide an example to the world by its vibrant democracy at home and by its strong support for the principles of human freedom and universal human rights abroad.
It is also newly understood that democratization must take place at all levels of the international system. This can take many forms: more participation by the new, non-State actors on the international scene, such as non-governmental organizations; a more influential role for the United Nations General Assembly; and perhaps most prominently, new members for the Security Council -- members like Japan, whose strength and stature and ability and willingness to take a full world leadership role are evident. The issue of expanding the membership of the Security Council must be confronted. A truly
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representative Security Council is an important step towards democratization of the United Nations system and democratization of international relations.
The United Nations project in democratic international organization, begun some 50 years ago, has gained new momentum. Through democratization can best be served the three interlinked cause of this new era: peace, development and democracy. Without peace, neither development nor democracy is possible. Without development, peace cannot be secured, nor can democracy be sustained. Without democracy, both peace and development may be possible, but neither may long be sustainable. For democracy at all levels of human society provides the vital link between peace and development, because democracy is a guarantee of peace, and because development is unimaginable without democracy.
This is a time of new possibilities and new demands for the United Nations. The scope of operations is unprecedented. The volume of activity is immense. Ensuring that the United Nations has the capacity to act effectively, and within available resources, is a heavy responsibility.
At a time of uncertainty and anxiety for the United Nations, I salute Japan for its admirable record in fulfilling its responsibilities as the second largest contributor to the United Nations' regular budget -- and as a key contributor to the Organization's specialized agencies and peace-keeping operations.
As the Organization searches for the best means to a strengthened and rejuvenated structure, I ask for Japan's continued strong support. Today, I would like to recognize and thank Japan for its continued support of virtually every aspect of United Nations work. In its dedication to the principles and goals of the United Nations, Japan serves as a model for the international community. Since its admission to the Organization 40 years ago this year, Japan's role in the United Nations represents multilateralism at its best.
Global problems will only be solved on a multilateral basis. The environment, population growth and international migration, international financial and commercial flows, technological advancements -- all these are just a few examples of issues that require cooperation. They require multilateralism. They require the democratization of international relations.
In closing, I wish to pay a special tribute to the outstanding contribution Japanese nationals continue to make within the United Nations system. I especially wish to recognize the vital role played by Sadako Ogata, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; by Yasushi Akashi, as the former head of UNTAC, as Special Representative of the United Nations operation in the former Yugoslavia, and now as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. By Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima, as head of the World Health Organization. And by Yukio Takasu, as United Nations Controller. Their efforts have been of immense value to me personally, and to the work of the
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United Nations as a whole. I also want to express my deep appreciation for Japan's contribution to the celebrations of the United Nations fiftieth anniversary.
As the United Nations faces the future, it will build upon the strong foundations of the principles of the Charter. If Member States give their support to the United Nations, the hopes placed in the world Organization will not be misplaced. I am confident that the Government and people of Japan will help turn the principles of the United Nations into action and the ideals of the international community into reality.
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